There Is No Lasting Calling That Is Not First Shaken

I invite you to turn to the book of Luke. And today I have wanted to share something with you that is closely connected to the message I was sharing on Sunday. God has had me reflecting a great deal on that idea of what momentum is... momentum. The impetus of the Spirit of God moving within us. And I can tell you, my brothers and sisters, there are so many dimensions, so many variations, so many perspectives from which one can analyze this that I could keep preaching about it for at least two more weeks. Amen.

At least somebody likes that message. I didn’t pay him, goodness gracious! Oh, right—if you all talk, I don’t preach; that’s how it is. But look, last Sunday, after I finished preaching and reviewed my notes, I said to myself, “Wow!” It was as though new ideas began coming into my head, and last night I was sharing with the men’s group at their meeting, and I was also preaching along the same lines.

And after I finished preaching, Pastor Gilberto stood up and took a moment to minister, and he said a phrase that was so closely connected to what I had been preaching that it made the light bulb shine even brighter for me. And I said to myself, “Wait a minute, I think there’s something here.” If you’ll forgive me, I’m going to share my heart with you as well. Not that you have to forgive me, I mean...

But look, what if I told you the following... listen carefully: There is no enduring vocation that is not first shaken. That is the subject I bring tonight. There is no enduring—genuine—vocation that is not first shaken.

I’m going to explain this. I can tell you that I came to understand the painful truth I am speaking today. And I say painful because, most of the time, one would like one’s involvement in the Christian life to be free of trauma or affliction or anxiety. But obviously, that would be a utopian wish, so to speak, because it is not reality. I believe one has to learn to make peace with the idea that, at all times, if we want to live genuinely and honestly as disciples of Christ, we have to make peace with the idea that moments will come when our lives will be shaken in different ways.

So I ask myself, what is the intention—what is the purpose of this? Of those moments when our lives are shaken. Why does God, through the person of Jesus, allow the enemy to sift us? Why does He allow the enemy to sift us?

Let’s go to Luke, chapter 22. Luke, chapter 22; and we are going to read verse 31. And of course, my brothers and sisters, I am saying this with an understanding of the context in which I say it. That is, if we long and desire to see a move of God in the midst of our lives, we have to make peace with the idea that along with that move will come moments of conflict, moments of trial—moments of sifting, so to speak. But yes, it is a biblical word.

Look at what the text says. Luke 22, verse 31, says: “The Lord also said, ‘Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has asked to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have pleaded for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when you have returned, strengthen your brothers.’”

Let me read that verse 31 again. It says: Simon, Simon... or John, John... or Lucy, Lucy... Julia, Julia... or Miguel, Miguel... or Peter, Peter... or Mauricio, Mauricio... or Antonio, Antonio... I could keep saying names. Or Felipe, Felipe. Omar, Omar, goodness gracious! Why wouldn’t I say my own name? Of course I would! “...behold, Satan has asked to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have pleaded...” Look at how it says, “I have pleaded.” Pleaded carries much greater intensity than merely saying, “I have prayed.”

Praying is like, “Lord, yes, take care of them. Be with them.” But pleading is like: “Lord! Stop!” There is an inner force that comes out of your gut when you plead, so to speak.

But look, what does it mean to sift? Those of us who have had relatives in the countryside or something like that know that they sift many things. Basically, sifting means separating one thing from another. Yes, but I know it is done by shaking. In fact, if I tell you, “Show me how you sift someone,” I know everyone here is going to dance the twist for me.

But what sifting does is separate one thing from another, right? When builders sift soil, what are they doing? They are separating the large stones from the fine earth they need in order to build, or to use with the cement. Another example: wheat is often mentioned, right? When wheat is sifted, what is one trying to do with it? One is trying to remove the grain from the husk covering the wheat.

If you take a rug and shake it, what are you doing? You are separating the dust, dirt, and soil from that rug so that the rug can continue to be usable, so that it won’t smell bad or make the house look ugly. So, sifting happens in different ways, and we also use it in different ways. But in the same way—the word “way” got stuck in my head... formed. In the same way—in the same manner, our lives go through different siftings.

