The Call of God on Your Life
So, what’s the call of God on your life?
As a Christian, knowing the call of God on your life is exciting.
Clarity about the call on my own life came just over 30 years ago, it was simply, ‘to be a door opener’. Someone who would encourage others to discover their own ministry, and to help them step into it.
Just over ten years ago I was talking with a good friend about the increasing number of Nepalis coming to the UK. We both felt from God that INF, which until then had focussed solely on Nepal, should respond to this.
Around the same week that we were talking in the UK, a young Nepali pastor, Abraham Shrestha, came into our Kathmandu office and said he felt God calling him to the UK to minister to Nepalis there.
I met Abraham shortly after this on one of my visits to Nepal and a strong friendship was birthed. He came to the UK a year later with his wife, who was from Northern Ireland, and their four children.
At the time there were just three Nepali Christian fellowships in the UK.
I felt strongly that, in the UK, we should be ‘encouragers’ and ‘facilitators of growth’. I also felt strongly that our role was to be ‘catalysts’ for new churches, rather than ‘planting’ new churches that came under the INF banner.
It took a while for Abraham to be accepted and trusted as the Nepali Fellowships were fearful of ‘take-over’, but that passed, and a deep sense of trust grew. Soon Abraham was preaching and encouraging small groups of Nepalis to meet in households, and these in turn started to grow. He helped them identify leaders from within their groups.
After a few years there were over 30 fellowships across the UK, all independent, but importantly, in fellowship with each other under a new umbrella organisation called the Nepali Christian Council UK.
Abraham’s own call from God started to expand with invitations from different countries in mainland Europe, which I supported and encouraged, and he was soon splitting his time between groups in the UK and mainland Europe. An example of one such visit was to Lisbon, Portugal. While walking from the main train station, he met a group of Nepalis and was invited to their house. Shortly afterwards a small Christian Fellowship started with just 5 people. Soon it had grown to over 30 people.
Until the pandemic interrupted his visits last year, Abraham was visiting groups in Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland. Despite the disruption of COVID he has continued to encourage them in their growth via zoom.
My role throughout the ten years Abraham had been with INF was as an encourager. Praying with him, acting as a sounding board, giving wisdom when asked, and always encouraging him to listen to God and follow his calling.
I have learned in my walk with God that there are seasons to ministry. Knowing when to pick something up and run with it is important, but knowing when to hand over can be even more important.
Two years ago I recognised that the ministry had grown beyond what I could support. If it was to continue to flourish Abraham needed additional workers alongside him, plus our mission, INF, wanted to deepen its focus on Nepal, which sucked up more of my time.
After prayer and various conversations, God led us to open talks with the Nepali Christian Council, UK. Abraham was already well known to their leadership through his ministry, and trusted. By the end of 2020 he was welcomed by them as their first paid worker.
In the space of a little over ten years, the Nepali church in the UK grew from three fellowships to over 30, and has a mission to eight other countries in Europe.
Being an encourager is a great calling. So what about you?
I have interviewed many would-be missionaries over the last 23 years. One story that sticks with me as an encouragement to ALL Sunday school/Children’s/Youth workers.
A young girl attended her local church in Cornwall, going to Sunday School each week until she was around 11, when she stopped going. Her life continued and she qualified as a nurse and emigrated to Australia when she was around 27 years. There she met her boyfriend, who had been brought up in a children’s home with no experience of church or Christianity.
They were picnicking near a lake when a group came along, sang some songs, and baptised some young people. They sang a couple more songs and left.
The singing had awakened a memory of a Sunday School in Cornwall and the young woman said to her boyfriend ‘I need to go to church on Sunday’. When she returned her boyfriend said ‘you’ve changed. What’s happened’. So she told him about her encounter with Christ. He went to church the following Sunday, and also came to faith.
A number of years later they came to me to be interviewed as missionaries to Nepal.
To all who work with children and youth – you may never see or know the impact you are having, just as the Sunday School teacher from Cornwall will never know, but be encouraged, God continues to work in lives long after they have left our care.
The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
To each of you reading this, stay faithful to what God has called you to do, don’t get disappointed if you feel a lack of response – we simply don’t know what God has yet to do in someone’s life.
John Reynolds
CEO of International Nepal Fellowship (INF)
John is supported by Jo Lee and Josiah English’s Home Group, and also year 9 Youth Small group.
