The Call
JOEL ENGLE

I love the ministry! I love meeting with students and adults who feel the calling to minister for the sake of the Gospel! Even now, someone, somewhere is being called by God into the ministry. What a privilege to be the armor-bearer for the King of kings! We are all called to do the work of Christ! Ephesians 2:10 declares, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." All true children of God are called to do the works of Christ in Christ's name and with His power. That is a huge subject in itself to think upon. However, there is a special calling, by God, for a more specific work - the call to the life of ministry.

In our Christian sub-culture in the United States, we celebrate many who are supposed to be called by God into the ministry. Many make huge sums of money and are quite successful and quite visibly famous due to the growth of the "Christian" mass media. Many have come into question concerning their motives and style. Many are adored. Many are reviled by one faction or another. Yet like Paul, I must say, "What does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice" (Philippians 1:18). As long as the true Gospel of Christ is preached, I will rejoice. Due to this cultural phenomenon, however, many people feel "called" into the service of the Lord these days. I don't mean to be sarcastic or incredulous, but we must be sure of our calling to the ministry and what that truthfully means.

It is a High Calling
"Not many of you should presume to teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly" (James 3:1). Anyone who is a worship LEADER is a teacher. We teach others to praise God and live a lifestyle of surrender to God's Holy Spirit. Integrity, love, meekness, and Christian maturity are some of the banners that are to hang over the head of every leader of God's people. Obviously, there is a greater measuring stick for Christian leaders than for lay-people. It is not that ministers are "better," but they handle a greater responsibility and must walk on a more fragile line than most. We are servant leaders who have been chosen by God to equip and prepare the Church to carry out the works of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. "It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service."(Ephesians 4:11-12b). The passage goes on to say that we are to "build up" the body of Christ. 1 Timothy 3:2 states, "Now the overseer must be above reproach." Although no spiritual leader is perfect, each minister should be living a godly life, dependent on Christ, an example for those both inside and outside of the Church.

It's a Humble Calling
Do you think that God is calling you to the ministry? One of the great pitfalls today in the church is to put someone who is not spiritually mature into the spotlight of spiritual leadership. Concerning the prerequisites for being a minister, Paul advises Timothy, "He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil." (1 Timothy 3:6) Now we all know that a true child of God is not going to be sent to hell with Satan (John 10:27-29), but as Lucifer was the chief worship leader in heaven who was dismissed for pride and rejected by God, an arrogant, spiritually immature minister is a candidate for disgrace and can cause great harm to the kingdom of God. The spiritual leader must be humble and teachable. I believe that every young minister should have a mentor like Timothy had in Paul (1 Tim 1:2). Unfortunately, many young ministers do not think they need any training for the high calling of ministry. The snare of youthful ignorance has caused more than one ministry to be devastated by the enemy.

Another reason the call is a humble call is because of the frugal lifestyle that the typical ministry denotes. Usually, it is not a call to financial wealth or to lavish surroundings. Our Lord was impoverished. "Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.'" (Matt 8:20) The apostles were imprisoned, impoverished and beaten for the sake of the call to proclaim the Gospel. Although there is nothing spiritual about being poor, the minister must run away from the love of money. 1 Timothy 3:3 say that a minister should not be a "lover of money." As a worship leader, it can be quite easy to make lots of money through CD sales and other avenues. The question is not about the making of money but about the LOVE of money.

It's a call to prepare
Every spiritual leader will have to have a season of intense preparation in order to fulfill the calling on his or her life. One of the most painful things I see today is a woeful ignorance of God's Word in the ministry. No one can know enough about God's Word, but so many in the role of spiritual leadership know so very little of any Scripture or theology. Theology is not a curse word. It simply means "knowledge of God." You don't learn authentic theology in a classroom or in a seminar. You learn by digging deep into the Bible with the power and illumination of the Holy Spirit of God. He is the Great Teacher. John 16:13-14 says, "But when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." Not to say that a formal theological training is wrong, but true theology comes from the Holy Spirit. Yet the minister must put himself or herself in a position to hear from the Spirit of Truth everyday. "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 3:15)

God is not calling us to be "Superman" or some kind of movie hero. He is calling us to teach, equip and build other believers in His name. No one person can change the world forever. Only God can change lives. The true minister must be dependent upon the Holy Spirit to live through their yielded lives. We don't have the power to love the unlovable or to mend a broken life. But we do know the Great Physician who can! Does God call you to His full-time service? Do you sense His wonderful Holy Spirit drawing you into the greatest ride of your life? Praise God! But don't forget the high, humble calling for your life in Christ Jesus. He will give you power abundantly to follow Him and to build His glorious kingdom...

Prayer
Father in Heaven, we thank you for your calling. We cannot reach high enough or comprehend the depths of your great love for us, but we are grateful. Equip us for every good work in Your Holy Spirit. Give us vision and a bold faith to make your wondrous name known throughout the nations and the earth. You are a Great and Mighty God. Amen.