The Calling of God
It would be nice and easy if we
could have clear directions on how we can recognise a pastor and appoint him.
Yet the situation is not as clear cut and as straightforward as we might like it
to be. The reason for this is that God in His wisdom has left the business of
Church Government as something to be worked through within different societies
and cultural settings. There are no specific instructions of how things should
be done in any particular situation. But that does not mean to say that the Lord
has not given us clear guidelines to follow with respect to appointing pastors.
He simply wants us to work through the principles that He has laid down in His
word, and put them into practice by means that suit us best. So we will now look
at some of these principles.
The most fundamental principle that we find in Scripture concerning one whom we
might wish to call as a pastor is that he is to serve God and His church—and
therefore he must be called of God to this task. No pastor, no “ruling elder”,
is to be self-appointed. He must first and foremost be called of God, and His
calling must be recognised by the church.
So where do we begin with this? It is good to point out at the outset that we
must not be tempted to divide the Old and New Testaments when we are looking for
principles for governing the church. It is very easy to argue that the church of
the Lord Jesus Christ is something that is foreign to the Old Testament
situation because it belongs to the New Dispensation. But surely God lays down
principles in all His Word that do not contradict each other. The Old Testament
is the preparation for the coming of the Saviour. The New Testament describes
His coming, the application of His Saving grace and the working out of His New
Kingdom. But there is a continuity between these.
The Old Testament Picture
So in the Old Testament, as well as in the New Testament, we can consider how
God calls out men to be leaders of His people. Take Joseph for example. We do
not normally consider Joseph as particularly being a leader of God’s people. Yet
here is a man whose life God trained, protected, and appointed for a specific
task—who would help the family He had especially chosen. In the story of Joseph
we see a man who was prepared—through dreams, through adverse circumstances,
even through prison. Here was a man whom God chose to use in a remarkable way,
to whom God gave special gifts, so that he might become a leader who would
become second only to Pharaoh in Egypt, by which he might be the provider and
protector of his family. So we see the principle set out, that God takes hold of
a man for the working out of His purposes.
Then we come to Moses. Here was a man clearly chosen by God, from even his
birth. He experienced a remarkable beginning to life, being brought up in the
courts of Pharaoh. He did not forget his origins and felt an affinity for his
people in their distress. This caused him to kill an Egyptian, which led to his
self-imposed exile. From experiencing the riches and university training of
Egypt, he became a keeper of sheep in the wilderness. But God had a purpose. He
was training this man. One day, Moses turned aside to see a remarkable sight—a
bush that was burning, but not being consumed. And here he met with God. God
spoke with him, and appointed him to be a leader of His people. It was not
unnatural that Moses gave many excuses as to why he should not be—even to the
point of unbelief. But God had taken hold of his life, was calling him,
appointing him, to shepherd His people. “Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘O my
Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your
servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.’ So the Lord said to him,
‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the
blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth
and teach you what you shall say’” (Exodus 4:10-12).
We will not be considering all
those whom God called and appointed to lead His people, but merely to pick out
one or two representative servants of God who illustrate the principle. We might
speak of Joshua, of Samuel and King David. But let us turn more specifically to
the prophets. They were called to be God’s mouthpiece to His people. They were
called to bring God’s Word to a people who were straying from Him, who were
being disobedient and defiant, who were bent on self-destruction. The Israelites
were committing spiritual adultery, and God desired to win them back to Himself,
to forgive their sin, and to pour out His rich blessings on them. To this
purpose He appointed prophets.
We have Isaiah’s call described in detail in Isaiah 6. Isaiah saw a vision of
the Lord arrayed in His heavenly Glory. In the presence of such holiness, Isaiah
felt, not merely humbled, but ashamed—for he recognised his own sinfulness. But,
in the vision, the Lord purged his sin away, cleansed him of his
unrighteousness, and gave him a personal call to serve God as His spokesman.
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” (Isaiah 6:8). Isaiah’s immediate
response was “Here am I! Send me”. The Lord commissioned him to go to His people
and proclaim to them all that God gave Him to say—but interestingly, He did not
promise him success!
