Called to Preach

It was in the summer of 1970.  My life was at a crossroads.  I had finished my first two years of college and knew that I wanted to transfer. Every time I tried to convince myself that things were really going well, I was reminded that such was not the case.  

 

During that summer, I had been reading my Bible.  In fact, I probably read my Bible more in the first half of that summer than I read it in the past two or three years!  I was being drawn back to the Lord in my search for direction in life.  I had also attended several of the services held by the Billy Graham organization in Knoxville that spring, in the football stadium used by the University of Tennessee.  I cannot deny or dismiss the influence these services of the Billy Graham Crusade had in my life at this particular time.

 

One day that summer, I took a ride with the husband of a cousin.  They were visiting us; and he was driving down to Murfreesboro for a job interview at a law office.   He would be getting out of the Army JAG Corps and was preparing to settle down and start a family.  I liked being with John; so when he offered me the chance to ride along, I was delighted.  I knew the job interview would take some time; so I took my Bible along.

 

While he was having his job interview inside, I had a very different kind of encounter while sitting in the car.

 

I had been reading in the Book of Psalms.  On that particular day, I came to Psalm 19:7-9:  The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul:  the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.  The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:  the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.  The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever:  the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.  

 

At this point in my life, I was very interested in many things.  (In fact, I still am.)  It seemed, however, that my two greatest interests were theology on the one hand and law and politics on the other.  As I read this psalm, I knew that no law of man was perfect; no judgments of any court are true and righteous altogether.  I knew I would stake my life on God's law, and not the laws of men.

 

Two years before, while attending a summer preparatory course for blind students who were going to college, I had told one of the trainers that I thought it might be possible that God was calling me to the ministry.  He was very skeptical and proceeded to enumerate all the problems I would face as a blind minister.  I commented to him that he was probably quite correct, and that I would surely encounter many problems.  I concluded, however, by saying, "If it is true that God calls me to the ministry, He and I can work out the problems."  And God and I have been doing that now for almost 32 years.

 

I may have given part of this account elsewhere in this blog; but I give it now in the context of a call to ministry.  From that memorable day to this, I have seen my ministry primarily as a call to preach--or, more broadly speaking, a call to proclamation--whether preaching, teaching, training, or even counseling in certain instances.  I spend at least one sermon in every church of which I am pastor to tell the story of my call to ministry because I believe my congregations have a right to know that their minister was truly called, and didn't just take up the ministry as an interesting idea or, even worse, an after-thought.

 

When candidates come under care of a presbytery, such as we had here in our presbytery on Thursday, I believe they ought to be expected to speak  clearly about their sense of call to the ministry.  When a minister is received from another presbytery or church body, I believe that minister should expect to make a statement concerning the call to the ministry.  Too often, we are left with the impression that the ministers of our day are simply taking up the ministry as a way to help people or advocate on behalf of the poor, rather than as a call to preach or to bring people to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

 

I do not mean that the only legitimate form of Christian ministry is preaching; but certainly, if a minister does not have a true sense of call, then whatever that person does can hardly be expected to have much of an impact for the cause of Christ.

 

I hear ministers say that they only wanted to accept calls in certain states, or within so many miles of their home.  When I hear things like this, I wonder what kind of call to ministry they think they have.  How can we say that we are called to the ministry, and then put limits on where God might send us?  Is a minister a servant of God, or a servant of other people?  Are we going to serve God, or are we going to serve friends, family, and ourselves?  

 

The call to ministry is a call to serve God, to follow Christ--first, last, and always.  Our own preferences can be stated; but they must not be determinative, if we are truly following Christ.  And in a sense, I'd say that this is true for any Christian who truly desires to do God's will.  We are not our own.  We truly were bought with a price.

 

The call to preach, to minister full-time in Christian service, is an unconditional call--subject only to the leading of God's Spirit and the command of the heavenly Father.  It may lead us to be a pastor, a missionary, a Christian educator, or to any of hundreds of fields of ministry; but it must not be half-hearted, and it cannot be conditional.  It must be all or nothing, in obedient response to a gracious God.

 

Unfortunately, I don't hear enough of this kind of thing in our churches and church meetings today.