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When God called me out of the world by revealing He surely exists and that His Word in the Holy Bible is real and true, it was so ground shakingly phenomenal that tears of joy were shed, my voice was almost gone through a sudden but transient impediment, and everything around me changed. That is the power of God's Holy Spirit at work changing my dark life into one of earth shattering light just by having His presence around me. This sudden calling was so beautiful that it is quite hard to effectively put into words a spiritual aspect when we are so physical and bound by physical laws. Within four months my baptism came. It seemed like eternity because I wanted this so much, with every fibre of my being. For me there was really nothing to consider because the comparison between the dark and light was worlds apart. The thoughts in my head during these weeks leading up to baptism were "God is real, God is REAL!, GOD is really real people!", "I am living amongst everyone with no clue", "Why me?" "I can finally trust the Bible", "Something has profoundly changed in me" and it was exactly then realisation set in that there was huge joy in my life that I never knew was possible. So I kept the Sabbath on my own until the Adelaide Church was set up about 3 months after my calling. The wonderful day of my baptism on March 12, 2007 it was 29°C and the water in my backyard swimming pool was perfect in temperature despite the fact that there was no water heater. No explanation for this, but once God revealed Himself to me there were many supernatural things that occurred, and still occur to this very day, that defy the realm of human explanation. Learning about God for me has been the greatest joy a human could ever experience. Yes, I am a first generation Christian and my family members know something has definitely happened to me, however their varied responses would include comments ranging from cult worship to clueless, guilty of craziness based on worshipping God on the Sabbath, tithing, and removing myself from all worldly ways such as xmas, easter, new year's eve, valentine's day, halloween, and all saints day.
During the precise moments of my calling on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 14, 2006 every single shred of doubt was instantly and completely obliterated as I stood in my living room reading a booklet about whether the devil is real. One page was all it took as God lifted the scales off my eyes. It was a booklet sent away for, a publication put out through a large half page newspaper print campaign from the United Church of God whom I had never heard of. The thing is I can tell you with full and absolute certainty with all my heart that I was not looking for God. Sadly I was drawn like a magnet to all things connected to the dark side, especially Satan the devil. To say I had a fascination would be accurate and yet an understatement as I could not get enough, never satisfied. The other thing is that I was never meant to receive this newspaper as it was a mistake. Or was it? In human terms yes, but in God's terms it was exactly the right method He used for me to be called to Him. The newspaper kept coming each Sunday for 3 weeks after repeatedly informing the Newsagent that they had made an error. You guessed it — on the third delivery I was offered that booklet! God can do anything to call us, He can use any person, anywhere, at any time, and in any way He chooses. Absolutely and unequivocally no limits, for nothing, NOTHING is too hard for our God (Jeremiah 32:17). With the wisdom of hindsight, God also specifically arranged for me to be brought to "rock bottom" financially, medically, and emotionally, in order to get me to stand still, listen and pay attention thereby ensuring the timing was just right to accept His most wonderful offer of "Come, follow me" as it is written in the following scriptures: Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 9:9, Mark 1:16-20, Mark 2:13-14, and Luke 5:27-28.
Did I count the cost of what was offered to me in front of my eyes? This counting the cost was not known to me until well after my baptism so how could I when I had no knowledge of it? All I knew was that the transformation of what occurred to me was something "out of this world" and there was no hesitation, no thoughts of "Should I say yes to God?" Therefore my thoughts were fully on the opposite side of the scales that weigh up pros and cons, for I only had eyes for the pros, the positives. My heart, my mind, and everything within me fully embraced my Creator and His Father whom I was so eager to begin a lifelong relationship with. Remarkably, with just about everything else in my life I always do the checks and balances on accounts due to being a non-risk taker. The irony of it all. It seems like there is great irony in my life repeatedly and also consistently. Whatever it takes, God is more than capable of getting things done. If I knew for one minute the severity of the trials and persecutions that would come especially in those early years with family, job, home, and finances I would honestly have to say I would have said no out of fear. Yet we have scripture in Isaiah 41:10 that says "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand". Then in Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go". Also in Deuteronomy 31:8 "And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Thankfully God's blessings have been much more than any person could ever deserve, so I keep on faithfully in awe and wonder of just how great God is for He is always there, always blessing with faith building moments, always helping, always loving me in the most merciful way to ensure transformation and maturation on this journey of physical life until we reach the end destination of the Promised Land which will have no end.
For anyone out there contemplating baptism this message is for you. Perhaps you are in the process of counting the cost right now and are unable to progress either way. It may seem "safer", more familiar to just keep attending, especially if you are a second or third generation Christian, until you are 100% sure you want to move ahead. Only God can help you in this matter because He makes the offer and His offer to me was about Him, not about me and whether I would be courageous enough, brave enough, smart enough, or worthy enough. No, I am not, nor will I ever be (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). It is God's power via His Holy Spirit, the Helper, dwelling within us from baptism that we draw any power and strength from in order to resist and overcome the "pulls" or trappings of this life known as sin. If I can do it, you surely can too, for God knows perfectly well what His plans are. After learning there were others out there like me I actually thought erroneously that we all had dramatic calling events. Now I know that many have a "quiet" calling that may involve watching Beyond Today TV programmes over many months or even years, or reading Beyond Today magazines that can also be accessed online from the United Church of God website. The programmes are formatted in half hour slots and are instructive, informative and give a good basis for further study. Some of our newer members have been called in this way from viewing a certain programme which held their attention and made total sense to them thereby removing all shreds of doubt. However God calls any one of us, you can be sure that it will be exactly in the right way and circumstances to come to learn about worshipping Him in Spirit and Truth, for God does not make mistakes.
Should we count the cost? Have you counted the cost? Perhaps you are now currently in the process of counting the cost while we are counting down the days until Pentecost? It is written in Luke 14:28-30 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish?' Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?" There is much to contemplate and consider and this is why God inspired the apostle Luke to write about counting the cost. Just remember God will give you the help you need so do not let that be a stumbling block or a barrier keeping you from making the best decision of your life. Choosing God over what this world has to offer has proven fundamentally to me, time and time again, that there are no risks to be afraid of as we are under His divine protection. God calling you is the invitation you need so embrace it with both arms extended eagerly like many before you, and with weeping tears of joy as was my unexpected experience as you enter wholeheartedly into the God family.
The question remains, how will you respond? Is your conscience letting you know that you are not really at peace or content because you have delayed responding? Perhaps you are putting it off for one reason or another? You do have accountability and responsibility to settle your conscience and reply to God once you come to accept that His offer has been made to you. Don't let hesitation and over-thinking stand in the way of your response as that is precisely how the devil operates by throwing roadblocks in our way. Remember, God sees your potential despite flawed human logic, reasonings, and self justifications. Jeremiah 29:11 lovingly advises "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope". Just know God keeps His promises and will finish the work in each one of us as it is written in Philippians 1:6 "...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ". Here is a sermon link explaining important questions such as "How do you know if you are being called?" Then links to booklets about baptism, and the process of transforming your life by conversion: https://www.ucg.org/sermons/opportunity-in-christ-comes-through-baptism
https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/what-you-need-to-know-about-baptism
https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-study-aids/transforming-your-life-the-process-of-conversion