Jeremiah also had a clear call of God in his youthful years. Notice, that like
all the others, Jeremiah did not volunteer for the prestige of being appointed a
spokesman for God! Look how his testimony unfolds in Jeremiah 1. “The word of
the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before
you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations’”
(Jeremiah 1:4-5). Without a shadow of doubt it was a call from God—it was God’s
appointment. “I ordained [appointed] you a prophet to the nations.” It is very
clear that the initiative is all of God. That is the case in every specific
calling of God that is recorded in Scripture. It is the Lord who takes the
initiative, and it is not left to the whim and fancy of man. In fact, Jeremiah
objects to the commission. “Then said I: ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak,
for I am a youth’” (Jeremiah 1:6). Jeremiah is not being very subtle here. He is
scared out of his wits over the size of the task. He is overwhelmed by its
implications. He is suddenly aware of his own inadequacy and inexperience. And
so he says, in effect, “no, not so”. We believe that Jeremiah was about 20 years
of age at this time, and all he could think of was that he was not capable of
doing what God was asking of him. This was not something he was looking for. He
had no aspirations for this. He was not seeking the special calling of
prophet—he simply did not want it! An essential requirement to being a prophet
was an ability to speak in public, and so he confessed his own perceived lack of
eloquence. He was not given to public speaking. It was not his thing! He would
get tongue-tied. But God would not accept such an objection. “Jeremiah, you are
going to do it because I am going to be with you.” “But the Lord said to me: ‘Do
not say, “I am a youth,” for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and
whatever I command you, you shall speak’” (Jeremiah 1:7).
God never makes a mistake in choosing His servants. He gives the necessary
power, ability, and authority to everyone whom He calls. He provides the
encouragement they need, and all the help they must have. What more does
Jeremiah need than God’s promised presence? The promise he is given is designed
to dispel Jeremiah’s fear, which is a very valid reason for his hesitation.
Notice too, that God does not promise him an easy life. In fact, the very
opposite. So He has to say to Jeremiah, “‘Do not be afraid of their faces. For I
am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 1:8). And look what He
then goes on to say in v.19: “‘They will fight against you, but they shall not
prevail against you. For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to deliver you.’”
The Lord promises to equip Jeremiah for this task, however formidable it might
appear to be for him. Indeed, He demonstrates this, by a personal touch. “Then
the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth” (Jeremiah 1:9a). This was a
spiritual experience, an enabling by God’s grace, to do what was not natural to
him. Jeremiah was inspired to speak God’s truth—as and when God gave it to
Him—to share it fearlessly as God’s message. “…and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold,
I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations
and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw
down, to build and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:9-10). What a graphic way of describing
Jeremiah’s new prophetic ministry. God would be working His purposes out through
Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s words would be truly God’s words. Jeremiah would have the
amazing privilege of becoming God’s mouthpiece to his generation.
The New Testament Picture
Such a calling was common to all the prophets, only differing according to
circumstances and situations. And when we move into the New Testament, we see
the same principles at work. As the Lord Jesus begins His ministry, He calls
those whom He will teach and equip to carry on His work when He returns to
Heaven. He chooses twelve men, one of whom would even betray Him. Note the
emphasis, He calls—they do not choose to be His special disciples. “And Jesus,
walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew
his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said
to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ They immediately left
their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers,
James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their
father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat
and their father, and followed Him” (Matthew 4:18-22).
Jesus chose other disciples in a similar fashion. He called them. For example,
consider Matthew: “Then as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named
Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ And he arose
and followed Him” (Matthew 9:9). Jesus deliberately chose men whom He would
train as leaders of the new emerging church, as we see working out in the Book
of Acts. And again we notice that the initiative has nothing to do with any
desire to follow and serve Jesus on their behalf. The initiative for
apostleship, for the proclaiming of the Gospel as ministers of Christ, and for
the leadership of the church, is wholly with the Lord Jesus Christ. Once again
consider what Jesus says as recorded in John 15:16: “You did not choose Me, but
I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your
fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give
you”.
Consider the Apostle Paul also. His dramatic conversion illustrates this
principle clearly. The Lord took hold of His life, even though he was bent on
destroying the church and its leaders. That was his amazing conversion
experience. But let us not forget His calling as a minister of the Gospel. The
Lord sent Ananias to Paul, who was now blinded through his experience. By
Ananias’ mediation his sight was to be restored—but Ananias was extremely
reluctant to go voluntarily to meet one whose reputation was so violent and who,
at a whim, could have had him imprisoned, if not worse. But the Lord told
Ananias, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles,
kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must
suffer for My name's sake” (Acts 9:15-16).
We also have Paul’s own personal testimony. He describes his meeting with the
Lord on that Road to Damascus. “So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I
am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have
appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of
the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.
I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom
I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to
light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of
sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’”
(Acts 26:15-18).
Paul made it quite clear that this was a calling of the Lord—not something he
chose to do, or because he thought it a good idea. There was nothing pragmatic
in his approach to his calling. He was obeying the call of His Saviour. And if
he was not clear on that, how would he have coped with all that he experienced
in the course of his Gospel proclamation? Listen to his testimony. “Are they
ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labours more abundant, in
stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the
Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten
with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I
have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in
the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among
false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what
comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches”
(2 Corinthians 11:23-28). Would anyone in their right mind normally choose” such
a vocation? I think not. No, it is God who calls—it is Christ who
commissions—and it is the Holy Spirit who gives gifts of ministry.
