Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.

one of the more popular TV shows

everything years has been Seinfeld I

don’t know how many Seinfeld Watchers we

have here today but it broke all kinds

of records as a TV sitcom what was

interesting about Seinfeld is that it

was noted not to have a plot that is

nothing connected with anything you know

he would show up and start off with this

kind of gag routine and go onto the show

and nothing seemed to have much to do

with anything it was a blackness sitcom

and it went to the top of the charts

they were analyzing why Seinfeld was so

popular and it was concluded that

Seinfeld was popular because the folk

watching it were in the same situation

as a sitcom plotless no clue aimlessly

going from situation to situation sitcom

going from one day to another day one

job to another job one place to another

place without rhyme or reason

unconnected most Christians today are

living decaffeinated lives all the

letters gone and like a hamster on the

wheel ever moving never arriving

anywhere I don’t know how many Sunday

drivers we have here people who simply

like to get on the road and just drive

you know really you don’t really going

anywhere you just want to drive it’s a

pretty day let’s go riding

well I’m a driver I love to drive but

but even I must admit after a while that

gets all cuz you’re not going anywhere

you’re just out there far too many of us

are living lies like the flicker of a

candle rather than the blazing of the

noonday Sun meandering no brilliance no

significance

we don’t really feel that we matter that

much because there is no sense of

ultimate purpose destiny or the word

we’re going to use in our series calling

your calling may be defined as the

customized life purpose God has ordained

for you the customized life purpose God

has ordained for you to accomplish in

order to bring him the greatest glory

and the maximum expansion of his kingdom

you’re calling your reason for being is

your customized life purpose which God

has ordained for you and you alone to

accomplish which is designed to bring

him greatest glory and the maximum

expansion of his kingdom there are three

things I want to say about this

definition of calling which has to do

with your purpose for being first of all

it is a creative purpose purpose calling

it’s your reason for being

it’s the reason why you were made you

were made to fulfill your calling a car

is not fulfilling its calling if it

doesn’t run a piano is not fulfilling

its calling if all the strings are broke

and there is no tune coming out it’s not

fulfilling the purpose for which it was

produced it’s there but it’s not doing

anything or certainly not doing its

ordained thing to live life without

purpose for calling is to be like the

Dead Sea over in Israel in no life there

its death

fish can’t swim in it you can’t swim in

it you get the salt in your eyes it’ll

burn you it is a lifeless existence

because it is not fulfilling its purpose

you see you can’t flow out of the Dead

Sea it’s the lowest point on planet

Earth and and the water runs in it it

just has nowhere to go far too many of

us are living dead sea kind of lives no

outlet no progress perpetual stagnation

no calling God did not create you for

fun he created you for purpose he didn’t

just look up one day and said oh I’m

bored let me come up with something to

do today

why don’t I make folk no you were made

with a purpose

you see this at the very beginning of

the Bible this created purpose and we

could go through the whole first chapter

but let’s just look at a couple of items

here verse 14 of Genesis 1 says then God

said let there be lights in the expanse

of the heavens to separate the day from

the night and let them be for signs and

for seasons and for days and for years

and God verse 16 made two great lights

the greater light to govern the day the

lesser light to govern the night he also

made the Stars God didn’t just wake up

one day and says her boys lonel and I

just throw something up there to shine

he said no no let me make two great

lights one that will govern the day it

will determine how bright the day gets

the other one will govern the night and

it will have a supporting cast of stars

in other words he made the Sun he made

the moon and he made the Stars for a

reason not just to do it not because he

had nothing better to do it was an

intelligent thought through reason verse

20 that the waters teem with swarms of

living creatures that birds fly above

the earth and open expanse of the

heavens well if he’s going to create

waters it’s natural that he’s going to

create sea monsters he says in verse 21

that is the fish of the sea the big ones

he didn’t know it fish were made to swim

you show me a fish that’s not in the

swimming and I’ll show you a depressed

beast because it was made to swim the

beast on the field in the field they

weren’t made to swim and if they try to

live in the water they live dead sea

lives because they’re not fulfilling

their purpose that’s not their sphere of

operation that’s not

they were called to do he says about man

in verse 26 let us make man in our own

image according to likeness and let them

rule over the fish of the sea birds of

the sky the cattle of the earth and all

the creeping things that God created man

in his own image he says in verse 28 be

