Quote - John Newton

"Their [legalists'] experience seems to lead them to talk of themselves, of the change that is wrought in them, and the much that depends upon their own watchfulness and striving.  We likewise would be thankful if we could perceive a change wrought in us by the power of grace; we desire to be found watching.  But whenever our hopes are most alive, it is less from a view of imperfect beginnings of grace in our hearts than from an apprehension of him who is our all in all.  His person, his love, his sufferings, his intercession, compassion, fulness and faithfulness - these are our delightful themes, which leave us little leisure, when in our best frames, to speak of ourselves." - John Newton

Quote - John Newton

"Satan labours to drive unstable souls from one extreme to another, and has too often succeeded.  Wearied with vain endeavors to keep the law, that they might obtain life by it [legalism], and afterwards taking up with a notion of the Gospel devoid of power [antinomianism], they have at length despised that obedience that is the honour of the Christian, and essentially belongs to his character, and have abused the grace of God to licentiousness.  But we have not so learned Christ." John Newton

God's Call - Pastoral Wisdom on the Ministry Call

John Bisagno – Letters to Timothy - Read Charles Spurgeon’s “How to Know the Call of the Ministry” in Lectures to My Students…summarizes the five main points that influenced him


1. Desire – “There was a time when I was passionate about the music ministry, but simultaneously that passion began to fade and a new passion to preach begins to grow. I wanted it more than anything else, and I knew it to be the call of God. He will put the desire in the sincere heart to do what he wants done…if you can do anything else but preach, by all means, don’t preach. But if the passion burns, then you must preach. If it is your all-consuming, magnificent obsession, then do it.” (34-35)
2. Ability – “This is not to say you will be the greatest orator….God gives us some natural abilities and gifts to do what he wants us to do…If you have the ability to organize your thoughts and express them, let alone some special skills in communication, and this is reinforced with a passion to sue them, then the call of God is indicated.” (35)
3. Opportunity – “Where God leaves us to serve and gifts us to serve, he provides opportunity to serve. Open and closed doors are important in reading the hand of God in our lives…God will open the door for you to do what he wants you to do. A closed door is usually an indication of wrong timing or a detour.” (35)
4. Blessing – “There should be some degree of visible affirmation of your ministry as you pursue it.” (35-36)
5. The Opinion of Others – “Discuss your decision with those in whom you have great spiritual confidence. Ask their advice; seek their counsel. Let them hear your heart, and listen to them.” (36)

“Find God’s tailor-made will for you and do it…Don’t be deterred. If God has called you, God will use you…don’t drift from your call. Better to be on a side street in Calcutta in the will of God than in the White House in Washington, D.C., out of his will. If you’re called to be a servant of the king, don’t stoop to be president. The body of Christ has many parts and many different kinds of folks, and the toes are just as important as the hands.” (38)

Curtis C. Thomas – Practical Wisdom for Pastors: Words of encouragement and counsel for a lifetime of ministry (21)
1. “Does the man reach out for the work?”
2. “Is he qualified biblically?”
3. “Does he possess the gifts necessary to fulfill the functions?”
4. “Do the elders and the church think he is gifted and morally qualified?”
5. “Are his life and doctrine sound?”
6. “Will he live as an example before the flock?”

Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, “The Call to Ministry”
1. “an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work…this desire must be a thoughtful one…the desire I have spoken of must be thoroughly disinterested…[no] other motive than the glory of God and the good of souls…[a desire] that continues with us, a passion which bears the test of trial” (27-28)
2. “aptness to teach and some measure of the other qualities needful for the office of a public instructor…mere ability to edify, and aptness to teach, is not enough; there must be other talents to complete the pastoral character. Sound judgment and solid experience must instruct you; gentle manners and loving affections must sway you; firmness and courage must be manifest; and tenderness and sympathy must not be lacking…Gifts administrative in ruling well…be fitted to lead, prepared to endure, and able to perservere…read carefully the qualifications of a bishop, given in 1 Tim. iii. 2-7 and in Titus i. 6-9” (28-31)
3. “must see a measure of conversion-work going on under his efforts…if the Lord gives you no zeal for souls…avoid the pulpit as your heart’s peace and your future salvation” (31-32)
4. “your preaching should be acceptable to the people of God…none of you can be pastors without the loving consent of the flock…the sheep will know the God-sent shepherd” (32-33)

John Newton’s letter to a friend on the call to ministry:
1. “A warm and earnest desire to be employed in this service…[not] from a selfish principle…[but] from the Spirit of God”
2. “some competent sufficiency as to gifts, knowledge, and utterance”
3. “a gradual train of circumstances pointing out the means, the time, the place, of actually entering upon the work”

God's Call - Specific Ministry Calls in the Bible

When we think about one's 'call' in Christian ministry, it is important to evaluate it in light of Scripture.  Here are some examples and general truths that might be helpful in considering God's Ministry Call.


