A Called Man
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Jeremiah's call brought him nothing but heartache, and yet he could not give it up. Why? Because God's Word was like a fire in his bones. Translation: because God had called him.
Jeremiah is a picture of what it is like to be called into pastoral ministry. Ministry is more than hard. Ministry is impossible. And unless we have a fire inside our bones compelling us, we simply will not survive.
Pastoral ministry is a calling, not a career. It is not a job you pursue just because you like attention, or because your mom thinks you'd be good at it, or because it does not involve heavy lifting. I am continually shocked at how many men are trying to do ministry without a clear sense of calling. Please hear this: If you don't feel a sense of calling to ministry, then please, find another vocation! Only those like Jeremiah who have a strong, fiery calling from God should pursue pastoral ministry.
Discerning the Call
Your call to ministry does not have to be like my call, or anybody else's call for that matter. In fact, one of the most interesting features of calling is that whether you look in the pages of the Bible or in the annals of church history, God rarely calls two people in the exact same way. It is very important not to standardize the calling experience. Sometimes it is a dramatic Damascus Road experience. Other times it is more of an inward pull. But however your sense of calling has developed, it is imperative to recognize that you must have a clear sense of calling before you enter ministry. Let's examine the nature of the call to ministry a little more intently.
An aspiring pastor/church planter who is seeking to test his sense of calling should look for confirmation in at least three areas: heart confirmation, head confirmation, and skill confirmation.
Heart Confirmation
There is nothing like going to a rock concert and getting hammered. By the music, I mean. If the sound is right at a show, you can feel the bass on your chest, seemingly disrupting your heart rhythm. There is a pressure, a force that you cannot escape until you leave the venue. This pressure is similar to the heart confirmation of a call to ministry. You feel it in you. You feel it on you. It is a pressure on your heart and soul. An inescapable pressure. An unavoidable pressure. A pressure that evokes deep longing to be a pastor.
First Timothy 3:1 refers to the one who "desires the office" of eldership. In fact, this desire could be considered the first qualification of an elder. The man who is truly called to ministry desires it. He does not enter the ministry grudgingly, dolefully, reluctantly, dragging his feet. He enters ministry because he wants to and feels joy in pursuing this desire. This doesn't mean there isn't appropriate caution because of the high calling of the office, but it means that there is an excitement, a joy, and a sense of privilege to be able to serve God in this way.
A true call often comes with an insatiable desire to, at all costs, serve God and his people. There is a strong sense in the heart that it is ministry or nothing else. Consider the call of Nehemiah. The book bearing his name begins by describing a heart-call to serve God by leading the people of God. In chapter 1, Nehemiah inquires about the state of those who survived the exile and the physical condition of the great city Jerusalem. The report he receives is not encouraging. "The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire" (Nehemiah 1:3). This news cut right through to Nehemiah's heart. We know this because of the following verse:
As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:4)
This is the essence of Nehemiah's call, literally the heart behind his call to ministry. Nehemiah didn't take the news home and think about it for a few days. Nehemiah didn't immediately start problem-solving and strategizing, though later he certainly would do these things and do them very well. No, when Nehemiah heard the news, it broke his heart. The text emphasizes the urgency, angst, and heartache of Nehemiah, saying he responded immediately with deep sorrow and that he actually mourned for days. Mourning is what we do when someone dies, and it is one of the most profound, painful human experiences. And here we see that Nehemiah is mourning because God's people and God's city are in ruins. His heart is cut by the news, and Nehemiah had no choice but to alter the course of his life in order to serve God and his people with the very best gifts. This is the heart-call.
In a heart-call, a deep inclination in the soul says, I must do this or I will die. The called man cannot imagine going into another vocation: he daydreams about ministry, he talks about ministry and he cannot wait to be in ministry. There is an abiding, relentless desire for the work of ministry that the called man cannot shake off or ignore- even amidst hardship, persecution, and fear.
This strong desire in the heart can sometimes result in anxiety and apprehension. Questions are forced to the surface, like Can I really do this? Can God really use me? What if I fail? Nothing provokes insecurity like signing up to follow God's call and do God's work. A man who is truly called may doubt and struggle with his calling at times, but ultimately he will not be able to walk away from it. His doubts may test his desire for ministry, but they will not destroy his desire to minister. It is important to recognize that doubts and feeling of insecurity are not signs that you aren't called. People who are genuinely called often go through seasons of doubt and uncertainty. But over time the sense of calling grows stronger, not weaker.
This heart confirmation goes beyond a mere passing whim or initial excitement at the prospect of going into ministry. It is what Spurgeon refers to as "an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work." It is what Newton calls "a warm and earnest desire to be employed in this service ... he cannot give it up ... the desire to preach is most fervent." To put it simply, the man who is called to ministry desires to be in ministry so strongly that he cannot hold back: it is fire in his bones, just as in the case of Jeremiah. It is a deep desire to protect and provide for the people of God as Nehemiah did. This heart confirmation is an essential component of the call. However, it is not enough to indicate a genuine call to ministry. A man who is truly called by God also experiences a head confirmation.
Excerpt from Church Planter, by Darrin Patrick
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