In 1994 I felt a calling to ministry. This was not something I took in lightly. As a matter of fact, I didn't really want it. My father was a pastor and I knew the challenges and victories he had throughout. I knew how the politics of church worked even as a teenager. Facing such trials was not what I had in mind to deal with. However, the calling on my life was so strong I knew it was useless not to surrender.
So I gave in.
I gave in knowing that there were men that my father called "friend" who I could look up to and count on to guide my path. Those men plus my dad were the ones I was counting on. I preached my first message with confidence and with my father's affirming eye watching on. I knew life would be different from now on. As a soldier of the cross, I knew Satan had a target on my back wanting me to fail.
I do not regret my calling to ministry or any step I have taken along the way. The good and the bad are learning curves leading to more opportunities. I am ever so thankful for the wise counsel that has been placed before me to guide me through the mine-field of ministry. My father showed me the personal side of ministry. I saw how it affected our family and how the long hours can hurt a home. I saw how he took it personal and wanted to see everyone find peace in Christ. It was trying to balance the strong desire to be faithful to God's will with the responsibility of having a young family. I also watched my family fall apart because of stress from both sides. Sometimes you learn what not to do. My mother left and a few years later my father had a stroke.
I have never fully stopped playing music from the time I was a teenager, which is a ministry in so many ways. However, my first real ministry position was as a bi-vocational youth pastor. My senior pastor was Dr. Tom Stokes and he gave me so many opportunities to learn from so many viewpoints of ministry. When those opportunities arose, I saw it as a gold mine. I listened to his wisdom then, and greatly value his opinion to this very day. I usually do not make any major life decisions without discussing it with Bro. Tom.
I served under Pastor Steve James whose ability in the pulpit was masterful. He preached with power, structure, and authority, all the while showing compassion and communicating to each person the goodness of the gospel as if speaking to the largest of congregations one person at a time. I learned about sermon preparation and how to handle the ebb and flow of a message. Along the way I learned the importance of hospital visitation, sitting and talking with senior adults, listening to what is important to youth, the joy of playing kickball with children, and the tender moments of prayer when a family has experienced hurt, brokenness, or loss.
All in all I could not be nearly as effective as a minister of the gospel without those who paved the way before me. I opened my ears and left my ego at the door. I had no right to an ego. Sure, I had done some things in the music business, but in straight forward pastoral ministry I had to submit to the authority of those who had the experience. Even today, 22 years after that first sermon, I still hold the utmost respect for those pastors, those men who stood behind the sacred desk.
It astounds me today to see young people today with such a lack of respect for those who paved the way. This doesn't apply to every young minister, but the ones who feel they are "holier" or have a greater "authority" than other ministers. Ministry is NOT a choice, it's a life calling. Ezekiel 33 explains exactly my convictions toward being in ministry. It is not about reinventing the wheel, but about taking the gospel to a lost and dying world. The greatest commandment is to LOVE! Love means taking Jesus' last words and taking the gospel into all of the world in hopes that salvation becomes a reality. What does it take? Listening to those who have the experience. Allow them to mentor and fill your spirit with inspiration and guidance. So many young "preachers" want to pave their own way, reinvent the wheel, or do it better than it was done before. This is not a race. It is not a competition. It is a journey that we are all on together.
Young person holding your Bible, a few words of wisdom. Slow down. You are not holier than anyone else. It is not that kind of a contest. it's not even a contest. Quit making it into one. What you are doing requires a life calling that only comes from the Lord, not a decision you made while asked to speak at your church or an event where you thought, "well, that was pretty easy."When you realize this is a calling, then take the time to listen to those who have been in your shoes and not only walked a few miles, but helped make a way through transitions and heartaches. Open your heart and mind to a solid, Bible-minded, grounded pastor to mentor you. Not a loose cannon who throws around principles instead of biblical insight. Not a person who bases all of their "ministry" on feelings instead a Bible truths. This is no time for playing around with selfish fulfillment, especially when there are lost souls at stake. A mentor is someone with wisdom they can pass down for the greater good of the kingdom of God. Anyone less is most likely going to fail the objective. Stop, bow your head in prayer, and seek wisdom from those who have been there before... seek Jesus' face in every matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment