* I received my call to the ministry in 1983. While praying one night around 2:00 AM. I heard the Lord say to me, "get up and go sit on your porch, outside." As I sat down, the Lord said to me, "look up" when I looked up, all I could see was a heavy low cloud cover. I sat there for several minutes looking and said to myself, "I must be going nuts" with that I started to get up and go back into the house.

Once again I heard the Lord speak and He said, "sit back down and look again" as I looked back up, an opening appeared in the clouds and I saw three stars, in the shape of a triangle and I heard the Lord say, "I am the bright morning star and I have called you to preach my gospel and to preach my word." I had often heard preachers say, "God called me to preach" but never knew what that meant until now. I never received the call graciously, I remember saying "Lord I don't know what to say to anybody, one church preaches this and another church preaches that" He said to me "preach My word" I said "what word?" He said "the bible."

* I went to bed that night bewildered by the whole thing. The next morning as I got my little girl off to school, I kept thinking "the whole thing had to be a dream" by the end of the day I was convinced that what had transpired the night before, never really happened.

My little girl came home from school and as she came through the door she said "daddy I made you a picture at school" As I looked at the drawing, the hair stood up on my neck. Half of the picture from the center up, was colored in with a black crayon; in the middle was an opening with three little stars; below that was a little house, with an outside porch.
As I stood there, speechless, I heard the Lord say, "See, I told you that I called you" I had not said anything to anyone concerning the events of the night before.

Some personal reflections about the call of God.

If God has a call on your life, He will make it evident to you.
If God has called you to preach, be the kind of preacher that He wants you to be. Most have preconceived ideals about what a preacher is and how a preacher is supposed to preach, usually it's based upon how they do it in their church. The Lord Jesus most often taught his disciples by illustrative means.
Do not try to be something you are not!
Be led by the Holy Spirit.
Be God's servant.
Immerse yourself in the Word of God.
If the pulpits are not open to you, look out your front door, there is a wide open door to the whole world. Go.

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Ephesians 4:11-15

11. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

This study course will cover these points.

A. Gods Holy Ghost Program
B. The Calling
C. The Person Called
D. The Five Fold Ministry
E. Helps

In Christ's Service
E.L. Davis