fruitful to multiply fill the earth and

subdue it he doesn’t just say let us

make man he says let us make man because

we have something for him to do not just

be there not just meander around not

just go around and notice how beautiful

the animals are and how wonderful it is

to float on the water there has got to

be more delight than this most of us

spend a lot of time making a living not

a lot of time making a life and so we

suffer for what I call the same-old

same-old disease every day you get up

out of that same obey and you go to that

same o bathroom to look in the same old

mirror at that same old face go to that

same old closet to look at those same

old clothes and put it on that same old

body to go to that same our breakfast

table Eve that same old breakfast cook

buy that say my wife you know you get in

the same old car and go to the same old

work down that same old road work mixing

them same old people for that same ol

pay doing that same old job then you go

back down that same old road into that

same old house here that same old noise

from those same old kids pick up that

same old remote sit down and go over

those same old programs go to the dinner

table need that same old dinner from

that same ol cook

you know go to bed and wake up the next

day to rehearse that same ol routine and

there’s nothing wrong with routine if

it’s tied to purpose but if it’s routine

tied to nothing you wind up like deal on

a Warwick raising the question what’s it

all about Alfie no manufacturer designs

and markets a product until he is

determined what is for you know you know

you don’t go make something and market

it and not be able to answer the

question what you do with it

but when you live your life raising the

question why am I here that question

however you phrase it that’s a question

of purpose it’s a question of calling

when God created he created with a

purpose now let me tell you a secret the

created thing cannot tell you what’s

this its purpose until it’s create or

tells the created thing what its purpose

is come on do an exercise

everybody here sitting on a pill right

ask that peewit is here for good don’t

look at me ask the Pew what is here for

that pew has no knowledge of its reason

for being that’s determined by somebody

else I’m talking to you over a

microphone right now if I were to ask

the Mike Mike why are you here the Mike

couldn’t tell me it was the creator of

the mic that says why the Mike is here

one of the reasons we can’t find out

calling is because we’re trying to tell

ourselves while we were gone

that was beaten and I think about we’re

trying to self define our calling a

calling assumes a caller if the phone is

ringing somebody else is calling you god

is the caller you are the colleague he

is the manufacturer you are the product

that’s why you can never discover your

calling apart from God it’s impossible

to discover your calling from God but

far too many of us are functioning

outside of our divinely ordained a

reason for being or we’re not

functioning in it at all which means we

are existing and when you exist you have

to create callings you have to make

stuff up now when you get a bunch of

folk who don’t know that calling living

in the same house

you got a miserable place to live

because he don’t know what he’s there

she don’t know why she’s there so that

already enter frustration you put on top

of that just the regular trials and

tribulations of life there is nothing

that is calling them that is bigger than

who they are the successful single

versus the defeated single is the

distinction between the cold one and the

one who does not know their calling

the one who does not know that calling

things all of life is wrapped up in that

man or woman they have not yet found and

God is not yet supplies the one who is

not frustrated still desiring but not

frustrated is because they have been

called to something

bigger that no other person can fix for

them they’re into something so much

bigger let me show you a great verse

Acts chapter 13 verse 36 what a

wonderful verse the book of Acts it’s in

the New Testament after John chapter 13

verse 36 listen to this for David after

he had served the purpose of God in his

own generation fell asleep and was laid

among his father’s and underwent decay

what a great verse you say I almost

think I’m great about that verse ever

said a man died became worm food under

winter came why he didn’t die until he

had completed his purpose what a

horrible way to die never knowing why

you showed up in the first place what a

horrible thing to do till we have 75 80

85 years and all you can talk about is

your job in fact we got poked into 30

and 35 years old who all let you talk

about is retiring from their job cuz you

hate to get up in the morning you hate

where you’re going when you get up in

the morning you hate the people you’re

going to see when you get there cuz they

got up in the morning like you did it’s

just one miserable thing what is missing

your calling

proverbs 29:18 says that without a

vision without a word from God people

perish what he’s saying is that when

people have no direction in life they

wither they die so this is not a small

subject this is not an insignificant

subject God said of Jeremiah in Jeremiah

1:5 while you were in your mama’s womb I

