Recognition

Your life might already be the calling you keep asking God to reveal. We build this message around “recognition” and “commission” not as a launch into something flashy, but as a clear-eyed realization that God has already placed influence in your hands through relationships, responsibilities, and everyday opportunities. Drawing from Acts 20, we talk about finishing our race with joy, even when obedience costs something, and why “none of these things move me” is a mindset worth chasing. 

From there we get painfully practical: Colossians 3:17 and 3:23 give us a simple rhythm for Christian living, whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus and do it wholeheartedly unto God. That turns workplace ministry, family life, and hidden service into real kingdom work. We push back on the church myth that only pastors, missionaries, or platform people are “called,” and we ask the better question: not “Do I have influence?” but “How am I stewarding it?” 

We talk about parenting as discipleship, marriage as ministry, and friendship as stewardship of grace, including a moving story from driving a city school bus that shows how deeply kids recognize love and respond to steady care. We also hold the tension between global mission and local faithfulness, because the mission of God is both. 

If you’re ready to stop waiting for a “big calling” and start treating ordinary faithfulness as holy, listen through to the commissioning invitation. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can learn to live intentionally right where they are.

Transcript

Scripture And Opening Recognition

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So whether or not you have been for every sermon, none of them, or just this one, this one has the impact of what it needs to have. And I promise you that all of them have led up to this one. A message called recognition. If you're able to stand for the reading of the word, it is in Acts chapter 20, verses 22 through 24. As soon as I get there, I'll have it for you on the screen. It's the Apostle Paul telling the church at Ephesus about his plans and getting ready to depart. Hopefully, the story he tells in these two verses isn't exactly what the Holy Spirit's telling me for this trip. But he says, Now I go bound in the spirit. I'm going to paraphrase Kimalawi. And Mozambique. Not knowing the things that will happen to me there. Except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city. That's my prayer. Paul said, saying the chains and tribulations await him. But none of these things move me. If they do happen, nor do I count my life dear to myself so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. May God add his blessing to the reading of the Word. This is the Word of God for the people of God. Amen. You may be seated.

The Series Ends With Commission

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So this series, Lead Your Life, has been a journey, literal journey, and for me a couple years in the making almost now, of surrender, formation, vision, counting the cost, enduring, being obedient, and kingdom purpose. Today we arrive at the final movement of this series: commission. But not merely a commission into ministry positions or mission trips. Today is about recognizing God has already entrusted every believer with influence, responsibility, relationship opportunities, and kingdom assignments. Every last one of us. Some of the holiest callings in life never happen on a platform. They most often happen around a dinner table or in a workplace or inside a marriage or in a friendship. Or in parenting, in conversations and in ordinary faithfulness. Today is about being commissioned to live intentionally wherever God has placed you. This series was never about inspiration alone. It was about transformation. People who recognize that they are sent live differently. If you believe you have something God wants you to do, you go about life a little different. You'll be more intentional about the way you live. And you'll have a missional mindset because you believe God's using these moments of your life for his purposes. But it'll also encourage your everyday obedience because you know you gotta stay plugged in to keep doing what he asks you to

Make Every Place Holy

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do. Here's what I want to tell you: every place you are can be holy. Every place you are can be holy. All it takes is God show up. So whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus and unto God. I have two verses for you, I'm putting it on the screen. The first one is Colossians 3, verse 17. It says, Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. So whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus. Doesn't matter what it is. Walking down the street, do it in the name of Jesus. Give purpose and meaning that Jesus is in those moments of your life. They will change how you approach them. And the verse after that I have for you is the same chapter, six verses later, verse 23. Whatever you do, do it heartily, with enthusiastic joy, as to the Lord and not to others. So do it in the name of Jesus and do it unto God. That's what Paul tells us is the way to do it. In fact, throughout history, the kingdom of God has advanced through people who are surrendered and willing to go where God leads. Some travel across oceans and continents, others go across streets. Some stand on stages, others serve quietly behind the scenes, logistics, organizing, never getting recognized, though maybe rarely, that everything we do in obedience to God's call in our life matters. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you do it under the Lord and in the name of Jesus. So let me share this with

What Commission Actually Means

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you. Commission. Sometimes we talk about launching a ship, we commission a ship, we commission people to do mission trips, things like that. But here's what commission is: it's recognition and sending. There's a recognition that they're going to do something or are doing something and then sending them forth with our prayers and blessing and encouragement. That's what a commission is. So today is not about creating a calling for your life. It's not about calling Christine or I or the team to be missionaries. It's about recognizing what's being done already. That makes sense. God has already entrusted things to many of you. It's not what we're saying here. Trust me. Today we acknowledge that your influence matters. The people you know, the people you associate with, you have influence there. And those who you influence are the only ones you can lead. Your obedience to God matters. Your faithfulness to keep the Course and the faith matters. All of your relationships matter, and your service matters when you do it unto the Lord in the name of Jesus. Commissioning is not somebody saying, Well, you finally matter. Congratulations. It's not that at all. Commissioning is saying what God has entrusted to you, no matter what it is, is holy. Carry it intentionally. We recognize what you do for God, no matter what it is.

