One of them is the word vocation and we find it in Ephesians 4:1: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called."
The word vocation is a very potent word. Although, you can't tell this straight away unless you have an understanding of how people were introduced to a trade and trained in ancient times. However, even without this understanding, you can still get a clue of the meaning of the word "vocation" by taking special note of the kind of things reputable employers seek for when hiring employees.
The world has registered major scientific advancements over the past years. Along with these advancements, there has been a change in the structure of economic activity and work methods employed in workplaces. Despite this change, however, most employers still insist on hiring employees with reasonable experience for the jobs they are offering. Why is that?
The answer lies in the deeper meaning of the word vocation. Employers recognize that it takes more than professional or technical knowledge for an employee to do a good job. Knowledge must be coupled with the relevant skills and character for it to produce the desired results.
Having a skill in an area means you are proficient in what you do in that particular area. And you become proficient in an area through repeated application of the subject knowledge you have in that area. In other words, compared to your counterparts with the same knowledge but limited application of it, you are able to do a fine job much faster and in many cases with lesser resources.
When a person perfects a given skill in his field of practice, he graduates to the level of having the art of that practice. And as one with the art of a practice, he attains the title of "master" in that field of practice. That is why you'll often hear people talk about things like the art of music (or a master in music) and so on.
Now, while the combined application of knowledge and skill in area will more often than not produce a fine result, there is no guarantee that you will always produce fine results unless your knowledge and skill is underpinned by the necessary character. The combined application of knowledge and skill will elevate you to a place of distinction but it takes character to sustain you in that place of distinction.
And if there is one thing we know about character development, it is the fact that character is not developed overnight. There are no short-cuts to character development nor can it be rushed. It has to take its full course if it is to reach its full potential.
That brings us back to the word vocation. It is not until you are able to appropriately combine these three aspects—knowledge, skill and character—in what you do that you can be considered to be mature in your vocation. That means maturity in any vocation has to be preceded by a process of experimentation.
Through the process of experimenting with the combination of knowledge, skill and character, you eventually come to the place where you are able to appropriately combine them in the way that a master in that vocation would do. That experimentation process is technically termed as apprenticeship.
The dictionary defines apprenticeship as "…the term before a person is qualified to exercise a trade as a master…during which term, he is called the companion of his master…." It expounds this definition further as "…a state in which a person is gaining instruction under a master" (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828).
The dictionary also notes as an example that this term in England and France was by statute seven and five years respectively. This would seem too long for many people today but it goes to show us how delicate the apprenticeship process can be.
Therefore, when the scriptures describe the Christian life as a vocation, it means that every believer needs the opportunity of an apprenticeship relationship in their walk of faith and ministry. The scriptures are full of examples of believers who had the opportunity to be in such relationships, and how these believers eventually became masters in the art of living and ministering by faith.
In Mark 3:14-15, we read of how Jesus selected and invited His twelve disciples for a period of intense and up-close instruction. Still within the gospels (Luke 10:29), we read how Mary walked in the same principle by sitting at Jesus' feet and getting soaked with His Word.
In Acts 22:3, we read of how the apostle Paul was raised at the feet of one named Gamaliel before his encounter with the Lord Jesus. Later on in 2 Timothy 2:2, we read of how the apostle Paul also did the same thing with Timothy and charged him to do likewise with faithful men.
Elsewhere in Acts 18: 24-28, we read of how Aquila and Priscilla took unto themselves one named Apollos for a period of up-close training. Notice the impact that the life and ministry of Apollos had on the early church as a result of his apprenticeship relationship with Aquila and Priscilla.
When we turn to the Old Testament, we read in chapter two of 2 Kings about how Elisha was always stuck by Elijah's side until he witnessed Elijah being taken up by the chariot of God.
All these people—the twelve disciples, the apostle Paul, Apollos, Timothy and Elisha—became masters in the art of living and ministering by faith because they submitted themselves to an apprenticeship relationship at a point in their lives and ministry. It is no wonder Jesus said: "The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect [readjusted, restored, set to rights, and perfected] shall be as his master" (Luke 6:40).
We know that as believers under the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is our supreme teacher, instructor and guide. However, we also have this instruction in the Bible: "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation" (Heb. 13:7).
That means there is, for every believer, a place and a role for a master in their life and ministry of faith. As believers aiming to excel in living and ministering by faith, there is need for us to prayerfully seek God for who that master is for us, and to sit at their feet in an apprenticeship relationship.
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Joseph Enyimu has been nurturing faith and casting vision in the lives of believers through his teaching and one-to-one discipleship ministry since 1995. His life and ministry is dedicated to imparting knowledge, skills and character for Kingdom-living to believers through teaching, guided experience and modeling respectively.
