Invited, Called, Commissioned

By Bonnie Jones

September 2021

The Invitation

The other day I was thinking about my journey with the Lord, where and when it began and how my life continually changed as I deepened my walk with Him. Actually it began when I was about 5 years old and living with my grandparents. They were very godly people and I had opportunity to spend a lot of time with my grandma. She would hold me on her lap and read scriptures while rocking in her chair. Often times she would tell me that I was her little Christian girl. In reality she was sowing seeds of love and destiny into my life. I called my grandparent’s mom and pop.

Mom was the godliest woman I ever knew and just a few days before my 8^thbirthday the Lord called her home to live with Him. I thought I would die. How would I ever live without her I wondered? I loved Jesus but I missed the one person I knew loved me unconditionally. It was at their house I first experienced the Lord. In the midst of the night Jesus was illuminated to me on the wall of their living room. He was kneeling in the garden of Gethsemane with a cross behind Him. It was there I understood perfect peace. It was there that I began to see supernatural things in the sky, but who could explain them? And once I experienced the resurrection of the dead. However my grandparents could not relate to this and I was too young to understand. Let me say that it was a sleepless night for all of us.

After my grandmother’s death I felt abandoned. We attended several denominational churches in the community and spent some time in a Methodist Church. It was there when I was 11 years old that I accepted Jesus into my heart. The same women went forward in this church every week without fail. They got saved every single week. I wasn’t sure about this but one week I followed them to the altar. Kneeling down with my head bowed I repented of my many sins and asked Jesus into my heart. Of course I’m not so sure I knew what I was doing but I thought it must be the right thing because these godly Sunday school teachers did it every week.

Honestly I believe these women were scared to death they were going to Hell. We had a fiery preacher who preached Hell and damnation all the time. He was always jumping around and yelling at the top of his lungs till the blood veins in his neck popped out. I think he scared the devil out of people and put the fear of Hell into them. Not the fear of God but the fear of going to Hell if you didn’t live right. I know now that this produced a religious spirit. All the men dressed in suits and ties and wore a hat. The women wore plain long dresses, no make-up or jewelry and never cut their hair. However I did learn to pray without ceasing because these women prayed continually.

Not long after this we left the Methodist church and started attending a Baptist church right across the street from our house. Again we had a fiery preacher but not near as dramatic as the Methodist one. One day he was asking for testimonies and two people shared their experience. Then he pointed his finger at me and called me out to share mine. I responded, “I don’t have one!” He assured me that everybody has one. But I was shaking in my shoes and scared to death to speak. I’m 11 years old with no testimony. I didn’t have a long life like the other people and felt I had nothing to share. After all I left all of my sins on the altar of the Methodist church. I really believe I gave the enemy an access point to bring fear and doubt into my young life. And those two things remained with me for a long time.

My mother was pregnant with my youngest brother at this time. And this got me wondering about many things such as birth, death, heaven, hell and creation. I remember the fiery Methodist preacher saying, “Jesus is coming back for a bride!” I thought he meant one woman. At that point I said, “Jesus I want to be your bride!” And I promised to be as good as I could so that He would find me worthy when He came and He would choose me. I remembered that God chose Mary so maybe if I were good enough I would qualify as His bride to be.

Looking back I see the innocence of a young child without understanding. Yet in my heart that’s what I believed. And I believed it for a long time. It’s that lack of understanding that kept me on the straight and narrow however it also contributed to a religious spirit. I was trying to gain approval by works. I guess you could say that ignorance was bliss. Because I was happy in my own little world trying to do all the right things while thinking I was pleasing God. And by doing so God would let His Son come back to earth and marry me.

The Calling

Now let me skip forward 40 years. It’s early in the morning of Monday, June 18, 2001 when the Lord spoke to me saying, “Today’s the day. No more excuses!” He called me to go and prepare the way for a younger generation. He spoke several things to me and then showed me where I was supposed to go to ministry school. I had a great job in the local government making great wages with incredible benefits. I had a home, a new car and a great job but the Lord was calling me to give it all up and follow Him. I gave my resignation that day and began packing that night. My son sent me an application for MorningStar Ministry School and within 5 weeks I was on my way. The house sold and I was debt free with a little left over in the bank.

My son and I shared an apartment – he was a 2^ndyear student and I was 1^st year. 9/11 was my first day of school. Although I thought I would attend 3 years, the Lord said, “No you will finish this year and then I’m sending you out.” And He gave me three places I would go. After first year graduation I began a journey of faith following the voice of God and learning how to abide in His presence. I traveled many places, mostly hiding out with the Lord, doing one on one evangelism and being taught by the Holy Spirit. Let me tell you no man or woman can teach you like the Holy Spirit. After all He wrote the Bible and He never makes mistakes.

The last place He sent me was Homer, Alaska. Such a beautiful and awesome place to hide out with God. It was in this time the Lord asked me to begin to pray for Bob Jones. He said, “Most people mock Bob Jones and when they mock Bob Jones they mock My Holy Spirit.” Then He asked me if I would begin to pray and extend years to Bob’s life. I readily accepted and believed I was on a secret mission to intercede for Bob. Three months later his wife Viola died suddenly at home. I then had to step up prayer time for him because I knew he was vulnerable. Little did I know that I was praying for my future husband. But I was on assignment and took it very seriously.

After 8 months in Alaska the Lord sent me back to the Carolina’s. Six months later I met Bob at MorningStar on a Sunday morning. Now I’m making a long and comical story of our meeting, courting and proposal short. Several months after Viola passed God spoke to Bob about the woman He had prepared for him to marry. And He spoke to me saying,  “Bob Jones will be your help mate.” We were married May 21, 2006 at MorningStar and began our ministry together immediately.  

The Commissioning

One day Bob said to me, “Honey, you know we are just like Paul and Barnabas. Paul known as Saul of Tarsus had a life changing experience on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9) But once the scales fell from his eyes he began to preach the risen Christ. However people were frightened of him because previously he severely persecuted believers. Therefore Barnabas took Saul to Tarsus where they evangelized to the gentiles. There he would remain for a time until Barnabas returned to bring him to the church in Antioch. Saul spent approximately 10 years or longer ministering in his calling while being prepared for his commissioning.

In March 2018 the Lord appeared to me as the Commander of the army of the Lord. I knew this was a Joshua 3 moment. It was a glorious yet fearful experience as He tapped the tip of a shiny silver sword on my shoulder. It also reminded me of the manner in which a king knights a subject.

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” (Joshua 3:13-14)

So what have I been commissioned to do? And why now when I’m older?

The Great Commission

The answer is easy and our age doesn’t matter. Jeremiah was a youth while Moses was 80 and the disciples were various ages. The Samaritan at the well was a woman. The “great commission” is for every born again believer. Jesus gave us our marching orders in Matthew 28:19-20 He said, “Gotherefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

I believe that every believer goes through this process although it may take some longer than others. Why? I’ve heard it said that the greater the calling on one’s life the longer the process. There’s usually a lot that needs to be worked out of us so God can deposit every good and holy thing into us. We go through the process of faith that works by love and we learn God’s mercy and grace. We learn to die to self-daily and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. In the process we develop the gifts of the Spirit while the fruit of the Spirit matures in us.

Salvation is the invitation, obedience is answering the call and serving God is our commissioning. Although I gave you a rather comical timeline of my journey in Christ I believe you can look back at yours and remember certain times where God moved upon you in a certain way that you know when you were saved and called. Regardless of your timeline you are part of the great commission to do the greater works spoken of in John 14.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (John 14:12)