Lots of people are confused about the nature of “being called” and about ministry. There are lots of reasons for this. One reason is because they have not been informed either by their Pastor, or because they simply are not familiar with what God has to say about ministry. Maybe they are new to the faith. Maybe they have only recently been converted, and there simply has not been opportunity to be fully informed. But those who have been Christians for more than a few months ought to be taught about or have read about ministry in the scriptures.
Another reason is not as excusable. It has to do with power and control. In all honesty, I have to admit as a “Ministry Professional” that we who are in full time paid ministry might have a self-serving interest in not letting people know the real truth about ministry. It might be because its easier to have our flock think of themselves as passive receivers of ministry. It gets the “untrained, unwashed” sheep out of our way so that we can be the ones who do the work. And we get all the glory for ourselves as a result. Nice, eh?
This is not the true nature of ministry. The truth is, we are all, as Christians, called to be ministers. We are all called to enter into the work, the joys and the sorrows, to reap the reward for faithfulness and the blessings of service. As a Pastor, my calling might look different than yours does. But we are all called. Ephesians 4 makes it clear that my job is to prepare YOU for works of service; or as it could well be translated: works of ministry.
Some people are confused about how and when the call comes. Some people think that if you are called to ministry (and again we all are) that the calling should come when you are young. We we should always be busy about serving God. But sometimes a clearly defined call may not come from God until rather late in life.
Consider Abraham. He was not, as far as we know, a believer in God until relatively late in life. In fact, Jewish tradition holds that his father was a priest of the Moon god, and that Abraham was devoted to him as well. Late in life, in his 70’s in fact, Abraham was called of God to leave his home, family, friends, business contacts and birth place to go to a land hundreds of miles away. His job: to go and represent God by living a God centered life, doing business, making friends, buying and selling, in front of a new set of people that had abandoned the one true God.
That was not the only call he received. He was called to be a father. Again, late in life. In fact, he was 99 years old!
God may not call you to go to Africa. God may not set you aside to do something unusual or unique right away. But he does have a plan for you. He has a ministry for you that he wants you participate in, and its there for you to discover. Until that calling comes, here are a few steps to take to be ready.
Pray
Ask God for what he wants you to do, and take time to listen. Seek out from him what your spiritual giftedness is. And that listening thing IS IMPORTANT. God may be telling you already. Are your ears open? Or are you to busy to pray and listen to God?
Read Scripture
Look for examples that appeal to you. Be informed about ministry, and what God wants from his ministers. Understand what spiritual giftedness is and God’s goals for it right from the Bible.
Get serving
The best way to get your calling is to faithfully be serving. When God visits you, you should be about his business already. You may find that as you are serving, God affirms through his church what you are doing as being your ministry. You may discover a need through serving that you have a passion to fill. The church will see you at work, and often affirm your call through encouragement and praise of what God is doing through you.
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