And look, let’s... let me analyze this text with you for a moment. This text from Luke 24. I’m going to do a little Bible study here with you in three minutes. Look, if you examine verses 24 through 27 of this passage. Sorry, starting with the passages from verses 14 through 23—you can read it, but I’m going to tell it to you in summary. In verses 14 through 23, Jesus is instituting with His disciples what we know today as the Lord’s Supper.

And it was at this moment that Jesus identified the person who... what? Who was going to betray Him. In verses 24 through 27, Jesus begins to give His disciples a lecture about who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, Jesus was giving them a lesson about what true leadership is. Who the true leader is. And He was saying that the true leader is not the one who sits down at the table first and is served by everyone else; rather, the true leader is the servant-leader. He is the one who serves others.

Now, this is where I see a very important key. Verse 28, if you read it—look at what verse 28 says. Verse 28 says: “But you are those who have remained with Me in My trials.” For me, that verse is key in this context. Because it means that Jesus is commending His disciples for their faithfulness to Him, even though it had already been revealed that there was a betrayer among them.

After all the traumas Jesus had gone through while confronting the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Mengees, and all the others who were around there... after everything that happened—people who rejected Him, people who accepted Him—His disciples were there, faithfully, with Him. And Jesus was commending them for that.

But in verse 31, which is what we just read, I say that Jesus turns the tables on the disciples. He tells them something that seems to contradict what He has just said. Because after commending them by saying, “Wow! You have stayed with Me to the end, and I am very pleased about that,” He then comes out with this: “But Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” Listen, I don’t know about you, but that seems very peculiar to me.

Satan has asked to sift you... in other words, even though they were enjoying a move of God in the person of Jesus in a very tangible way, that did not mean they were free from danger or temptation. Are you following where I’m going with this?

On the contrary, things were just about to get interesting. After Jesus was arrested, that was when things were going to get really nasty for all of them. And it is here, my brothers and sisters, that I understand that in order to have a sense of vocation—and by vocation I mean a sense of calling—vocation does not mean that you go to a vocational school and study to become a secretary or a carpenter. Those are vocations; but vocation, in this sense, I am using to mean that sense of calling.

Like that reason for being, that purpose God gives our lives. That is what I mean, or that is how I am using the word vocation. In order for us to have an enduring vocation, calling, or ministry, we have to face moments of sifting.

Look at what happened to Peter; look at what this sifting brought about in him. What caused Peter’s failure? If you remember the story well, where did Peter’s failure take place? If I continue reading to you, what does Peter say to Him? “I am ready, Lord, to be with You not only in prison but also in death.” “Peter, I tell you that the rooster will not crow today before you deny...”—what?—“three times that you know Me.”

So, you know, that must have been a slap in Peter’s face. I mean, it’s like, “Good grief! I’m telling You that I’m willing to die for You or die with You and go to prison with You, and You’re telling me I’m going to deny You. Hello! What is going on?” Nevertheless, Jesus knew why He was saying it, and Peter’s failure was seen in his denial.

What caused Peter to deny Jesus? Forgive me for asking you so many questions, but I like to make you think. How many of you—by a show of hands—how many of you believe Peter was afraid? Let’s see. That Peter’s denial was caused by fear. That he was afraid of what was going to happen to him. Okay. I’m going to give you another option. How many of you believe Peter’s denial was due to a lack of faith? Oh, no... Okay, the third option: how many of you say it was the first and the second?

So I covered all the bases. Look, no, no, no. To me, b) is the correct answer. You know, I don’t believe Peter was afraid. Didn’t Peter cut off the ear of one of those who came to take—to arrest Jesus? Do you think that was because he was afraid? Oh, I see! Because he was beside Jesus, he dared to cut off his ear. “Oh, yes, I’m going to cut it off...” It was an impulse, yes... a, pow! Momentum was seen there: he cut a chunk off the soldier’s ear.

But no, my brothers and sisters, I don’t believe it was because of fear. I believe it was more a lack of faith. And a lack of faith in the sense of believing in the person of Jesus. It is interesting that a few chapters earlier—if you read this in Luke, chapter 9. Look at this; I’m telling you a secret, a story here.

Luke, chapter 9. Didn’t a moment of momentum take place in Peter’s life in Luke, chapter 9, verse 18? Look at what Luke 9:18 says: It happened that while Jesus was praying by Himself, the disciples were with Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” And they answered. “Oh, some say You are John the Baptist, others say You are Elijah, and others say You are one of the ancient prophets who has risen again.” And He says to them, “Hey, and you—what do you think of Me? What do you believe I am? Who do you believe I am?” And Peter stood up over there.