called you boy that’s great news that

God calls in advance so calling is

critical but it’s tied to your creation

you were created with a calling

everybody in here who is saved who has

accepted Jesus Christ by faith alone who

has been born in the God’s family has

been called once you receive the call to

salvation God now gives you the call to

life’s purpose secondly it’s not only a

creative purpose it is a customized

purpose nobody has your call but you and

they say that’s good news nobody and I

mean nobody has your call but you

nothing else matters anymore than

knowing that you’re fulfilling the

purpose for which you were placed on the

earth nothing once you get that then you

can sing like one great song person you

can’t touch this because once you have

that you are now alive you

I am never more alive than when I stand

up here I had a sister tell me she said

you sure come to life up there I was

thought now what you’re trying to say

I’m a boring person down there maybe

that’s because this is my colleague I

used to preach on street corners

in front of bus stops in Atlanta Georgia

so I wait for folk to gather at the bus

stop and I stand up in front of the bus

stop and stop preaching you must be born

again every Friday night I’d lead a

group of students out in college and I

pre you must be born again

same sermon cuz that’s all I knew but I

was called let me tell you what’ll

happen if you do not pursue your calling

you’ll spend your life wishing you with

somebody else and then think about that

kid that was a little deep too you’re

not happy with who you are that’s cuz

you’ve met yet discovered who you david

says in Psalm 139 I am fearfully and

wonderfully made coz I am distinct in

fact this principle is is biologically

solidified your fingerprint is not like

your neighbors free fingerprint every

fingerprint in this room and in the

world is distinctly different it’s hard

to commit a crime cuz where they

discovered how to get DNA off everything

that’s another subject but they can get

DNA now I can track you that way because

your DNA is uniquely you what is true of

your fingerprint what is true of you

DNA is true of your calling nobody has

your calling but you because nobody is

you but you so the the beautiful thing

about it is it’s customized calling its

calling with your name on it

Jesus says I finished the work which my

father gave me to do he gave me my old

job my own special reason for being and

I completed that task that is I

fulfilled my purpose for being my wife

wrote a book her first full single book

seasons of the woman’s life and some of

its drawn from Esther and of course

Esther Keith’s statement is in chapter 4

where the Esther is a beautiful woman

she’s a fox she’s a bad mamma jamma

she’s you know she’s got it all together

and her beauty causes her to be selected

by a has you eros as his new breath he

saw her and said oh shoot whoa and he

takes her so she gets all comfortable in

the king’s house because she now living

large she in the big house she’s got

money

she’s got cars she’s got clothes Wow the

Jewish people were in trouble and about

to be extinguished genocide her uncle

Mordecai says well aren’t you the

helpouts

cuz I can help y’all

because me and the King we kind of knock

talking for the last 30 days

he might get irritated so you know I

pray for you Mordecai Lee writes her

back and that’s the chapter for and it’s

the zinger

he writes her back Evans translation

girlfriend don’t think that you’re gonna

escape just cuz you two moved uptown so

don’t think just cuz you moved uptown

now you you not in the hood no more

you’re not living with the rest of us

anymore that somehow you have escaped

all this cuz when the hammer comes down

and they find out who you are you’re

gonna be just like the rest of us

secondly don’t think that God can’t do

this without you cuz if he can’t use you

he’ll call somebody else alright but

then after Hitler with the negative

stuff he answer with this positive line

the positive line is this have you ever

considered girlfriend that you have been

called to the kingdom for such a time as

this have you ever considered God made

you pretty so that a had you errors was

falling in love with you because he knew

the Jews were going to be in trouble and

so he wanted to have one of his people

in a strategic position at the right

time to fulfill their calling for a

greater purpose than you just being able

to shop and customise your wardrobe

in other words esta was to look at hang

night in terms of her calling not merely

in terms of her money her status her

cars her houses and her stuff she was to

look at it in terms of her reason for

being called to the kingdom for such a

time proverbs 25 20 verse 5 says the

purposes of man of a man’s heart are

deep waters but the man of understanding

draws them out in other words a person

who Sirius searches for their calling

wants to know their calling then that

satisfied to exist they want to know why

their existing great verse you all know

it Romans 8:28 all things work together

for good to them that love God now watch

this and are called according to his

calling and purpose are linked watch

this now calling and purpose are linked

and for the purpose personal knows their

calling so they’re fulfilling their

purpose everything that happens is