Stop Waiting For A Big Calling

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Many people are waiting for a calling from God, and while they're standing inside one, already doing their calling from God, and they don't recognize it that way. One of the greatest misconceptions in the church has been the idea that calling only belongs to a few people. As a pastor, you know, how was your call? You know, when were you called? And that was questions we had to ask during ordination, and some people still ask it, you know. Because people think, well, a pastor has a call and nobody else does, or something like that. But that's not true. We think pastors are called, missionaries are called, ministry leaders are called. Meanwhile, the people who are not ministry leaders and pastors believe their lives are spent waiting for some dramatic assignment while overlooking the holy responsibility already sitting in front of them. Some people are waiting to cross oceans while ignoring the people across the room. God, when you tell me to do something, I'll do it. But until then, I'm not doing anything for you because you didn't tell me. Some are waiting for a microphone, a platform, while neglecting the ministry that's already present in their home. Some are waiting for a title, recognition that way, while ignoring the influence God has already entrusted to them. But scripture repeatedly shows us something very important. God works powerfully through ordinary assignments surrendered to him. A shepherd boy takes down a giant, later becomes king. He wasn't great. He was just a shepherd, tending sheep, one of the lowest jobs in the world. And God used him to save a nation. And then he went back to tending sheep. I'm just a shepherd boy, but I'm going to kill that guy and I'll go back to work. Many people spend their lives waiting for what's called a big calling. I used to think, well, when I know what my purpose is, I'll go do it. That's how I used to think. You know, there's something God wants me to do as soon as I figure it out. And it's like this one thing. God didn't create us for just one thing. There are many opportunities in our life. And we look for this one thing while overlooking the holy assignment right in front of us because we don't think that it's a calling. Some people want to be sent across the world and go, but they don't. Because they haven't been faithful in the little stuff.

Ordinary Life Becomes Holy

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A lot of people unconsciously divide things into categories, spiritual and not, or flesh and spiritual, or holy and ordinary. But in the kingdom, surrendered living makes ordinary life holy. And ordinary places holy. Do you know how the temple in Israel became holy? It wasn't the building. It was in the holiest place, one day a year on the Day of Atonement, God would come down and rest on the Day of Atonement. That is what made it holy. God was there. Are you not the temple of the Holy Spirit? Is not God alive inside of you? Aren't you holy because He makes you holy? And wherever you go, then, and wherever God is is holy because God makes it holy, and God makes you holy, so wherever you go is holy. So workplace becomes ministry. A dinner table becomes discipleship. A conversation becomes encouragement rather than just a casual conversation. A friendship becomes a healing moment. Or a home becomes a witness to the family there and those who visit it. Oftentimes we're so busy living life we forget that we are holy in God and God in us. And so we just kind of make it through a day and wonder when God's going to use us. The truth is, God sends ordinary people through ordinary assignments. You may already be in your assignment. Let me tell you something. One

Parenting As Kingdom Work

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of the greatest assignments is parenting. Some of y'all go, thank God I got that done. If your kids are alive, you're not done. I promise they're gonna need you for something sooner or later. If not today, tomorrow or the next. Just call, see how you're doing. And what do I do about this? I don't know if you've ever thought about that, but the world celebrates visibility, but heaven values faithfulness. A mother praying faithfully over her children matters. A father leading with integrity matters. Last week we talked about how a man is a head of his household and doing it with intentionality is important. And learning how to do that, sometimes we have to find out the hard way. We don't know how to do it. A friend who carries encouragement, whether it's to you or you to another, makes a difference. At work, if you reflect Jesus Christ, that matters. You may be the only one doing it. But if you're wound up into the culture and acting like everybody else, you won't shine out like a bright light in a dark place. Never underestimate what God can do through you. And we have a tendency to do that. I know for a long time I was always in denial that I really mattered, that I made a difference. And that gave me a good reason not to do much. But God already said we matter because Jesus Christ died for us. That gives us a good idea of how important we are to him. How do I say this simply? Every single believer in Jesus Christ carries influence. Every one of us. The question is not, do I have influence for the kingdom of God? No. It's not the question. The question is, how am I stewarding it? How do I steward the influence God has given me in all the arenas of my life? Words matter. What you say makes a difference. Your presence matters, your faithfulness to God matters. People are watching, even if you don't know it. Your character matters, your integrity makes a difference. Consistency matters. Only time you know your integrity matters is when someone who doesn't have it shows up or gets caught. Otherwise, people think people have integrity, but that's not necessarily the case, is it? People watch how we respond, how we love, how we lead, how we endure, how we forgive, and how we live. Whether you know it or not. Listen, parenting, as I said, is kingdom work. It's not kingdom fun all the time. Raising children is not merely just trying to survive until they're out of the house. It's discipleship, stewardship, shaping hearts and souls. And then you have the grandchildren teaching your kids how to be parents and guiding them into examples of how to do that. The world is filled with children desperate for truth, for stability, for a love that's real, for guidance that they're not getting, and spiritual leadership. You

