Hello all,
I guess it is a hard question to say whether desire and ability accounts as a calling as a calling is a hard thing to remark on.
I think what I am going to do is just work a job wherein will take the least amount of time and energy and serve God until I feel He has called and opened a door for full time sponsored service if in fact He ever does.
One question I am asking myself is of course calling, but I have decided I am just going to walk by faith on this one and make the best decisions I have and after seeking God if I get no answer I will just trust that He will turn my way like Jonah.
Now, I will try and respond to some posts here.
First, yes I am not just talking about preaching. I understand that being zealous for good works is also an essential part of the ministry. Though I believe that humanistically we can be pressed to far in that endeavor and spend too many resources on it yet the other extreme can be as well and we just need to walk in the calling of God and our means in wisdom. It would also depend to some amount on your calling and gifting. I have seen the Lord use me powerfully by proclaiming His Gospel and even more so then some I have seen giving out lunches. One can give out lunches and they do not need anointing or strength in God to do so yet to preach something so high is a lofty and a war in the spirit. Yet, again I do not want to go to extremes. I also am not just talking about being a pastor according to todays standards. I have mainly been a public evangelist going to the darkest places with the most people I could find and seeing much supernatural activity. I guess my desires in ministry are that I believe the Lord has equipped me with much and more so then much of the average believer in zeal, power, and leadership. I desire of course to do evangelism, I would also like to walk in an Apostolic calling to pioneer and plant Churches, I would like to pastor a Church and seek to be as the early Church, I would like to give my life over to prayer, fasting, and the word, among other things.
As for all ministers needing to be to be tent makers or to live to a really high standard. I think that some believers are especially anointed to be a leader and to carry out exploits and since the time is short we ought to fund them to be freed up to serve and not be enslaved to man and their boss. I think that sometime though ministers are called to something high that we can sometimes lay too much on them. Therefore many will burn out over time or just carry more then they should. I also think that depending on calling one should not live by "a faith for money" in the sense that there is a sense in which you can be living by faith but you have to make sure you are called to that or else you are testing the Lord. I do agree with very much of what people are saying but I am trying to respond to extremes. I think that maybe it is wise to have health insurance, savings for your family and such. I was recently listening to Poonen on this topic even.
It is true that there are many ministers who are living at ease with soft ministries and making tons of money that shouldnt. However, it is also true that there are many who are not being given enough money. I do in a sense preach health and wealth prosperity but not to an extreme. I think that not all the time Christians will be rich. But, we can go into the marketplace and seek God to use us to make much money for the kingdom and not for ourselves. I think that many are lax in the Church and not sending enough.
Sometimes Pastors need to be freed up to seek God because the Devil comes on them all the more because they are responsible for a thousands times more people and therefore are a target. The Apostles didnt want to serve tables. The Apostles in China have elders and then they even have elders who dont serve pastorally because they are given over to prayer. Often times people can downplay seeking God as being lazy because they do not understand the spirituality behind things.
As for the music ministry I have struggled with my thoughts on that as well. I am not sure if this list of gifts that Paul gives is even complete nor if he intended for it to be. I think Paul would talk about how when the Church would come together and minister to each other that they would share hymns and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Well we know that we are all called to teach each other and maybe to some degree to share songs. So probably as there are those who are mainly called to lead in teaching so there are those who are called to lead in hymns. We down play music sometimes and I think for some reasons for good. Because it is not super music skills that help us but super hearts. Yet maybe that is why a music leader is there because they have a super heart and connection to God. Also, heaven is filled with songs and skillful music and so possibly God can bless with skill as He can bless with money for the Kingdom and other things.
As for being controlled. One of the reasons I do not want to step in full time is first because I want to be spiritually called. Second, I do not want to be controlled. So, if I need the money from a Pastorship I do not want that pressure when I can make money some other way and not be compromised. Also, it is hard to find a Church that will not seek to compromise you in one way or another so one might even need to start their own fellowship.
It is easy to judge ministers when you yourself are not seeking ministry as actively. When one seeks to do ministry on a very active scale one will then see more clearly of how weighty things can be. Then often times though not in all they will focus more on how to do what is right then on those who are doing wrong.
I think there are also those who are lukewarm who do not mind just working in the secular place because they have no burden for souls and are so stuck to the spirit of the world. They dont mind earthly things because they are carnal. I have at many times when ministering fell under the revelation of the short amount of time and how it is burning with a fury. With the power of God falling on people and causing wonder. So when I have to step into the secular work place unless I know I am called it kills me. For instance working in social work yet not being able to share the Gospel or let them know why you are loving them. Or working for some computer company trying to build the worlds Kingdom and economy. If the Lord does call me into the marketplace I pray that He will use me with zeal to carry out exploits and make tons of money or be used to minister to people on a large scale. Just as people pray for revival in the Church if I had to be in the secular work place I would pray for a revival to be used there in one way or another and not just go about the norm as some weak person who is content though I do want to be faithful in the small though I do believe there is a mandate to ask God for much. It is hard to go from sharing the glorious Gospel to working for 10 dollars an hour or even a hundred.
I think that yes in some sense most ministers should work. But, I also think that there are not enough ministers who are sent. There are not enough. I will also say this that I see many of those with worldly type ministries and many of them are being funded, but those who are doing real ministry are often not ministered to. Especially, evangelists I believe because they are not so much directly ministering to the body the body doesnt care about them as much as they would a pastor who is before their face.
So, right now, I am praying, that if God wants me in the secular, then teach me how to carry out exploits. Yet, I see almost a disdain for money among conservative Christians. I use to think that I needed to seek poverty and that is how I would be powerful and the less I had the more I had. Yet, that is not always true and it depends on calling. I do not really see enough Christians taking charge in the marketplace. I do not really have a lot of instruction on the wisest ways of business and so forth or the best avenues to take. If one goes to college they are almost making a lifetime decision on what field they want to take and so it is something I have to zealous consider so that I do not make the wrong choice.
