I Am Called Elsewhere

** I am HONORED to feature this guest blog from my dear friend, Graham Spiegel! Graham is 15 years old and radiates a pure and contagious hunger for God and an inspiring love for people that fills every room he enters. He is a gifted writer and communicator, possessing uncommon depth and disarming humor. I am so thrilled to be part of his journey and I just KNOW you'll love him as much as we do! - Chuck

Recently, my mom and a group of missionaries traveled all the way to South Africa and Zimbabwe in order to present the gospel to the people there. Every day, she would send us pictures of Africa and share incredible stories about what God was doing among them. I saw pictures of massive ferocious lions, wild hogs, people living in dirty, small huts, and even a hole in the ground that was used for their bathroom. 

Throughout her trip, my mom would call to give updates. She told me about churches she visited that meet in uncompleted structures and how many people there don’t have access to musical instruments. She shared about the deep poverty much of the population faces every day. And she repeatedly asked if I would go to Africa next year. I’ll be honest. All of these pictures didn't make me WANT to go. Sure, I felt bad for them, but I found myself saying what a few too many Christians say: "I am not an evangelist; that's for the other people. I am called elsewhere." 

When my mom returned home, she told us more about the incredible places the Lord had led their team. They watched as hundreds of people who had never even heard of Jesus surrendered their lives to follow God. They went into a town full of drug and alcohol-addicted people, showed The Jesus Film, and watched God move. The missionaries were so overwhelmed during their time there that they gave away almost everything they had. They spent hundreds of dollars to bring a saxophone to a man who hadn’t played in years because he couldn’t afford it. Collectively, they gave thousands of dollars from their own pockets because the need was so great and the harvest was so plentiful. 

All of this was amazing, and I rejoiced with her. But deep down, I still held fast to my "this isn't for me" mindset. Strangely enough, all of this was after God moved mightily this summer at a youth camp with my church. 

One day at camp, I stepped away from one of our group events to use the bathroom. As I approached, I encountered a lovely elderly woman in a working uniform who had just emerged from the bathroom holding cleaning supplies. I wasn't planning on saying anything to her. I was on a mission to go to the bathroom and return to my group. But when she saw the shirt I was wearing, she sparked a conversation with me. The shirt read, “Overflow Fine Arts.” She beamed, telling me about a dream God had given her to open up a home for troubled youth to help restore their dignity by teaching them the arts. I told her about my love for writing and performing and continued to listen to her heart, shocked that I “just so happened” to be wearing the only shirt I own that could lead to this conversation. That’s what we call a "God Thing". After an incredible 20-minute conversation, I couldn’t escape the feeling that I needed to pray for her. 

I paused to ask if this was God because, if I'm being honest, I didn't want to step out of my comfort zone this way. I just came to use the bathroom. Eventually, I asked if I could pray for her and found myself deeply surprised when all the words I didn't know I needed to say to her just spilled out of my soul. When I finished, I expected nothing more than a simple

‘Thank You.' But then she said, and I quote: "Graham, you have no idea how much I needed that. I haven't been prayed over in ages, and this felt like a renewal in my soul." 

I was so dumbfounded and caught off guard. I left the building, thanking God for the opportunity, although even then, I still felt I wasn't “called” to be an evangelist. After all, that might have been the FIRST person I ever felt called to pray for, who I didn't already know.

But what does it mean actually to be "called"? We seem to be waiting for God to push us or tell us to move when God has done just that over and over throughout the scriptures.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age". Matthew 28:19-20 

As I continued to wrestle to answer my mom’s question about going to Africa, she told me something I will never forget. Saying I wasn’t sure I was “called,” she said, “Jesus, through his mouth, spoke, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations,’ so you already have been called to go.” 

This might sound like a super simple, churchy answer to some, but to me, it moved something because it was so simple and so clear! I have been reading that verse for years, and it never, EVER occurred to me that that was a call! A crystal-clear call for everyone! Everywhere! It’s all over God’s Word:

"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" Romans 10:14-15

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Matthew 9:36-38

It's so, so simple:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

The week after the missionaries returned, we had a service full of testimony after life-changing testimony. My uncle Jason, who went on this trip, said something really powerful. He said, "We need to stop treating God like he has supervised visitation hours!" I was hooked for the whole service. At the end, our Missions Pastor, Erin, who led the trip to Africa, gave an altar call. She boldly said it was time to stop making excuses and actually go. Without hesitation, I went straight to the altar and sat down. After a few seconds, I got a vision. It was of me and a group of people stepping onto African soil. Every place we stepped and lifted up our feet, a seed was planted. 

Luke 8:15 says, ”But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." 

2 Corinthians 9:6 shares, "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 

It was an instant realization that turned my world upside down. In Christ, we have become seed-bearing plants bursting with life. And we have been given seed to sow. If we choose to sow what God has given us sparingly, we will do little for his kingdom. But if we take the good news within us and step out, everything can change!

For years, I said, "I am called elsewhere," but maybe instead, "I AM called else-

where." As in, I am called to go to other places. It was right before me the whole time, and I just recently discovered it. I am called elsewhere. So are you! 

Imagine what we could do for the kingdom of God if we weren't afraid to step out! 

The least, the lost, and the lonely are waiting for us. Today, I can confidently say that I am going to Africa next year. I can also say that I will be looking for Gospel opportunities every day until then, right where I live. I am only left to ask…where is he calling YOU ?