A Bus Driver’s Lesson On Love

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say, ask me how I know. I drive a city school bus. Most of those kids are raised by their friends or siblings. And do you think they know how to parent? Not really. But I will tell you this. When you realize children recognize love even from an outside unfamiliar source, they are accepting and trusting. I don't know if I told you this story, but last September, two boys from Elmwood Court heard it was my birthday. These boys don't have anything. Nothing. They got on the bus, heard it was my birthday, and they're getting off the bus to school with their lunch money and hand it to me and say, Happy birthday. And I said, No, no, I can't. They said, You love us and we love you. Two young black boys giving something to a white guy who you're not supposed to trust in the project. You're not supposed to give them anything, not give them a time of day because they won't give you the time of day. They understood love. They may not have got it at home, but they got it on the bus and they wanted to reciprocate, and they wouldn't take no for an answer. Do you know I still have that $2 sitting at my desk because it means more than me than anything else that would have cost $2 in this world. Every day, even after that, they still get on the bus. Some of them hug me, high-five me, they tell me how their day has had a bad day. I just want you to know they know I care. When children start telling you the stories, they know, and you know that they care. And they know you care. And that's an important moment in life. Being

Marriage And Friendship As Ministry

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married is ministry. Some of y'all go, well, I don't know what you mean. I've been married the same person for a long time. Okay. Does that mean you never had to exercise some fruit of the spirit there? Never had to exercise patience with your spouse? If that's so, uh, it's because they're sitting next to you and saying, Don't you say nothing. How we love each other in marriage matters. The world sees that. Our children see that. How we forgive each other matters. Or if we don't, that matters even more. How we serve each other in marriage matters. A lot of marriages out in the world, they don't serve each other. They just, you know, do what they do, and the other person does what they do, but they don't ever serve out of love from the grace of God. Marriage becomes, when lived intentionally for God and in the name of Jesus, becomes a visible testimony of grace, humility, faithfulness, and true sacrificial love. Many marriages in this world could use that good example. Even just by coming to your home and watching it play out and going, you guys don't act like everybody else may know. Well, that's probably a good thing when you love well. And friendship is stewardship of the grace of God given to you. Your encouragement to others and your presence matters. Sometimes a friend comes alongside another friend who's hurting and doesn't have to say a word. It's just the presence saying, Thank you for being here. Because sometimes words don't say enough, and too many words say too much. Because sometimes a friend hurts and we can't take it away. But we can be with him through it until it goes away. So they can say, I can breathe again, thank you. Listening, just listening without telling them what to do or your opinion about it, just listening and loving them matters. People are often carrying silent burdens. Even your friends or your children or your spouse may be carrying something because they don't want to tell you because they don't know how you're going to take it or what you're going to do with it. And God may use an ordinary relationship or a friendship to carry healing, hope, and truth into their life. The greatest kingdom work often happens in ordinary places through surrendered people. I've said that now twice, maybe three times. I'll probably say it again. Now

