I don’t exactly know how to start this.  So, I’ll start this way.  Decades ago, I asked God to help me develop a prayer life that would be deep and meaningful.  Oh, it’s not to say I didn’t pray.  I prefer to call prayer “conversation”.  I made this request in a meeting with other leadership in training.  One particular member of the class spoke up that God would make it so.  The one thing I’ve learned since then was brought to my attention.  I’ve talked to God since I was about twelve years old. 

My first memory was lying in my bed at night.  God spoke to me on one of those evenings.  He said that I was to be an evangelist.  I thought of it as nothing extraordinary.  I thought this was normal to hear God speak.  As I have learned over the years, I put upon others the expectation that they should automatically know what I know.  It has come to me that they don’t.  I found myself many nights after that conversation preaching hellfire and damnation to a darkened ceiling in my dimly lit room.  My preaching would be as fervent as if it would cause a person under conviction to find themselves all but feeling the flames of hell if they did not respond immediately.  That was how I had heard it done in the Baptist church I grew up in. 

Then, on another occasion, I was sitting in church when God gave me a vision.  I was thirteen or fourteen.  I could see the people sitting in the church service, but only a small few of them stood out.  God asked me whether I saw this.  I said yes, but questioned Him about its meaning.  God said not all the people in the congregation were His people.  The only people that stood out to me were His.  My heart was hurt because the number of people who were His was small compared to the total number of attendees at the service.  God spoke that He had people in every church.  The situation in all those other churches was the same.  In later years, I learned that many are called, but few are chosen.

Matthew 22:14 – For many are called, but few are chosen.

To make it clear, there are designations in this area.

 Four designations

• The call (calling) or invitation
  • The actual call or invitation of God (to receive a worldly purpose, or to receive salvation)
• The called or invited
  • Those who have received the call or invitation
• The chosen
  • Those who have heard the call or invitation and have chosen to accept it

• The elect or elected
  • Those who have been selected by God for something
•  The first point deals with God’s call (invitation) klesis. 

Romans 11:29 – For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

For years, I wondered about that statement.  The “repentance” part made me curious to know what it meant.  Then, when word study became my method of understanding scripture, I found the proper word for that is “irrevocable”.  The calling cannot be reneged on.  God said it, and He will not take it back, which shows the reliability of God’s promise in saying what He says.  God doesn’t dangle a carrot only to pull it back. 

• Then the called (invited).  This deals with the ones that are invited.  Again, I refer to the verse:

Matthew 22:14 – For many are called, . . .

The invitation for salvation is sent to the called.  The Greek word kletos translates to those who are invited to be saved/ made holy/to belong to Jesus.  All are called to a purpose. 

Most sermons in decades past dealt with getting people to recognize they needed salvation to keep them from dying without a Savior and “going to hell”.  They were encouraged to commit right then to ensure their citizenship would translate from the realm of darkness to the realm of light.  Many were threatened to get them to commit.  I’ve found in the years since that if you have to scare them to the altar, you have to continue this vein of psychological thought to keep them “saved.” 

I have an alternative thought.  Yes, I agree we should let people know that living in sin will have detrimental consequences, but above all, we must let you know something more valuable.  The called are those who are invited to a purposeful future.  Purpose in life gives hope.  Hope builds faith.  Out of faith comes grace and mercy from the believer.  This is all coming from correctly understanding that God wants us to be of value and worth.  We all need to humble ourselves and listen to and for the call of God.  We are invited to repent from our old stinking thinking and trust in Him to receive salvation unto a purpose in moving forward.

3. Chosen (eklektos).  This word is an adjective describing a people that has been chosen.  The chosen are the invited who have presently accepted the invitation.  Back to the verse:

 Matthew 22:14 – For many are called, but few are chosen

The responsibility we have is to hear and accept the call. Should we obey the call, God makes the choice to choose you. Your being chosen is based on His choice.

In my understanding of the line of thought, is that the “many” that are invited, not all are “chosen”.  What qualifies the chosen is that they have humbled themselves and obeyed through their faith in the gospel.  God sees this faith and will choose those faithful that follows His commandments taught in the gospel.

So now I get understanding of what God showed me those many years ago sitting in church during a service.  Many were called.  All that sat in the service were called.  I can only imagine that most did acknowledge the invitation to salvation.  My biggest fear is that the souls that were called would stand before God in the time of judgment, will not be allowed into the kingdom.

Matthew 7:21-23 – Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Then come those who labored in faith for their master, and it is said:

Matthew 25:23 – . . . Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

This answers any question about the vision God gave me all those years ago.