To Heaven and Back Again: Why God Speaks: Chosen or Called

Why God Speaks Video

Why does God talk to some people more than He does to others? How does God choose to whom He speaks? It is undeniable; God does speak and move more in the lives of some “chosen” people.

For many are called (invited, summoned), but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14 AMP)

One thing about this passage always troubled me. The Greek word used in this scripture for “many” is polys. The Greek word for “all” is pas, which is not used here. Why not? Does this mean that there are some who are never called by God? Not at all! The word polys can also be used to mean much or most. Simply put, it should read: Almost everyone is called, but the remaining few are chosen.

The definition of the word used for “church” in the New Testament refers to the “called out ones.” All Christians are members of the church and are called. The Amplified Version explains that the original Greek word for “called” means “invited and summoned.” You can ignore or reject an invitation or a summons, but being chosen is different.

“Chosen” brings to mind memories of a schoolyard pick for sports: Everyone wanted to be chosen, and if you weren’t it must have been because you weren’t good enough in some way. When we are talking about the “chosen of God” this couldn’t be farther from the truth. A better example would be someone who is chosen to disarm a bomb: they have some necessary skills, but if they do the job wrong, the consequences could be disastrous. They could lose an arm or even their very life.

As we stated earlier:

Man had authority
Satan took authority
Jesus got it back

It wouldn’t have been fair or just for God to just step in and ‘fix’ everything. It had to be done through a physical body. That is the system for which the Earth has been created. All Christians on Earth are referred to as “the body” of Christ. It is through us that Jesus wields the authority He took back from Satan. God uses this system by speaking to prophets who are called “the mouthpiece of God.” They say what God tells them foretelling future events. Because His prophets accept and declared these events, it gives God the authority to move in the lives of “chosen” people to make these events happen.

There are three main distinctions to being chosen:

You are created and placed in a specific place for a unique purpose.
Benefits from God are more apparent in your life.
Consequences of sin are severe.

A few Biblical examples are:

Moses

Purpose

to lead God’s people out of Egypt

Benefits

saved from the Nile and raised in Pharaoh’s home
spoke with God face-to-face
God worked signs and wonders through him (Moses)

Consequences

he didn't get to enter the Promised Land because he said, "...shall we bring forth..." taking part of the credit for bringing forth water

Samson

Purpose

to free God’s people from the Philistines

Benefits

an angel appeared to his mother and gave instructions not to cut his hair
unstoppable in battle
had incredible physical strength

Consequences

Samson indulged himself with women. One of these women, Delilah, was paid to find out where his strength came from and to make him weak. Delilah discovered that his strength was linked to his hair. She cut his hair while he slept and handed him over to his enemies who blinded him and made him a slave.

Nebuchadnezzar

Purpose

he was used to bring God’s rebellious people into captivity

Benefits

expanded the boundaries of the Babylon empire, rebuilt temples
received dreams from God and messages from God’s prophet

Consequences

went crazy and was forced out of his palace where he lived like an animal eating grass for seven years until he finally acknowledged God’s authority

Being chosen by God may seem glamorous and fun, but only when God moves strongly through your life. The Just Judge takes all His demonstrations and gifts of information into consideration should Satan bring charges against you. Judgments from the Throne of God will give Satan a chance to bring severe consequences if we do not heed what God has moved to reveal.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48 AMP)

As with Nebuchadnezzar, you don’t even have to be a particularly good person to be chosen for a task. He was proud and obnoxious, believing that all the victories he achieved as he enlarged the Babylonian empire was due to his own greatness. How many billionaires or kings have there been that were every bit as bad as he was yet, all of these arrogant, pompous, successful people don’t go crazy.

Nebuchadnezzar was used by God and tried to take personal credit for his success instead of acknowledging God. Because God is kind, He sent dreams to warn Nebuchadnezzar of the coming judgment and the prophet Daniel to interpret the dreams. It was a full year later when the king unveiled a statue commemorating his own greatness. In the middle of his speech and as the dream foretold, he went mad.

Not all chosen by God come to a horrific end. King David was chosen by God, and he shows us how to avoid or lessen judgment when we are chosen.

King David

Purpose

to make Israel a powerful nation

Benefits

Though he was very small in stature, he killed a lion and a bear.
He killed Goliath with nothing but a sling and a stone.
God saved him when King Saul tried to kill him.
He became King of Israel.

Consequences

He fell in love with a married woman and got her pregnant while her husband was leading his army in battle. David then arranged a withdrawal of forces causing her husband to be killed in battle.

When the prophet, Nathan, told David that God was going to give all his wives to someone close to him (meaning his rule would be overthrown), David repented. He confessed that he had sinned and regretted that sin in his heart. God mitigated the punishment and only the son who was conceived in adultery died.

To me being chosen seems less and less desirable privilege, like “pick me, pick me,” and more and more a proceed-with-caution mixed blessing like, “please don’t let me touch the wrong wire!” Being chosen has its benefits, but with it comes much responsibility.

This begs the question, who are His “chosen?” Why does He have them? There are two main factors that determine who God chooses. It is tied to free will and God being just.

