The Call to Ministry
June 6, 2007People think the call to ministry is a great thing. They think it is a place of great favor, and in some ways you can look at it like that, IF you love God!
But ministry is hard and often thankless. If you are doing it for the people, you will burn out for sure. If you are doing it for God, you may hang in there.
People make incredible demands on you. They want you to speak for God, to have favor with Him, and perform upon demand. They don’t always see ministry as a relationship, but as a skill or resource they can utilize at the best bargain or price.
They want YOU to hold back the tide of evil. They want YOU to make their life easier and more prosperous. And they don’t care too much if you are poor, in fact, that mindset often works real well for some (many).
They want YOU to make their relatives or friends or enemies to DO what THEY want. They want YOUR PRAYERS to make the sick well or their bad situation to get better or their wayward loved ones to be rescued.
And if you knock yourself out for them, is their any reward for you? Often, not much at all. They want to define you, too, and put you in the box of THEIR liking. And if you get out of that box, they will surely castigate you as not being right – they will judge you.
You will deal with selfishness head on. They will work often to con you. They will use you as a tool against others. They will talk behind your back to make you the same or less than them, while using your efforts to gain their advantage. They will want you to fight their battles while they hide behind your back.
If you are not doing ministry for God, you will bail out. If you are doing it to be seen or to gain advantage, you better be skilled in the ways of the world because that is how you will have to compete. And compete you will!
It’s true that some ministers do things wrong and it’s very true that some are pure con artists. People will argue over that one, as they will like the ones who “tickle their ears” and tell them what they want or even need to hear. It’s not hard to get a war going or escalated in the “religious” camp!
Some imitate the true and act like politicians, smooth and polished.
But if you are called to ministry by God for God, it can be a very lonely, painful walk. You will know that not all your rewards are here on this earth! You will see your own failures!
If you are doing it for any other reason than God, you may get discouraged.
People love the prophecies that they will lead and do great things for God. They can’t wait for someone to open the door for them! They don’t realize that they are the door! People want what YOU have! They want to feed off of you.
But if you really want to do great things FOR God, you will get crucified.
yes, we will get crucified, especially if we ‘get out of that box’ (to quote you Pam) -
”…They want to define you, too, and put you in the box of THEIR liking. And if you get out of that box, they will surely castigate you as not being right – they will judge you….”
one time I was going through this crushing I felt the need to express it – to get it out, in relating to what the Lord went through (I don’t write poetry)
You were crushed beneath the Two
One on either side of You
One was ‘good,’ one was ‘bad,’
some were ’sane’ some were ‘mad.’
They stretched You out
Your arms flung wide
pointing to either side
Your feet to earth
Your face to Heaven
They wanted You to conform
To what they thought was the norm
Eventually Your heart it burst
Pulled apart by their worst
You saw both/and, not either/or
You stood for that which was not clear
You were crushed beneath the Two
Not just Man, Not just God, but You.
this is the truth about a call to Ministry. I have seen people who are so excited when they receive a word for leadership. But once tested and crucified the excitment fizzles out. This was me because I had a real hunger for leading God’s people to their next level in Christ, but I found out that it is a thankless job. I refuse to quit because I have been called by God to this particular Ministry but I was not the man who went into battle without counting the cost. Since those days of small beginning I have grown to know that it is part of the task. But it would have been nice to be forwarned by a seasoned Minister who have had these challenges and overcame them. So koodles to you for being that voice that is needed for those overly zealous, presumptious,newly saved saints who run out thinking that Ministry is glamorious and to be desired for the wrong reasons
Thanks again
Signed Cry loud and spare not