Global Mission And Local Faithfulness

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it's true, some of us are being sent into new territory. For me, it's Mozambique. Landing in countries and being in countries I've never been to before. And that's where missions, ministry, new obedience, and stepping out are integrated into the life of faith you're already living. When you are asked by someone to give your story and you don't have a story to Hell because you don't live it out. There's a question there. You should ask yourself what do I need to change to make my story more relevant? So other people will understand the example and testimony God's doing through me. Truly, the mission of God is both global and local. It's not one or the other. Our investing has all the areas where the mission and ministry of God is at work. It's just covered up right now. But the mission is not up covered. Your home, your workplace, your church, the nations, it's not theory. It's not about being inspired to do something. It's about embodying obedience day to day and being faithful in the area where you live your life. Some of you have never been commissioned for the very things God already entrusted to you. How many of us in this room have ever been commissioned to be a friend? Some of us have. Have you ever been commissioned to be a spouse? Or commissioned to do the job you're already doing for years, if you will. To be recognized that God is in it. And say, go do it. Keep doing it, but do it in the name of Jesus and unto God. You are a father, a mother, a husband, a wife, a friend, a mentor, a caregiver, a servant, a worker, a leader, a student, and a witness in those categories. You have some role that lines up with you. And perhaps no one has ever stood before you and said, what you do matters in each of those roles in the kingdom of God. And it does deeply. It matters. We lose that. And then, or don't recognize it, we don't understand it's unto God and in the name of Jesus. That's what recognition says is we recognize why we're doing what we're doing and how. And being intentional about it. So I have a couple questions for you this morning. The first one is, where has God already entrusted influence to you in your life? And you think go, I'm not sure. Are you sitting next to somebody? You got a relationship there? Do you know someone in this church? Are you friends with anybody? Those are some things God has entrusted to you. Well, that's just my friend. You are in the role of a friend. You can do that unto God and be commissioned as a friend. I've never heard that before. And that's a tragedy. That we've never been commissioned to do what we're already doing. Well, that changes today. What ordinary assignment that you do in your life have you underestimated? And didn't think it needed to be commissioned? I was washing dishes. I didn't think I need to be a dishwasher assignment. Why not? Someone see you doing that with a joy and a song in your heart because you're doing it under God makes a difference. I promise you, in my experience, I've been with two different kinds of people. Businessmen and Christian businessmen. Christian businessmen have a joy and a song in their heart that they can't stop because what they do, they do unto God with joy. A businessman just doing it to make the buck, make the sale, and move to the next person. Not about the person in front of them, not about serving, not about loving. It's about making the dollar. But a Christian businessman focuses on how can I impact this person's life today? How can I bless them? What can I do? And I know God will bless me right back because in being a blessing, I become blessed. We don't think like that. But that's because that's not how the world trains us. It's how the world teaches it. So, where in your life is God calling you to live more intentionally than maybe you never knew you were supposed to? So maybe it's everywhere. What relationships, responsibilities, or opportunities need to become in your life places of faithful stewardship and you just didn't know it? What would happen if you fully realized and recognized your everyday life, everything you do is a kingdom assignment from God. How would that change what you do? What you say, how you spend your time, resources? I think that's such an important question that I put it in the bulletin. What would happen? What do you think God would do? What do you think God could do through you if you fully recognize that? Walking down the street, going to Walmart. Did you know? This is funny. I used to work at Walmart. Now most of all our children have now. James, Johnny, and uh Katya all have worked at Walmart. But I was at Walmart one day working in the uh garden center, the area that seasonal stuff goes in on Hinkleville. And I was up on the ladder, stocking some stuff on the top shelf, and all of a sudden I felt like I needed to pray and praise God. In that moment I felt God's presence. You know what I said? I said, God, I didn't know you showed up at Walmart too. He's everywhere. You bring him. You got him with you. And if you make him known and the joy you have for him known, every place is holy. But if we don't think about it and don't understand that, we don't recognize that's true about us. So commissioning today is saying, let's recognize that. How would you like to recognize that is true about you and then be commissioned to do that? You don't have to do something new or different. Just the same thing, intentionally under God. And that, my friends, is what recognition. Recognition of who you are in Christ and recognition of the calling on your life is all about. Would

Prayer For Intentional Stewardship

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you pray with me? Heavenly Father, thank you for trusting us with influence, with relationships, responsibilities, and opportunities to reflect your kingdom. Forgive us for overlooking ordinary assignments while searching for extraordinary moments. Help us recognize the holiness of everyday faithfulness. Teach us to be wise stewards of our homes, of our friendships, of our marriages, of our workplaces and the opportunities in front of us every day with intentionality and grace. Give courage to those who are stepping into new territory. Strengthen those carrying heavy responsibilities. Encourage those who serve quietly and faithfully, and let every part of our lives become surrendered to your purpose. May we faithfully lead the lives you've entrusted to us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Invitation To Be Commissioned

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So today, today we commission the following fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, friends, mentors, workers, servants, leaders, students, caregivers, missionaries, those stepping into new seasons of obedience, and any other role you can think of that you fill, would love to commission that for you. Not because you are perfect, that's not what commissioning is about. But God works through surrendered people. People who are willing to carry what he entrusts to them. If you want that for you today, there are two ways you can do it, and either way is fantastic. But the corporate declaration inside the bulletin is what I'm going to ask if you're willing to do. You can stand where you are, raise your hand where you are, come to the altar and pray it, or in front of the sign, whatever you would like. But I would like for you, as a willing person, being commissioned for whatever it is, to read it together. I'm not telling you have to do this, but I'm telling you that if you're commissioned, you recognize that God can use you no matter where you are, what you're doing. That makes sense? So you understand now. This bleedable vision is actually the life you're already living. This leading your life is the life you already live for God. But doing it for God, knowing why you're doing it. So would you rather stand, raise a hand, come to the altar? I am perfectly willing to do it any way that you choose.