Our God, a Recruiting God
The following was done by Doug Nuenke some time ago. I’ve kept it for some time in my files as a reminder on the biblical basis for recruiting.
“From the beginning of time, our God has shown Himself to be committed to inviting men and women to join Him in His kingdom enterprise. We don’t need to search further than the first chapter of Genesis to see this method at work in the lives of Adam and Eve. As divine image bearers, they were invited to join God’s work as multipliers, fillers, subduers, and rulers of the earth.
“God is continually inviting His people into a close relationship with Him, and to a task. For example, God invited Abram to a relationship of blessing and to a faith venture of leaving his homeland to go to a place God would show him (Genesis 12). God invited Moses to join Him on a world-changing rescue operation, promising the blessing of His presence (Exodus 3). Jeremiah was invited to join God’s purposes for his life as a prophet to the nations. God assured Jeremiah that ‘I am with you and will rescue you’ (Jeremiah 1:4-10). The apostle Paul was interrupted in the course of his life by a compelling invitation from God. It made no sense, and who would have picked Paul, the murderer, to join God’s task? Yet Jesus appeared to him, promising His involvement in Paul’s life, and inviting Paul to join Him in turning people from darkness to light (Acts 26:12-19).
“Year after year, throughout the centuries, God has been an inviting God, a God who recruits men and women to join Him in His kingdom endeavors. Jesus did the same when He said to potential disciples, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Again, we see God inviting people to Himself and to a task worthy of their lives.
“What do we learn about God’s recruiting of individuals? First, God invites people to join Him in His enterprise, for His glory. His invitation is not so much about us as it is about Him and His purposes. Second, God’s invitations are compelling and have an imperative tone. We can never invite with the same compulsion, yet we can help people discern God’s compelling invitation. Third, God’s recruiting is personal. Though He has plenty to say to us as a community of believers, His invitations are directed to us as individuals. Finally, we see that God’s recruiting involves the promise of His presence and involvement.
“In organizations, we must make the distinction between the task of marketing and the task of recruiting. God models both of these. Marketing is the public disbursement of who we are and what we are about. It involves broad communications of a person or organization’s mission, vision, ethos, and character. God communicates broadly, in this marketing fashion, through His creation, through His mighty acts, and through His miracles and wonders. The Lord Jesus’ life on earth communicated in a broad and public way, the character and mission of God. Recruiting, however is personal. It is more relational and directed to the individual. Recruiting happens most effectively at a local level, and engages men and women where they live, pointing them toward God’s invitations and callings on their lives.
“Our God is a recruiting, inviting God. As God’s people and God’s fellow workers, we join Him in the recruiting process when we help our student, staff and alumni friends listen for the next step in which God is inviting them to join Him.”
Developing Kingdom Leaders - Tom Yeakley 