Eric’s Call
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Called to Go
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In 1997 an American missionary in India said to me, “I’ve learned that it’s one thing to go; it’s another thing to be called to go.”
God gave me advance warning of His call on the 11th February 1991. I received a personal prophecy that in three years I would be used by the Lord in full-time service for a season; and though I pressed him, the prophet could not say how long the season would be or whether it would involve me giving up my career in the law.
As time passed, I received more prophetic words about being called to preach in many lands. Yet I did not recognize that I was particularly anointed to preach. Though I had been used in preaching, I had not preached for some years, and I never found it easy. But God equips those He calls.
In July, the following year, an American evangelist from Arizona prayed for me, but suddenly stopped, and after a long pause he said: “Yes, Lord, many lands, many lands…” That was it, he added nothing more, and he was done praying.
A week later, in another meeting, he was praying for a young man from India and I was with him. He paused again, looked up at me, and said forcefully, “Eric, you MUST go to INDIA; it will change your life!”
In hindsight, he wasn’t wrong at all about it being life-changing; but I was thinking to myself, “Who? Me? You must be joking!” I had all sorts of logistical objections.
However, I now found myself being confronted with India at every turn, everywhere, e.g. in magazines, in advertisements in the streets and on buses, in everyday conversations, and on television. For instance, I turned on my television at home and it came to life showing me in large letters the title of a movie: “Tarzan Goes to India”!
Also, I would randomly open my bible but it always opened to passages about Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus’ feet with very expensive perfume known as ‘nard’ or ‘spikenard’ (Mark 14:3, John 12:3). This was occurring with such regularity that I finally asked the Lord why; and He led me to discover that spikenard was a precious ointment specially imported from India!
Finally I said, “OK, Lord, I get the message; I’ll go!” Then the onslaught ceased as suddenly as it had begun.
This is just one of many beautiful panoramas Eric shot of this part of this awesome part of the world – the Himalayas of India. Click image for full-size.
I still had to wait on the Lord for His timing and for all my logistical objections to be surmounted, but it finally came together for me to fly out of Heathrow bound for India on the 21st February 1994. As the plane lifted off the runway, I reflected on the personal prophecy I had received three years earlier—three years and ten days earlier to be precise. Perhaps those extra ten days were my initial days of rebellion.
On another flight to India, in March 1997, I heard the Lord say to me that He would show me the purpose of his life. When I asked Him for a confirming Word, He told me to open the book I had on my lap. It was ‘The Happiest People on Earth’, the story of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International. It opened at the place where the Lord says to Demos Shakarian, “I have been leading you every step of the way. Now I am going to show you the purpose of your life”.
Four months later, I was at a Summer camp-meeting in England and it was the camp’s ‘missions night’. Peter Youngren (Canada) was the speaker; and he preached out of his book ‘The Sign’ about the importance of preaching the Gospel to every ethnic group before Jesus can return (Mt.24:14). He made particular references to places in north India where the Lord had taken me; and, as he graphically described each place, my spirit was increasingly stirred and every cell of my body was resonating with his every word—especially about preaching to the unreached, to those who have never heard the Name of Jesus. He also laid special emphasis on listening to the Holy Spirit and never doing anything that is not Spirit-led.
Throughout his message, he held his book open in his hand; and as he was closing, he said he felt the Holy Spirit was leading him to give it to someone. The audience numbered about five thousand. He walked to and fro across the platform patiently looking out over the crowd for the one whom the Holy Spirit was identifying to receive his book. Finally, he headed over to me and put it in my hand.
Three months after that, at a men’s spiritual advance weekend, during a break for refreshments, I picked up a Commentary on John’s Gospel.* I looked up John 12:3 and “spikenard.” This was of course the Scripture that the Lord had put before my eyes again and again before I first went to India. I sensed there was something more for me to learn about it.
I read: “The essence of this ointment was derived from pure nard, which is an aromatic herb grown in the high pasture-land of the Himalayas, between Tibet and India”.
I already knew that it was a herb specially imported from India, but I didn’t know that it was found only in one part of India. Now I discovered that it grew only in that part of north India to which the Lord had sent me, and where I returned several more times!
I learned that it was precisely from this region “so remote”, where the Lord had me preach the gospel in various towns and villages, that “this special herb was carried on camel-back through miles and miles of mountain passes and used to anoint the feet of Jesus”. WOW!
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the Lord called me. And He anointed and equipped me—and what great and fruitful times they were!
May all whom God leads to this page, find and act on God’s will and call for their life!
Know that Jesus loves you. No matter how good or bad the circumstances of your birth and your personal history to date, God knew you before you were born, He put you together in your mother’s womb, and He has a plan and purpose for your life—a plan to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.
No birth is a mistake or accident to God, He loves all His creation and He loves you. He created you in His own image and you have value and worth to Him. And, no matter how it seems, He is able transform you, transform your life and give you a fresh start regardless of your age, and free from any sickness, disease or addiction, free of restrictions of any kind.
You may think you are neither worthy of it nor ready, but the Good News is your worthiness is not what counts—Jesus’ worthiness is what counts; and you will never be ready—Jesus was ready and He has already prepared and prepaid your way.
So, start your new life now, what have you got to lose? You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by turning your life over to the One who alone can sort out our messes. The Gospel (which means the Good News) is all about God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Read more or contact us.
May God bless you richly!
Eric Bardell
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* “John: New Testament Commentary” by William Hendriksen (1959) (Banner of Truth Trust)
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