well i remember the story of martha on the book of luke, ive used this example alot but i think its so powerful.
jesus and the disciples go to marthas house and martha begins to serve them. shes probly making drinks, food, or who knows what, but her sister mary is just sitting there listening to jesus.
and martha gets angry at mary becuase she has left her to serve alone.
and martha questions jesus, about why he allows mary to be so lasy.
and jesus replies telling martha that mary has chosen something better and it would not be taken from her.
mary was busy serving god, but jesus was not there to be served.
jesus was there to serve, and mary was sitting at the feet of jesus allowing him to speak and pour into her life, allowing jesus to serve her.
before you can do anything for god, you must first go through seasons of just sitting down and listening to god.
you may be called into the ministry, but that does not mean you are supposed to start today or tomorrow. it could be incredibly discouraging and obstructive if you go into the ministry before your ready.
before you venture into the ministry, id say take a few years and spend as much time alone with god and the word as you can. get as close to god as possible, learn the word of god as clearly as possible, become the greatest christian possible.
"you can teach what you should be, you but will transfer what you are"
one of the greatest principles in the ministry, is accomplishing the things you are going to preach and teach before you preach and and teach them, then you will massively more effective. and people will look to you as an inspiration. when you live your preaching as a lifestyle, then your preaching will be powerful.
i was called to preach before i got out of highschool.
i was not ready to step into that role when i was called, but that was when god placed the vision in me, and i have been running towards it ever since.
but i am still in the preperation process.
jesus knew his calling at an extremely young age. so did john the baptist.
these 2 men could possibly be called the greatest men of god to ever walk the earth. i recall no one who had such success in the ministry.
but between the time they received the calling, and fullfilling the calling, there were years of preperation. john was called away from society itself and lived in the wilderness for years where he could be alone with god and be prepared for his future ministry.
you can preach the truth now, but do not take a fulltime ministry upon yourself yet.
let god pull you aside from the hustle and bustle of the world, and prepare you for this work, so he can set you to work when your ready.
i do not beleive the problem in the church is a lack of workers, but a lack of qualified workers.
if you are to be a witness of christ, then you are to tell of what you have seen. you have to get in the secret place of god, receive the message, and then go tell the world, but you cant do this if you do not first take time away from the ministry to be prepared.
when you preach, you will preach that men grow in faith, men live in holiness, men come unto the fullness of god. you will preach any number of things.
but before you begin to preach these things, you must experience and grow in them yourself.
do not attempt to preach them if you are not well aware of them and have not been through it yourself.
thats why you should not seek to become a pastor yet, but begin to prepare now.