Free Will

God wants us all to know Him, but has limited His own influence to ensure free will. He could have appeared at the Tree of Knowledge and stopped Eve from eating the fruit, but then it would have interfered with her free will. She had to be allowed to choose something other than Him. Likewise, we have to have the opportunity to choose to know Him and accept Jesus for ourselves.

This is why God “chooses” people for specific tasks. This limits His influence everywhere else as He pours it into the lives of those He has “chosen.” God moves upon these individuals, propelling them to use more of the authority He intended us to have all along in order to fulfill the destiny He has planned. Then the “chosen” people can reveal Him to the world and help more people find Him and avoid Hell.

Free will gives us the right to choose. We have the right to accept His plan or reject it. He designs “chosen” people for a particular job and influences their life, lining up their destiny. God sends others to influence their lives until they follow the path designed for them. Few who are “chosen” can ever escape their destiny.

God sent a storm upon the ship Jonah used to try and escape. When Jonah jumped overboard to save the ship from being destroyed, God sent a giant fish to swallow him. After being in the fish for three days, Jonah finally decided to do what God had called him to do.

“Chosen” people are assigned tasks that will lead to key events as represented in the branches of the free will tree. Remember the illustration of the free will tree?

There are many minor events that MUST occur in order to lead to a major branch. Think of the twists and turns in the branches as the smaller events. In the case of the birth of Jesus, a few major turns close to the main event would be:

First turn: there had to be a descendant from the right tribe
Second turn: Jesus’ mother Mary had to remain a virgin until her wedding day
Third turn: Mary’s soon-to-be-husband Joseph would accept the call to raise a child that wasn’t his.

All these conditions needed to be in place before Mary could conceive the Son of God. Many things affected each of these turns. These are minor events that needed to be in place for God’s plan for mankind to occur.

When people use their free will to do their own thing, not thinking about the destiny God has for them, it can affect two things:

when and how these branches are formed
how many people hear about God and are saved through His Son, Jesus

This is why Jesus said, “No man knows the day or the hour, not even the Son” when asked about the time of His return when He would establish His eternal reign on Earth (Matthew 24:36). As we exercise our free will, the necessary branches to reach more people and bring about necessary events may be delayed in forming.

God is the only being who knows all things. He sees all possible paths and choices each person may make and knows that certain key events will occur. However, much of the timing is up to us and therefore which branches will emerge to determine the exact timing. Satan thinks he can keep it from happening altogether, but God has seen the end and has reassured us that His plan will come to be.

God knows and has spoken about some key events that need to occur so that the greatest number of people will come to know Him and be saved from the hands of the enemy. The closer a person is to a key event and how important their task is to a key event; the more God will use His influence to make sure that person completes the necessary task. These are the “chosen” people that He speaks to as He works in their lives.

Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5 AKJV)

The Bible tells us He formed us in our mother’s womb for a particular purpose. He places us in a time that He planned before He created Adam, and equips us for a specific job. Chosen people are God’s precise tools created for a key task.

“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3 AKJV)

When we see people doing amazing things for God we shouldn’t compare ourselves to them. This may lead to jealousy or discouragement. Jealousy is a sign of an immature, underdeveloped Christian. We need to keep in mind God designed each of us for a specific purpose:

They may be equipped with the mental capacity and intelligence necessary for the task.
God may have spoken or moved in their lives more.
The Holy Spirit may bring them more gifts they need to fulfill their job.

Just because someone is on a stage in front of many doesn’t mean they are “better” than you. It means they were chosen and designed to be there.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us… (Romans 12:4-6 AKJV)

We are all part of the same Body of Christ. A little toe is as important as a mouth. The mouth may get more attention for the work it does, but it doesn’t mean it is any better than the toe! Those who are chosen have a much harder path to follow because consequences will be much harsher if they wander off even a little bit!

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48 NIV)

Some versions of the Bible interpret the last half of this verse to read: “and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more…” but the original Greek version uses the word hos which means who, that, or which. There is no word for man used in the original text. This is important because it is literally intended to mean to whom God has given much, much is asked!

God is just

I have heard people compare man and the Earth to a chess game with man acting as its pieces, the Earth as the board, and God as someone who plays the game simply for the enjoyment of manipulation. Like many things, there is some truth in this analogy. An analogy that reflects the disposition of God would be something like this:

Satan snuck on board a ship and took control from His captains (Adam and Eve who he convinced to eat the apple). Immediately the ship began sinking (death and sin came into the world). God, the owner of the ship, knows some will not make it to safety. As a loving owner, He attempts to direct both captains (God’s people: Christians) and sailors (all mankind), giving them information to help them decide which vessel doors will open to save as many people as possible. Each section is well equipped with escape hatches (Jesus), but if the sailors on the boat haven’t been trained, some may never find them.

The enemy is still aboard the sinking ship and has access as well. He attempts to open and shut doors to kill as many people as possible. Fortunately for us there are no limits to God’s knowledge or His power. If we will listen to Him and draw close so that He can distribute His power through us, more will be saved. In the end, we can be reassured: He wins!

Some great questions about being chosen were asked after the meeting. Here is the video on it: