The Gilead Home for Children is a ministry of Shofar Call Ministries Inc. The primary ministry of Shofar Call Ministries Inc. is to summon all Christians into a ministry of Faith, Surrender and Servant hood. In the bible Gilead was a place of refuge and sanctuary. The Balm of Gilead was a soothing salve applied for healing and recovery. As an area of concentration Shofar Call Ministries answers their own call by caring for children separated from their natural family for any number of reasons not the least of which are neglect, abuse, abandonment or being orphaned. Please click on the tab above "Gilead Home".
--What in the world is a Shofar? A shofar is an instrument made from the horn of a ram. It was used in ancient Israel to call people together. It was signifying both need to wake up and sound the call to repentance.
--The Shofar announces that a time of attention is upon us!
Ezekiel 33:4 -then whoever hears the sound of the [shofar] and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. NKJV
--Shofar Call Ministries believe that in this day of the harvest all Christians are called to service and active ministry. Our ministry today is to the families and their children involved in foster care.
Faith
We’ve got to act on our beliefs to see if they’re real. That’s the only way we’re going to know if our faith is genuine. When Jesus calls Peter to get out of the boat and walk on water he doesn’t say to Peter, "but first you might want to conduct some experiments on water tension and weight dispersal to see if it’ll work." He just says, "You’ll find out if you try it." We become convinced of Jesus not so much through evidence and logic, but by doing the things he tells us to do and seeing that they’re real. "Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you." (Mark 11:22-24) You can believe that there is a god but not do anything about it. You can say you believe in God and have faith but true faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. The modern day Shofar Call is to those of faith to step out and act on their faith. One brother told me that he was called to Moscow as a missionary. When he got there he meditated on what it was that God wanted him to do. He sat around for six months waiting for God to reveal his mission. The entire time there were poor people standing in soup lines across the street that didn't have enough means to support their families. Finally he realized that if he would take the initiative to go out and minister to those people and to show them the love of Jesus, God would bless that. Now this brother has a large Christian Ministry in Russia and is fulfilling God's call in his life. Not everyone is called to be a missionary. But in this world there are few places that you can look and not see someone suffering. Answer the call on your life. Identify a cause and "go out" and do God's work. We believe in a silent meditation and "knowing" God's will before you move in a major way. Jesus has already called you to go out. Matthew 28:18 -19 "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,' "What are you waiting for? Get out from behind your pew and find someone to minister to. Find a cause to actively advocate. It is more than donating your money. It is more than living a life of good example. Many non-Christians are good people. Many non-Christians support charity. The Gospel concludes with the resurrection and the commissioning of the disciples. The gospel is good news because it doesn't end with the cross; following Jesus demands from us all that we are and have, but it gives us a new and eternal life in return. Faith that does not result in deeds is a faith that is utterly useless, ineffectual for salvation and in fact dead. James 2:14,17 - [14] "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?" [17] In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Servanthood
John 13:12 - When he [Jesus] had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” In an effort to become spirituality mature we must not ignore that quality which characterized the life of Jesus Christ, unselfish servanthood. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45) Paul wrote, “Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but the interests of others as well” (Phil. 1:4). Then he added, “You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had.” Paul reminded us of the humiliation of Christ (Phil. 2:6ff) who, though being God emptied himself by taking the form of a slave. Christians are going to grow and mature into Christ-like character when we experience giving of ourselves in ministry to and for others. Shofar Call Ministries seeks to propel ourselves and others into the service of the Savior and one another. Servant living stands opposed to the primary concerns we see today where the focus of our culture and society is more on our own personal happiness and comfort. It is thereby important that all Christians prayerfully find there calling and find a way to serve others to reveal the light of Jesus and by so doing establish the foundation for spreading the Gospel.
Surrender
To surrender means to submit to the control of another. Philippians 2:6-8, shows us that Christ was willing to surrender to the will and purpose and plan of the Father. Out of that surrender came the willingness to sacrifice for God’s plan. Surrender is a necessary part of effective Christ-like ministry.
Surrendering to God’s agenda for us requires a clear view of the agendas we have prescribed for ourselves. Some people consider personal peace, comfort, prosperity, friends, good health, and reaching their full potential as the correct items to place on their agenda.
While these should make the need for our surrender obvious, those plans often conflict or ignore God’s plan for us. It’s true that God often does provide for us peace, prosperity, position, fulfillment, and other things on our lists. However our surrender to God’s plan is a statement that we will not live for these things. They are not the things that drive us, but are simply side benefits that come through the sovereign pleasure of God.
