Are you called or are you commissioned? Discern the season.
This has been a word that has been brewing inside of me. I believe the past few months the Lord has been impressing this phrase onto me. In my conversations with people, to my own quiet study time, I’m discerning the difference between called versus commissioned. I’ve been realizing what this actually looks like.
Two years ago, the Lord gave me a Word and it was “This is your Great Commission Season.”
I remember being like “Hm, that’s exciting, but what does that really mean?”
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB).
When the Holy Spirit was revealing this to me, I was stoked! I’m like “Okay, I’m going to be working and doing more for the Kingdom. I’m going to help baptize people and lead people to Christ, blah blah blah…”
Two years later, I’m humbled and I have seen the budding of the Great Commission Season in my life. I have started to see the Lord shift and align people, plans, and purpose in my life. He’s shifted my tastebuds, focus and priorities to ensure what I was doing was rooted for Him and His kingdom.
I say all this because I believe as young people, we are so zealous to BECOME who we are CALLED to be, but we discount the process and importance of becoming the disciple before we’re commissioned.
I had this fresh revelation as I’m approaching my mid-twenties, and I am noticing what us young people tend to do. We rush to be commissioned when our season is just to be called out and go follow Jesus.
When Jesus called the disciples, he turned fishers into fishers of men (Peter and Andrew). He turned a tax collector (Matthew) into a witness and an author of a Gospel. He turned a physician (Luke) to be an author of a Gospel. He turned a murderous Pharisee into an apostle to the Gentiles (Paul).
What do all of these people have in common? They were called before they were commissioned.
What else? They served time under leadership, mentorship, and discipleship.
Peter and Matthew were both disciples who followed Jesus and had personal accounts and witnesses to the ministry of Christ. Luke was under the leadership of Paul and followed him before He wrote the book of Luke. Paul was commissioned by Jesus and spent 3 years after his conversion to study, pray and meditate on scripture. This is important because during this time, in order to be an Apostle, you had to be a direct witness to Jesus. Since Paul wasn’t an original disciple, Jesus commissioning him had weight and authority. Hence, Paul was more specifically in ministry to spread the gospel to non-Jews, the Gentiles.
The point of everything is that, Jesus calls them out of where they are, to go and follow Him. He spends time with them. He disciples them. He makes sure they have revelation of who He is and He ensures the Holy Spirit is at work inside of them. Jesus stewards them and makes sure they are being obedient to the commands and teachings of God.
With that, after his succession, and the time to expand the Kingdom has come, Jesus commissions them after three years of them being under His stewardship.
Why does this apply to all of us?
Well, young people. Are you called? Or are you commissioned?
Are you being discipled by a mentor or the Lord Himself? Are you in a season where you may be practicing your gifts, but it’s not in the fullness potential because you haven’t been commissioned yet. When you’re commissioned, it is you fully walking into all you were called out to be.
When Jesus called out to Andrew and Simon – Peter, He said “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 (NKJV). He called them out of where they are, identified who they will be, and it wasn’t until three years later of them following Him where Jesus commissioned them.
Some of us have been identified of what we will be in the Kingdom of God. Some of us have been called out by God and He has marked us in a way where we know where we are going. However, we may still be in the season of being discipled and under someone’s stewardship. And some of us, may be commissioned. We have been commissioned to go and make disciples in the regions and spaces we are being sent out to.
Some of us are like King David where someone may have prayed, prophesied, or anointed you, but you are still a shepherd slaying bears and lions. That’s okay!!!!
We know at the end of the story he becomes what he was called to be – a King of Israel. It just took some time. Timing is everything!
I’m passionate about this blog because I see so many of us walk out of step of our season. Are we called or are we commissioned? Have we been authorized to be sent out yet? Have we done the due diligence of waiting, preparing, consecrating, tilling, and stewarding before being commissioned?
Mostly every leader and prominent name in the bible had their time of being called, discipled, and then commissioned. Do not neglect the discipleship before being commissioned.
I know you’ve been identified and marked in the Kingdom, friend. God has chosen you and called you by your name. But do not be so zealous to get to the next destination before going through the preparation to sustain the next season.
I love you so much.
Praying for you always! Discern the season. Discern your season.
Good things take time.
Love,
Lani