I want to imagine that moment. I imagine Jesus asking that question, and perhaps the guys were sitting there on the ground; perhaps Peter was chewing on one of those really long little stalks of wheat, just chewing on it, and suddenly he hears this question from Jesus: “And you, who do you say that I am?”

I imagine he was just like... “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Listen, but don’t tell me, “Glory to God!” yet. Do you know why? What did Jesus say? “Blessed are you, because flesh and blood have not revealed this to you; rather, this has been a revelation from God over your life.”

Look at this: Peter received that revelation from God. Nevertheless, that revelation would not have become firmly established or penetrated to the very depths of Peter’s being if he had not been sifted in the way he was. Did you understand me, or do I need to repeat it?

This revelation given to Peter would not have become firmly established in his life if he had not been sifted in the way he was. Look, this was a revelation to me, because I know that we can have many prophets among us. Or that God can bring revelation among us—and I love that, and I desire that, that God would speak—but the mere fact that there is a revelation in our lives does not mean that word will become concrete until something happens among us that releases the power of that word. Amen.

Are you understanding me, or am I confusing you? I believe there are words God brings into our lives that sound so wonderful at the time, that at the time sound as though this is glory here on the Mount of Transfiguration, so to speak. But the mere fact that you have received the word does not mean that you will experience the power of that word in your life until something more abundant happens within you.

Until something more impactful happens within you. It is as though that word God gives you puts you inside a bubble. And you are in that bubble: “Wow! What a beautiful word.” And it is not until an event from reality, from life, comes along and goes “pop” and bursts your bubble that, once that bubble bursts, you understand that word in a completely different way. Amen.

Tell me if that isn’t what happened in Peter’s life. Because Peter, with all that celebration he received—and look at how Peter’s revelation came about: it was not only in that instant when he said, “Ah, you are the Christ, the Son of God!” No, no, no. Peter’s revelation came in many other ways; the mere fact that he was able to witness the miracles Jesus performed—and what is more, that he was, so to speak, a participant in those miracles. He also healed the sick, cast out demons, and proclaimed or said things that perhaps he had never thought he could say before, but because he was in Jesus’ presence, that power was flowing through him.

But somehow it had not yet become concrete. Oh, yes, Jesus, I am willing to die with you, to go to prison with you. But he did not even know what he was saying.

Why? Because he… Okay, I’m going to put it to you this way: how many times had Jesus announced that he had to die? And on how many occasions did Peter also say, “But Jesus, what are you saying? You are the King of the Jews. You are the one who is going to rule over us.”

In other words, on several occasions, in the biblical account, we see that Peter is following Jesus in the wrong way. So imagine when they seize Jesus, take him away, and arrest him. He is left thinking… what happened here? Where is your power? Where are the angels who can come and set you free? And now I am seeing you at the most vulnerable point of your life. They slap you; they spit on you. Who would not be confused by that? Obviously, when the moment of denial comes, the story becomes more interesting.

But look, my brothers and sisters, let me keep moving because it is already nine o’clock. The beautiful thing about this account is the following: Jesus himself warned him. In other words, Jesus knew that it was necessary for this to happen to Peter. In fact, I would even dare to say that this is why Jesus himself allows our enemy to draw near to our lives and cause some kind of disruption without wreaking havoc, for the sole purpose of bringing out the best in us.

Doesn’t the Bible say the following? There is a reason the Lord allows the enemy to draw near to us and sift us, but without wreaking havoc. Because he wants, so to speak, to use this little devil as a guinea pig: I am going to make him my instrument to bring out the best in them. Doesn’t the Bible say the following in John, chapter 16, verse 33: “In the world you will have affliction…” But what does Jesus say? I have overcome the world.

Romans, chapter 8, verse 31, tells us: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” First Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 13, says, “You have not suffered any temptation that is not common to humankind; but God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond what…” What? “…you can resist or endure. Rather, when temptation comes, he will give you…” What? He is going to make it easy: along with the temptation, he will also give you the way out.

