God has called all Christians to the ministry of preaching the gospel to all creatures. Beyond that he may also have a special ministry in mind for you. If so, be open to his leading, but also be careful to wait for his timing as well.
God had a plan for Moses in the Old Testament. Moses was a Hebrew who was raised as an Egyptian. When Moses learned that he was really a Hebrew, he saw an Egyptian overseer mistreating one of the Hebrew slaves. Moses intervened and killed the Egyptian. When the authorities sought to bring him to justice, he fled into the wilderness and tended sheep there for the next forty years. Then one day God called him and told him to return to Egypt to deliver all of the Hebrews from slavery. Forty years had reduced Moses from the brash young murderer to a person who was filled with reluctance and self-doubt. In short, he was humbled to the point where he was just right for God’s plan to free the Hebrews.
Have not I commanded thee?
Be sure that those words from God apply to any calling you feel! Young Moses on his own and with his own strength slew one Egyptian. The same Moses when older obeyed God’s call to ministry and delivered the entire Hebrew nation from their years of bondage in Egypt. Often new Christians make the same mistake that Moses made when he was young and new to his faith. The lesson for us all is to look to God for our enablement first, and then for his commission and timing. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like the eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and shall not faint.” Isaiah 40.31 KJV
Test your call to ministry
- Is the ministry scriptural? Is it a Kingdom of God work?
- Distinguish between your natural gifts and God’s gifting to you
- Be suspicious of any fleshly appeal (eg. status, high pay, exotic surroundings)
- Are you feeling someone else’s calling? Someone you respect?
- What’s your motivation? God’s leading vs everything else