Fulfilling God's Calling

Every believer is called into the full-time ministry. Every adult person needs to fulfill God's calling - either in full-time ministry in the Body of Christ or have a "secular" job. Many people do not understand that having a secular job - be it a janitor, a homemaker, a teacher or a doctor is both a ministry and a calling of God. Nothing happens by chance.

Paul said, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ..." (Eph. 4:11, 12, NKJV, emphasis added).

Any one of the five-fold ministry - apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor (shepherd) and teacher, should not be undertaken unless one has been especially called for such a purpose. He is a minister of the Lord and Jesus Christ alone does the choosing. He who is called by Him, has the benefit of a personal encounter and experience resulting in "knowing" that he is called. Notice that the apostle, prophet and evangelist are "mobile" ministry; the ministry of the pastor is "resident." That means the pastor stays with the Local Church. But the teacher can be both "mobile" and "resident."

This message concerns God's calling of a Pastor. We compare the ministry of the pastor with that of the Lord Jesus and the apostle Paul. We shall also deal with an interesting comparison between the calling of a pastor with that of a secular employee.

By the way, the relation between eating and working is two-fold: First, Paul was writing to believers of the Church of the Thessalonians that believers should not be supported by the Church unless they are willing to work. Second, working is part of a curse (punishment) handed down to mankind because of the Fall: "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, ..." (Gen. 3:19).

Paul said, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" (2 Thess. 3:10, NKJV).

I am not being unkind to pastors but I just want to point out what the Scripture says about the ministry of a true pastor. A pastor is a believer and therefore if he does not work according to the Lord's calling for him as a shepherd, he should not eat!

The ministry of today's pastor/shepherd must be plural

In any denomination, it is impossible to have only one pastor in a Local Church. The pastor is often called to the main Church/main office for board meeting, conference for leaders and working committee meeting every month. And so the Local Church is left without a shepherd during that time. Every year the same pastor will go for his sabbatical for a long period of time. Very often this is just a holiday with his wife and family members. Furthermore, if he is involved in a new program or project for the Local Church, the same pastor needs to travel abroad to consult his mentor. All these activities take the pastor away from the Local Church for two to three months every year. The weekly attendance decreases progressively as the pastor stays away from his local congregation. The longer he stays away, the lower will be the attendance the following week. People might say that they come to Church not because the pastor is there. They come because they want to receive a message from God. Well said, but I believe this is a spiritual principle. Of course you cannot blame the pastor for being the only one who is blind; the main Church is equally blind. It is a case of the blind leading the blind.

Jesus said, "Let them alone. They are blind leads of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matt. 15:14).


The pastor is totally clueless regarding his duty as a shepherd. A true pastor needs to spend quality time with his local congregation. The problem can be partly solved if he realizes that the ministry of the shepherd must be plural in these circumstances. In other words, every local congregation needs at least two pastor. But it is not a green light for every pastor to take turns to spend time away.

Pastors at ease

Amos, a prophet, was somewhat obscured, but the Lord used him mightily to bring forth a powerful and timely message:

"Woe to you who are at ease in Zion. Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, who cause the seat of violence to come near; who lie on beds of ivory, stretch out on your couches, eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall; who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments like David; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint yourselves with the best ointments, but are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph" (Amos 6:1, 3 - 6).

During the evil reign in the land, Amos had something to say to those who were at ease in Zion. In Scripture, Zion is always a type of the Church. The people lived as if there was no wickedness in the land. They treated the evil as if it were in some far-off place. They relaxed on their ivory beds, drank the wine and lived in luxury. They failed to arise to challenge and change the situation.

This gives a vivid picture of many of God's servants, including pastors, today. They are at ease in Zion! They are lying around on "beds of ease" and live like millionaires. Even unbelievers hardly believe that they are "men of God." Their frivoluos lifestyle not only a bad testimony, but also an insult to the Chief Shepherd!

Admittedly, not many pastors are at ease in Zion. Not all Local Churches have turned worldly. Unfortunately too many relate to Amos' prophecy above. A pastor who is at ease in Zion should be reminded that he will have to give an account for flock that has been entrusted to his care. He will be held responsible for their lack of bearing lambs. It is his responsibility to feed the flock so that they will be fruit-bearing. It is his responsibility to tend to the lambs so they will come into full stature (Eph. 4:13). It is his responsibility to restore the lost and straying, to care for the weak and sickly. It is his responsibility to protect them from the wolf and the evil one. It is a fulltime job ordained by the Chief Shepherd.


If a pastor is truly called and anointed with the Spirit he will succeed. The flock will multiply, the sheep will know his voice and he will know them individually.

