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BRING IT OUT: Understanding Your Calling

A Biblical Theology of Calling, Formation, and Faithful Leadership

(Inspired by Bring It Out by Ben Pilgreen)

INTRODUCTION

Calling Is Not Discovered—It Is Formed

Many Christians assume calling is something hidden, waiting to be discovered—like a divine job description that must be unlocked through prayer or prophecy. Scripture presents calling differently. Calling is not merely revealed; it is formed.

God does not simply assign tasks; He shapes people.

Throughout Scripture, God works patiently—forming hearts, refining motives, and shaping character long before assigning visible responsibility. Calling, therefore, is not primarily about where you go or what you do, but about who you are becoming before God.

The book explores calling as:

  • rooted in identity
  • matured through spiritual formation
  • discerned in community
  • clarified through obedience
  • sustained by healthy pace

God is less interested in rushing you into visibility than in forming you for longevity.

POINT 1: IDENTITY BEFORE ASSIGNMENT: Who Matters Most

Biblical Theology of Identity: Calling begins with being, not doing.

Before David was king, he was a shepherd. Before Moses delivered Israel, he lived as a son in exile. Before Jesus preached, healed, or led, the Father declared:

“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

This declaration came before Jesus performed any miracle or ministry.

Genesis 1 establishes humanity’s first calling: to bear God’s image. Work, leadership, and dominion flow from identity—not the other way around. Scripture consistently affirms that:

  • Sonship precedes service
  • Relationship precedes responsibility
  • Formation precedes assignment

Formation Insight

Leadership crises often begin with identity confusion. When leaders attach worth to performance, influence, or affirmation, calling becomes fragile and exhausting.

Ben Pilgreen emphasizes that:

  • Insecure identity produces overworking
  • Overworking leads to burnout
  • Burnout breeds cynicism

When identity is unstable, calling becomes a burden rather than a joy.

Leadership Implication: Healthy leadership flows from acceptance, not ambition. Leaders who know they are beloved serve freely, humbly, and sustainably.

POINT 2 PURPOSE BEFORE PLATFORM: Why and How Shape Calling

Biblical Theology of Motive and Method

Scripture places great weight on why and how we act:

  • “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
  • “The Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

God evaluates not only outcomes, but:

  • Motivation (why we do it)
  • Character (how we do it)

Roles change. Titles shift. Seasons pass. But motive and method reveal the true nature of calling.

Formation Insight

Pilgreen warns that many pursue the what prematurely:

  • What position?
  • What ministry?
  • What platform?

When the what outgrows the why and how, calling becomes distorted.

Leadership Implication : Calling aligned with godly motive and method produces peace rather than pressure, stewardship rather than striving.

POINT 3 DESIGN ALIGNMENT AND STEWARDSHIP: You Get Who You Are

Biblical Theology of Design

Psalm 139 declares that human design is intentional: “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 emphasize diversity of gifts without hierarchy of worth. God does not expect uniformity; He delights in faithful differentiation.

Calling is often clarified at the intersection of:

  • Giftedness
  • God-given burden
  • Evident fruitfulness

Formation Insight

Pilgreen offers a crucial observation: Misalignment is exhausting—even when the work is good.

Many faithful leaders experience chronic frustration not because they are disobedient, but because they are misaligned.

Leadership Implication: True humility includes self-awareness. Faithfulness does not require doing everything, staying everywhere, or ignoring God’s design.

POINT 4 CALLING IS DISCERNED IN COMMUNITY: The Wisdom Table

Biblical Theology of Communal Discernment

Biblical calling is never isolated:

  • Moses had Jethro
  • David had Nathan
  • Paul had Barnabas
  • Jesus had the Twelve

“In an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)

God frequently confirms calling through relational wisdom, not private intuition alone.

Formation Insight

Pilgreen introduces the concept of a Wisdom Table—a group of trusted voices who:

  • Speak truth with love
  • Offer correction without control
  • Discern direction with humility

Isolation magnifies blind spots.

Leadership Implication: Wise leaders curate voices intentionally. Not everyone gets equal access, but someone must have permission to speak honestly.

POINT 5 FEAR, FAITH, AND OBEDIENCE: What Is Stopping You?

Biblical Theology of Courage

Fear appears consistently at moments of calling:

  • Moses feared inadequacy
  • Gideon feared insignificance
  • Jeremiah feared rejection

Scripture repeatedly commands: “Do not be afraid,” not because fear disappears—but because obedience must outweigh it.

Formation Insight

Pilgreen calls fear the great paralyzer. Fear delays obedience, not because God is unclear, but because obedience involves risk.

Leadership Implication: Delayed obedience slowly reshapes calling into regret. Faith grows as action precedes certainty.

POINT 6 OWNERSHIP AND SPIRITUAL MATURITY: Owning Your Part

Biblical Theology of Responsibility

Spiritual maturity includes personal responsibility:

  • “Each one should carry their own load.” (Galatians 6:5)
  • The prodigal son “came to his senses.” (Luke 15)

Calling cannot mature where blame dominates.

Formation Insight

Pilgreen emphasizes that growth accelerates when leaders stop waiting for ideal conditions and begin owning their responses.

Leadership Implication: Ownership restores agency. Victim mentality stalls calling and undermines formation.

POINT 7 PACE, SOUL, AND LONGEVITY: Don’t Outrun Your Soul

Biblical Theology of Rest

Jesus regularly withdrew to rest and pray: “Come away by yourselves and rest.” (Mark 6:31)

Rest is not laziness—it is trust.

Formation Insight

Pilgreen warns that speed without soul health leads to collapse. Many leaders fail not morally, but emotionally and spiritually.

Leadership Implication: Calling that ignores soul care will eventually self-destruct. Longevity requires intentional pace.

POINT 8 FAITHFUL EMERGENCE: It Will Come Out

Biblical Theology of Growth

Scripture assures believers that God completes what He begins:

  • Philippians 1:6
  • Matthew 25:21
  • John 15:5

Calling emerges through:

  • Faithfulness over time
  • Obedience in obscurity
  • Trust in God’s timing

Formation Insight

Pilgreen closes with hope: when identity, alignment, community, courage, and pace are stewarded well, what God placed within you will emerge.

You don’t force calling—you cultivate it.

CONCLUSION: Living a Formed Calling

Calling is not a title, a spotlight, or a destination.
It is a life faithfully formed before God.

The essential question is not: “How fast can I get there?”

But: “Who am I becoming as I walk with God?”

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