working that thing out everything that’s

happened is working that thing out I

know some of you are thinking you know

whoa whoa whoa if I miss my calling then

you need what I had to do today I had to

go up to this place I bought my car from

because they had a recall

right someone right on the door so they

recalled it it’s called grace grace is

when God recalled you but that’s a whole

nother message whenever I get to that

thirdly finally it is a comprehensive

purpose it is a comprehensive purpose

it’s a creative purpose you were created

for your calling it’s customized it’s

yours and yours and nobody else’s you

are unique as you are you don’t have to

be somebody else why do you want to be

somebody else by the way God already has

one of them

duh he already has one of them if you

become then them then he doesn’t have

one of you I think it’s deep your

purpose his web his while many people

don’t find their calling because their

calling is not linked into anything

bigger than themselves once you live

life with a mindset of me myself and I

once you take this independent view of

life God will not show you your calling

cuz he has called you to something

bigger than you if you have a piece of a

puzzle

it is therefore incomplete if you only

have one piece of a puzzle and don’t

have a puzzle

it’s incomplete because that piece

belongs to something bigger until that

individual piece of the puzzle can be

related to something that is bigger it

loses its significance you got a piece

of puzzle over here and it’s not tan to

the puzzle that piece no matter how

pretty the picture is on the cardboard

it’s insignificant

why are so many of us feeling

insignificant because we’re pieces

without a puzzle and we get all hype

because we are pretty piece my piece is

pretty it in your piece you know what

matter what does it matter but all these

pieces of a puzzle sitting out in front

of me if they never connect you still

don’t have a picture it leaves the

significance many Christians are like

puzzles

they’re beautiful cardboards

but they don’t see the picture what’s

the picture

what is this bigger thing God has called

all of us to all of us to a third in the

definition it is the maximizing of God’s

glory and expansion of his kingdom

that’s it that’s it if you are a

Christian whatever you are called to do

will achieve those things let me say it

again whatever whatever whatever

whatever whatever God calls you to do

we’ll give him greater glory and we’ll

expand that his kingdom in history the

Bible says in Romans 11:36 that all

things are to him and through him and

for him to him be the glory that men may

see your good works and glorify your

father who is in heaven I can tell you

that if you’re a secret agent Christian

God won’t tell you your calling because

that means he won’t get more glory from

your life and if your purpose is not

tied in to the expansion of his kingdom

now what is God’s kingdom God’s kingdom

is his master plan God’s kingdom is this

comprehensive rule over all of his

creation to be involved in your calling

means that the presence of God is being

manifested to a greater degree because

you are fulfilling your calling now let

me tell you here’s where we get mixed up

and it’s preachers fault on this one is

it’s a preacher fault because we have

limited the word calling to professional

ministerial occupation in other words

called to preach or call God has called

me into the ministry okay

that language messes stuff up because

you have been called into his kingdom

Colossians 1:13 says you have been

transferred out of the kingdom of

darkness into the kingdom of his dear

son every Christian is part of the

kingdom that means all work for becomes

Kingdom activity even if it’s

quote/unquote secular ok

in fact it’s technically incorrect to

make the distinction between secular and

sacred because if you’re a kingdom

person it is sacred even if you’re

washing dishes you wash them sacredly

even if you’re producing a widget you do

it sacredly

because you’re fulfilling a calling if

that is happens to be your calling and

we’ll talk about that because calling

may not necessarily be your occupation I

was talking to a young lady a couple of

years ago and she works for Billy Graham

world famous evangelist dr. Billy Graham

and she inputs data been doing it for

years

she said oh I love what I do

yeah yeah but I love it you like sitting

I love it why she said because this is

my calling how is that your calling God

called me she said to help expand the

ministry of dr. Billy Graham using my

computer background of skills so I don’t

just sit down and input I know that a

name I put in to that computer bank has

just been led to Christ in one of those

Crusades and I understand that the

letter and the book that I’m sending out

to them has eternal value and

gives me purpose not because she was

called to input in the computer

that’s not her calling that was a job

her calling was to support the Ministry

of Billy Graham and in that calling she

does that job the calling is always

bigger than you because it’s always

expanding God’s kingdom and bringing God

glory whether it’s in a medical field

whether it says a lawyer whether it says

the doctor whether it says a janitor if

you are called it has eternal

repercussions and God will always be