And in First John, my favorite—in First John, chapter 4, verse 4, it says: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome these false prophets…” Why? “…because the one who is in you is greater…” Than the one who is where? That’s right, he may come and trouble our lives, but he is not going to destroy us or bring us down. In fact, I could tell you so many other Bible verses, but I do not have time.

Look, all these passages, my brothers and sisters, help us understand that when God begins to move in us, there is someone else who will want to move as well, so that we may reach what God intends for our lives. Obviously, that other one, that enemy, knows that he will be at a disadvantage if we begin moving in the direction of what God wants for us.

Let me start wrapping up here. I think this is going to be—to be continued. It will continue next week. No, no, no. Let me finish here.

That is why I say, my brothers and sisters, that it is important to recognize how Jesus, in his infinite knowledge, knows where he leads us and whom he brings into our path. Let me finish by reflecting on this concerning Peter. Jesus knew what he was going to do with Peter, and in the same way, the Lord knows what he is doing with each of you. Though it may not seem like it here, he knows what he is doing with each one of us.

Jesus knew the capacity and potential Peter had, just as he also knows and understands the potential and capacity you have. But he had to deal with him in just that way. Jesus had to deal with Peter. I dare to say that Jesus himself sifted Peter on many occasions. Oh, it is getting late, and there are so many people here! You go and give them something to eat. But you are talking about five thousand people, and we have nothing. Go… Isn’t Jesus testing his disciples right there? Of course he is!

Oh, no, let me laugh.

I’m going to leave you in suspense; I’m going to stop here. Right there in that chapter, Luke 22, verse 54, I came across something very striking. Because when Jesus was arrested and taken away, look at what verse 54 says: “They took him and led him to the house of the high priest.” And it says… “And Peter followed him…” That is when I can say that the man was afraid.

Look, do you think this is the kind of disciple Jesus wants? The disciple who hides, the timid disciple. The disciple who is intimidated by things or allows himself to be frightened by life’s circumstances. There is a reason he wants to deal with us. Because he knows what he is doing in you.

On an individual level, he knows what he is doing in you. And since you are part, not of just any church, but of this church, the Lord has all the more reason to want to deal with you and with me. Goodness! Let me include myself there too.

So, you carry a double burden. Forgive me for breaking the news to you this way, but you carry a double burden. The Lord not only wants to work with you individually; he wants to work with you because you are part of this church. For such a time as this, as Queen Esther was told, for such a time as this… “For a time such as this, God has raised you up to be here.”

So I want to leave you in suspense.

Your vocation will not endure unless it is first shaken. If you want to hear more, don’t miss it next Wednesday.

Let us stand, my brothers and sisters, and let us pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, we acknowledge that we stand before you, O God. We acknowledge that you have a calling upon our lives, Lord. You call us; you desire that we live in accordance with the desires you have for our hearts, for our life as a church.

And Lord, Father, what I am saying… I know we laugh, but it is something very serious, Lord. Because it is not easy for us to deal with that sifting that comes into our lives. At least concerning this first part, the things I have shared, Lord, I ask that you help us begin to reflect within ourselves, deep in our hearts, Lord.

Just as you dealt with your disciples, those people… those men who walked so closely with you, Lord, and saw wonders from you, so too you continue to walk today. And you want to deal with us; you also want to bring out the best in us. You want us to be sifted through life in order to bring out the most valuable thing you seek in the midst of our lives.

So, Lord, as we continue meditating on this Word, Lord, as we listen to all these messages about your movement in the midst of this church, in the midst of our lives—the movement of your Spirit, Lord, and how you desire us to be a church of power and authority—I ask that you also help us meditate on this: how you want to work on our character, to work on who we are, so that we may be effective servants, radical disciples committed to you and to your kingdom.

Father, I ask that you bless my brothers and sisters tonight as they leave this place, Father. May this word go forth and echo in their hearts, prompting them to continue seeking and studying more about you, Lord, to see what we discover in the richness of your Word, Lord. May it be a blessing to our lives.

Allow us to have peaceful, restorative sleep tonight, my God. And tomorrow, if you so allow, wow! May we wake up as though we had slept for an entire week straight, Lord.

So, Father, bless my brothers and sisters. We give you the honor and the glory, Lord. We celebrate what you do in our lives. And we thank you, in the name of Jesus. Amen. And amen. My brothers and sisters, God bless you.