Bloom Where You Are Planted

Q: How would I know if there is a calling on my life for ministry?

A: If you're a born again Christian then there is a calling on your life for ministry. However, it may not be the calling you are asking about. All Christians are ministers according to the Bible. "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6)." While their are, and have been, numerous pastors and teachers throughout the history of the Church the only true calling is to Jesus Christ. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28)." Once an individual has come to Christ then He will send you out into the world. Keep in mind that He goes with you wherever you go. While it may not be into the classic form of ministry as a pastor of a local body of believers, it can definitely be something more significant.

The trend in Christianity for a long time is to try and filter everybody into a traditional church in hopes that the pastor will be able to preach a person into the Kingdom of God. While this can and has worked it puts the focus on the pastor and off of the individual to be a witness for Jesus. This has led to an increase in mega churches and even bigger pastors and teachers who run them. This is not the direction I believe God wants His Body to go in. I believe it can lead to enormous amounts of immature Christians who put trust in their pastor rather than in Christ to mature them and grow them in their faith. The job of a pastor is to put himself out of business. In other words, a pastor should desire that all those who sit under him are growing to a level of maturity that makes him obsolete. The apostle Paul desired as much from those he influenced. "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food (Hebrews 5:12)!"

Paul wanted Christians to "be teachers" like him. It not only makes for more competent ministers of the faith, but also relieves the burden of one man feeling he has to carry the load for so many. I don't have the answer to whether you should go into the ministry in the sense you are speaking. I want you to know that you are already a minister with many opportunities to share what you know about Jesus Christ. As I am sure you have already done, I would suggest that you continue to pray about this and be patient enough to listen to God. However, in the meantime, just keep growing in the knowledge of the Lord and continue to make yourself available to Him to use you as He sees fit. Sitting in a pulpit, as the head of a church, is not the only way to be a minister and spread the Gospel message. There is a passage in scripture that may give you some relief as you decide what direction to go in your life.

"Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches (1 Corinthians 7:17)." There is a saying you might be familiar with that says to "bloom where you are planted." In other words, God can use right were you are right now. If you think about it, most people inside a church are already in the faith. If you want to make an impact with the lost, where you are at this moment is just as good a place to be as if you were in the ministry. Your heart is in the right place. Your question shows your heart for the Lord, His people and the lost. Enjoy this adventure you are going on and the decision you are trying to make. Know that God will reveal how He wants to use you when the time is right. Until then, "Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him (1 Corinthians 7:20)." Remember, God doesn't need you as the head of a church to use you. He only needs you. Be blessed.