0:01 [Music] one of the issues that needs to be addressed when it comes to the making of a preacher is is there a call a divine call to the ministry of the pastorate or to the ministry of preaching i'm assuming now as i say a word about this that we're dealing with a person who is born again in whom the holy spirit is dwelling and active and who is submitted to god but my answer to the
0:46 question is yes there is such a thing as a divine call and i'm going to try to describe the process by which it emerges even though i think the call itself is probably beyond human understanding in its final and decisive nature but i think there are things we can say about it that are crucial so let's begin with a paradigm of divine guidance that's true for everybody including the person pondering whether he should enter the pastorate or the preaching life namely romans 12 verses 1 and 2. i i urge you then brothers by the mercies of god
1:33 to present your bodies as living sacrifices to god which is your spiritual service of worship so you you lay your whole self your body and all that you are on the altar and say i am just utterly totally yours and it makes me glad in this act of worship to give myself in complete surrender to you for your use that's where it starts and you do that by the mercies of god because of the gospel in your life then verse 2 don't be conformed to this age but be transformed by the renewing of your minds
2:18 that you may prove that his discern and embrace is precious that you may prove and approve the will of god what is uh good acceptable and perfect so the the paradigm for guidance and discerning the will of god and walking in it in the christian life is a life of utter and total surrender to god and a transformation by prayer and the word so that the the inner workings of your mind and heart are in sync with god and as you assess the possibilities in front of you you can taste as it were you can discern and to prove the will of
3:05 god now what does that look like in process as you move towards the possibility of ministry and let me say just a sequence of things that i think are essential that you can do that puts yourself in the flow of the spirit's guidance here number one prayer i remember in seminary how crucial psalm 25 was to me make me to know your ways o lord lead me in your truth and teach me for you are the god of my salvation just crying out to the lord daily as a seminary student guide me oh god i need your guidance i'm not sure what form my
3:52 love for the word should take so prayer is absolutely crucial second meditate on the law of the lord day and night psalm 1. you will become like a tree planted by streams of water that bears fruit in season its leaf won't wither in everything you do you'll prosper that is you'll discern and move in the will of god with fruitfulness if you're saturated with the word of god live in the word of god the precious word of god and just this morning i was reading in john 5 where jesus said these things i say to you that you may be saved and i thought sitting there on the couch
4:41 i have in my hand here the words of the living god directed toward me for my everlasting joy called salvation why would we not meditate on the law of the lord day and night so that's the second thing third be alert and ready for specific text to take hold of you the reason i say this is because it seems that paul did this when you go to romans 15 and read verse 20 and 21 about paul's ambition he said i make it my ambition to preach the gospel where nobody else has preached where did he get that
5:27 ambition why did he feel that was such a divine call on his life he could have traced it back to damascus right damascus road the lord stops him changes him blinds him gives him sight gives him a mission he could have said the reason i do this is because jesus told me to nobody could have imitated him if he had said that and he didn't say it what he did was quote isaiah 52 15. those who have never heard will hear now that's not a text written for paul and paul took it as a text for paul
6:15 paul was empowered specifically by a verse in isaiah 52 that gave direction and shape and power and impetus for his specific calling to speak the word of god where it wasn't named where the the name of jesus wasn't named and i think god does that he causes texts to come and take hold of you and you can't let them go you you just pray over them and over time they won't let you go the next thing is desire has god put a desire that rises up and won't go away it says elders who aspire to the office
7:03 of overseer desire a noble thing desire is a crucial thing in the calling of the ministry not just a flash in the pan at some camp meeting or some preaching service but week after week month after month year after year you can't shake this god seems to have put this in your heart next there must be gifts do you see a gifting in your life of some kind of use of the word that actually helps people that's a spiritual gift a spiritual gift is a gift of what looks natural at one level and
7:48 produces spiritual effects people find help unusual spiritual help when you exercise this gift and the next thing is do they report to you i confirm in you you've got this gift i want you to teach this class when i was in seminary i was able to do some teaching in the greek class and then i took a seventh grade boys class in sunday school and then they asked me to do a ninth grade boys class and then a young married class came to me and said would you be our teacher and little by little john piper began to sense i think people are getting helped because they're asking me to do this that's the way the body of christ functions to confirm a gifting and a
8:35 calling upon your life and the last thing i would say is god sovereignly assigns you to a ministry consider for example acts chapter 20 28 where paul says to the elders that the holy spirit made you overseers literally put you the holy spirit put you you're not in that role because you made some aspiration and some mere church confirmed your gifts you're in that position because god puts you there you know in all the human working god works or take ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 where it says the risen christ
9:22 has given pastors and teachers to the church if you're a pastor and you've walked through these steps god put you there or for example romans 10 14 and 15 how shall they preach unless they be sent authentic preaching doesn't happen unless there's authentic sending from god almighty god sins one more and i think it's luke 12 where it says who is the faithful and wise steward whom his master has appointed over his house to give them their food in the proper season if you are a steward over a church that
10:09 is god has made you a pastor he appointed you there as the sovereign master of this house so my answer is yes there is such a thing as a call to the ministry if you want to discern it follow something like those steps and that pattern trust him pray to him meditate on his word use your gifts be alert to their confirmations and in time god will open the door and it will be clear enter it
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