Paul is very aware of the call of the Lord—and on one occasion he even compares
himself to others who preach, he believes, with the wrong motive. “Some indeed
preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will: The
former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add
affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed
for the defence of the gospel” (Philippians. 1:15-17).
It is a good work
It is interesting to note that Paul tells Timothy, “If a man desires the
position of a bishop [Lit. an overseer], he desires a good work” (1
Timothy 3:1). We also see that he places extremely stringent tests on those who
would seek such a role (please read: 1 Timothy 2:2-7).
One of the tests of a calling of God is, interestingly, the attitude of the one
who claims to have such a call. For it is not something to be simplistically
proud and boastful about. Rather, the knowledge of such a call is to be handled
with the deepest humility, recognising that it is God’s calling, and not of our
own devising. It has often been said that, when a young man comes and shows a
desire to preach, and to be a minister of God’s Word, a good approach is to do
everything to put him off—to try to discourage him. Does that sound hard? Does
it seem to demonstrate a lack of understanding and sensitivity? I believe the
reality is the very opposite. Because, if that young man has heard the call of
God, nothing will put him off. He may be taken aback, even offended, that he has
not been enthusiastically received as one who has a desire to preach and teach.
But if the call of God is on Him—if He is motivated by the Spirit of God—nothing
will put him off. He will know the experience of the apostle Paul, who recorded
his sense of call these terms: “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to
boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the
gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).
Remember, what we are speaking of here is concerning a person who is called of
God, who is required to handle the extremely critical issues of life and death.
It is a very serious matter to be called to be a pastor of God’s people—no-one
should ever consider it lightly. The pastor is a watchman—one who watches out
for the souls that Christ entrusts to him. And God has a great deal to say about
watchmen. Consider Ezekiel 3:16-21,27, where we have a record of the calling of
Ezekiel as God’s prophet. “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house
of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:”
(Ezekiel 3:17). A “watchman” in this context is one who can “peer forward”, who
has discernment and understanding of God’s revealed Word. Take note of his
responsibility—this is a serious undertaking. The Lord warns His servant about
misusing His calling. “When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you
give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save
his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will
require at your hand” (Ezekiel 3:18). God’s calling is not like any other job or
vocation. It has serious spiritual consequences. It has eternal consequences. It
is a very considerable undertaking. It is something that has to be done, even
though its outcome may not be very satisfying personally for the “watchman”—for
the preacher and pastor. His calling could prove to be very uncomfortable
indeed. But if God speaks, then His message must be proclaimed as He gave
it—unchanged and unadapted. But there will also be encouragement in the midst of
pain. “Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness,
nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered
your soul” (Ezekiel 3:19).
It is a great responsibility
Yes, there is a dark side. Proclaiming God’s Word can produce a very negative
and heart-breaking reaction. People do not readily want to hear what God has to
say—especially if He challenges their present comforts and all that they have
comfortably arranged for themselves. So the Lord lays down such a scenario for
Ezekiel, with emphasis. “Again, when a righteous man turns from his
righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he
shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and
his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I
will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the
righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he
took warning; also you will have delivered your soul” (Ezekiel 3:20-21). So this
is also a task that may bring exquisite reward. The sharing of God’s Word may
wonderfully lead to the saving of many souls. What rejoicing in heaven that
would be, as well as what amazing joy it would bring here on earth. Seeing men
and women brought under the sound of the gospel, coming to faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and seeing them grow in grace and the knowledge of their Saviour
is a most wonderful and thrilling experience.
But there will also be times when God’s servant will want to say something to
challenge or encourage, but the Lord prevents him from doing so. That would
prove to be extremely frustrating. But in God’s purposes it may necessarily be
so. Listen to what He says. “And you, O son of man, surely they will put ropes
on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them. I will make
your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and not
be to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house” (Ezekiel 3:25-26). Yes,
God’s people may try to restrain His servant, gag him, stop him from proclaiming
God’s Word openly and honestly—because they do not want to hear it. They will
unmercifully criticise the preacher, and discourage him. It is hard to do God’s
Work when God’s people do not want to know. It is at such times when a minister
of God’s Word, a pastor, will need to know that he is indeed truly called of God
to this work. For if he did not have such a call, he would simply not apply
himself, but give up, and go out to find a much more satisfying job. And many
prove to take such a pragmatic approach. But were they called of God in the
first place?
Therefore you must be sure that a man under consideration to be a pastor is
called of God—else appointing him may well end up a disastrous experience.
This is the first, very fundamental, consideration in calling a pastor—is he
called of God?
|