Primary ministry of a Pastor

Being a pastor in not a job, it is a "charge!" You are charged with caring, nurturing, building and expanding a Church that has been purchased by the precious blood of Christ. It has come forth at a great sacrifice. you must be stable and steadfast in preparing to touch every live in your area of charge. One of the members might say: "We have a stable pastor - so stable he won't move. He has been here for ten years. There has been no growth, rather the membership is declining." Yes, he is stable in character, in his home life, but of course we are not talking about that. We are talking about the areas of responsibility and accountability that come with the ministry.

A pastor's commitment to Christ

The level of a pastor's commitment to Christ need to tbe the same as Paul's commitment to Christ and also Timothy's commitment to Paul.

Paul's commitment to Christ

It was total - spirit and soul and body. There were no hidden rooms or areas in his life. he no longer lived for himself. Every area that may conflict with the purposes of Christ was crucified. Every ambition, passion, emotion or feeling was turned over to the Lord. He chose to allow Christ to reign and live through his entire being:

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20, NKJV).

Paul told Timothy: "For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day" (2 Tim. 1:12).

Paul recognized that his commitment was to a Divine person with a Divine commission. Paul counted the cost before he started. Similarly, a pastor should count the cost before he starts. He should know what his luggage will be for his journey. The Lord says to him: "Here's your cross, son, and we are going to your crucifixion!"

When Christ faced Jerusalem and crucifixion, well meaning people tried to dissuade Him, suggesting it was a waste of one's life and talent. But it was a joy for Him to die for my sins and your sins.

"... who (Jesus) for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).

A pastor's love for Christ, his commitment to Christ, must supersede all other loves and all other commitments.

Timothy's commitment to Paul

Paul expected Timothy to hold fast the words that he heard from Paul's lips:

Paul told Timothy: "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 1:13).

Similarly, a pastor is to hold fast the Word of God without compromise. That does not mean that he needs a period of training in a Bible College or a Seminary. There are many effective pastors who have not had the benefit (or drawback) of seminary training. You can find many Bible College graduates sitting in dying Local Churches. They have gone so deep in theology and come up so dry that their Church members just withered away. Why? There have not been any "rivers of living water" flowing from the pulpit. Pastors need to be filled with the Spirit and walk in the Spirit.

Commitment to a vision

To be successful in the work of the Lord the pastor must have a vision. The vision of the Lord must become the pastor's vision. The Lord's vision was to establish His Kingdom in a lost world. See how Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 13:34). See how He, moved with compassion, wept over the lost:

"But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd" (Matt. 9:36).

There are a lot of lost sheep without a shepherd out there. The Lord expects the pastor, who is called to be a shepherd, to weep over the lost also. Therefore, if a pastor who does not have a vision for his city and community ought to pray and get one. If he has a vision, what is he doing to implement it? A vision that is not in harmony with the Lord's vision is not His vision. The Lord never saw a group of stagnant believers with no growth, no progress, no influence and no activity. He saw them as salt that is applied in a rotten society. He saw them as light on a hill dispelling the darkness and revealing the way in which to go. A fruit treee that is not bearing fruit will not be allowed to cumber the ground.

Paul said, "... I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19).

Similarly, if the Lord does give a pastor a heavenly vision, let him be obedient and fulfill His Vision.

A pastor's personal walk

The pastor is called and appointed to represent Jesus Christ to His Church and community. His life and walk should be of the highest order. It should in every way reflect the walk of Jesus.

John said, "He sho says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:6).

Paul said, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:1 - 3).

It is true that the above requirement is for all believers and not only for pastors. But, the pastors as shepherds, must lead his sheep to walk as Jesus walked and to be good examples to them.

Comparison between the ministries of a pastor to that of a secular employee

For the pastor at ease

This comprison is meant for a pastor who is at ease in Zion. The boss of the pastor is Christ who does not see if rules are followed or not followed. And so some pastors take their days off for the children, days for the wife, days to be with guests, days for conventions and take long holidays abroad. They check in late and check out early, and usually don't put in a 40-hour week.

A secular employee has strict rules to follow according to the emplyment agreement. If he is not an excutive staff, he has to clock in and clock out. If hes does not put in a 8 to 10 hours day, his salary will be deducted. His annual leave is limited according to seniority. His emergency leave is considered no-pay leave. His sick leave is also limitted. And when he is sick he must not be seen on holidays. His boss does his job evaluation annually and his salary increment, bonus and promotion depend on the result.

For the successful pastor

He is a God-fearing pastor. He knows God sees his heart. God is watching him and his motives at all times. The successful pastor is on call 24 hours a day. His is in the office before the staff arrives. he is praying, planning, counseling, visiting the sick and homebound, studying and working all hours others know nothing about. He does not advertise his commitment. He expects no special mention or recognition for the same. He does not expect compliments, bonuses or even promotions. He is a love-slave and does it because he loves Christ and His Church!