seen in it and through it and it’ll be

so natural that’s a whole nother subject

how do I know most of you know you’re

calling but don’t know you know it and

I’ll give you a little down payment

right now it is one of the ways you know

you call it is that you were doing

anyway if nobody paid if nobody ever

gave you a dime to do it you’d still do

it because it’s like Paul woe is me if I

don’t

or like Jeremiah it’s like fire shut up

in my bones and I can’t shake it it

burns me it sets me a flame now watch

this now watch this my time is running i

watch this now because it’s kingdom it

always involves discipleship the kingdom

of God is God’s comprehensive rule the

process of discipleship is bringing

people in line with their comprehensive

rule so therefore if you are a kingdom

person fulfilling your calling those

around you who you affect you will

infect with this kingdom worldview

because it’s gonna it’s gonna rub off on

them to some degree now watch this when

this happens you will be part of the

greatest coup d’etat in history and the

reason you will be part of the greatest

coup d’etat in history is that when you

fulfill your calling in the kingdom

rubbing off on other people so that they

are investigating this Kingdom – you are

now confiscating the goods of hell and

bringing them them into the realm of

heaven your job is to go out there into

the world with your calling representing

the kingdom and confiscating that which

has been stolen by Satan so he can be

used by the kingdom of God that is what

your job is

do you know why the kingdom doesn’t have

more because we have people who leave

the kingdom with no calling and

therefore do whatever they do out there

and it stays out there

it never is harnessed for the kingdom of

God that’s why Paul says in chapter one

of Ephesians that God has done this that

he might bring all things the sum of all

things under the authority of Jesus

Christ we are his body and we are sent

to be the fulfillment of all things that

is everywhere he calls people in every

direction you don’t have to feel bad if

you’re not called to be a preacher if

you’re not called to be a missionary

certain people should be called and you

won’t be fulfilled unless you respond to

that call but God is also calling people

to be entrepreneurs and he’s called

people to be doctors and lawyers and

engineers

he’s calling people to be politicians

and actors and actresses he’s calling

people to invade hell with the kingdom

so that helping grows that’s what the

Lord’s Prayer is all about you know we

went over there our Father who art in

heaven I know who you are you’re my

father I know where you live way up

there and so because I know who you are

where you live hallowed be thy name

so since your name is gonna be hallowed

I got a reverse my plans so that thy

kingdom comes which means I got to redo

my life’s plan so that thy will is done

now if I’m a hollow your name service

your kingdom and do your will that I’m

gonna need you to supply me the goods

the carbohydrates the starches and the

fats so that I have enough physiological

energy the howl of your name service our

kingdom and do you will so why don’t you

give me the day to daily bread I need to

pull at all

and then because you want a pure vessel

forgive me for the things I’ve done

against you as I forgive those who’ve

done things against me because if I

don’t forgive those who doesn’t things

against me you won’t forgive me you’ve

done things that gave you and if you

don’t forgive me who’s done things

against you you will not accept me

handling your name servicing your

kingdom or doing your will then lead me

not into temptation because if you leave

me in anything I can’t handle I’m gonna

embarrass your name embarrass your

kingdom and embarrass your will and the

only reason I’m praying any of this

anyway it’s cuz it has absolutely

nothing to do with me that is the

kingdom behind is the power behind of

the glory for ever and ever amen

you’re part of something bigger

something bigger

and so we close every few months we

ordained a minister here in Auckland

Bible fellowship we have an ordination

meeting and the young man who’s gone to

seminary or studied comes up and he sits

down ready to be bombarded with all

manner of theological biblical practical

ministerial questions he’s nervous he’s

sweating he’s wondering whether he will

make the orden deigning cut but that’s

never where the process starts I always

open it up with one simple phrase tell

me about your call cuz I don’t care how

much Bible you know if you haven’t been

called then folk gonna run you about it

show you right then folks go run you

love you every color if I wasn’t card I

will deal you’ve got to be called to

deal with folk soca kill you and Jesus

already died for you want to hold me to

die for you too you got to be cool

you’ve got to know this is the word God

wants you to do cuz when the hard time

comes sometime all you have is your call

all you have is your car and when they

pass the exam they get the title

Reverend

they are now identifiable as duly

appointed duly call ministers while the

reverend’s are not the only ordained

folk around every person who names the

name of Jesus Christ has been all day

and you have the call of God on your

life or as the old folks put it a charge

to keep I have under God to glory