Satan – Beware the False Call of Satan
o Adam & Eve – “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" Genesis 3:1
o False Prophets - “Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:32
o False Teachers – “they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3b,4
o Anti-Christ – “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.” 1 John 2:22

Abraham – Step Away from the Familiar when Called
o “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12:1

Moses – Don’t Make Excuses when God Calls
o “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” Exodus 4:12

Aaron – Don’t Call Yourself
o “No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was” Hebrews 5:4

Isaiah – Be Willing to Answer God’s Call without Qualifications
o “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8

Jonah – Don’t Run Away from God’s Call
o “But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish” Jonah 1:3

Jeremiah – Go to Whomever and Speak Whatever God Calls You To Do
o “I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations….Do not say, 'I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD…Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.’" Jeremiah 1:5-9

Ezekiel – Follow even when God’s Call is Difficult
o “he said to me, ‘Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me” Ezekiel 2:3

Disciples Chosen – God’s Call Means He Chose You & Appointed You to Bear Fruit
o “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” John 15:16

Sending of the Twelve – Answer God’s Dangerous Call
o “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town… I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:14, 16

Peter – Do Not Doubt God’s Call
o “’Lord, if it's you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ’Come,’ he said… Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’“ Matthew 14:28,29a,31

Jesus to the Cross – God’s Call is for God’s Will
o “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” Luke 22:42
o “offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” – Romans 12:1-2

Disciples Sent – God’s Call involves Great Power and Distance
o “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” Acts 1:8

Christ’s Ambassadors – God’s Call is for Us to be Messengers
o “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

Paul & Barnabas – Be Willing to Part Godly Company in Order to Follow God’s Will
o “They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.” Acts 15:39,40

Paul – God’s Call Often Involves Unplanned Situations and Unfinished Work
o “23But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain.” Romans 15:23,24a

Elder/Shepherd/Pastor/Overseer/Bishop – God’s Call has Standards
o “2Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.” 1 Timothy 3:2-7 (also Titus 1:6-9)

Christian Leadership Quotes

"The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve." - John Stott

"The Church is the one institution that exists for those outside it." - William Tyndale

"Truth demands confrontation; loving confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless." -Francis Schaeffer

"It is a contradiction to be a true Christian and not humble." - Richard Baxter

"I believe that in the end the truth will conquer." - John Wycliffe

"The true man of God is heartsick, grieved at the worldliness of the Church...grieved at the toleration of sin in the Church, grieved at the prayerlessness in the Church. He is disturbed that the corporate prayer of the Church no longer pulls down the strongholds of the devil." -Leonard Ravenhill

"Oh, young man, character is worth more than money, character is worth more than anything else in this wide world." - D.L. Moody

"Let us never put confidence in man, or in any sanctity of position, office, or dress. If apostleship did not make Judas a saint, neither will position, office, nor dress make thee a saint." -Johann Ferus

"Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame, if I cannot write better sermons now than I did seven years ago." - John Wesley

"If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth..." - C.S. Lewis

"Character is not made in a crisis, it is only exhibited." - Robert Freeman

"A bad man is worse when he pretends to be a saint." - Francis Bacon

"Whatever subject I preach, I do not stop until I reach the Savior, the Lord Jesus, for in Him are all things." - Charles Spurgeon

"With their doctrine they build, and with their lives they destroy." - Augustine

"If you plan to build a tall house of virtues, you must first lay deep foundations of humility." -Augustine

"We are building many splendid churches in this country, but we are not providing leaders to run them. I would rather have a wooden church with a splendid parson than a splendid church with a wooden parson" - Samuel Smith Drury

"What a man says and what a man is must stand together." -Maltbie Davenport Babcock

"The highest and most profitable lesson is the true knowledge and lowly esteem of ourselves." Thomas A' Kempis

"Men show their character in nothing more clearly than by what they think laughable." -Johann Wolfgang Goethe

"Truth in humble dress meets with few admirers."  -Edward Stillingfleet

"As a matter of honor, one man owes it to another to manifest the truth." -Thomas Aquinas

"Character is always lost when a high ideal is sacrificied on the altar of conformity and popularity." - Charles Spurgeon

"Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults." -John Calvin

 "I spent twenty years of my life trying to recruit people out of local churches and into missions structures so that they could be involved in fulfilling God's global mission. Now I have another idea. Let's take God's global mission and put it right in the middle of the local church!"  - George Miley

"Hypocrisy desires to seem good rather than to be so; honesty desires to be good rather than seem so." -Athur Warwick

"the pulpit is never to be the ladder by which ambition is to climb" - Charles Spurgeon

http://www.christianquotes.org/

Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips #8 - Information vs. Application

Bible Fellowship ( Sunday School ) Teacher Tips # 8 - Information vs. Application from Jonathan Carl on Vimeo.
James 1:22-25 " 22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

Quote - Athanasius

"The Bible is a book wholly inspired by God from beginning to end."  - Athanasius, 367 A.D.

"God's Open Call" - Ministry and Pastoral Calling

I love Kevin Smith's sermon on "God's Open Call" at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  This is a tough, cutting, biblical explanation of a minister's call.  It is helpful for anyone in or considering entering into ministry.

Quote - Martin Luther

“You should not believe your conscience and your feelings more than the word which the Lord who receives sinners preaches to you.” - Martin Luther

HT: Dr. Al Mohler

President G.W. Bush addresses Church Workers

A great short video from President G.W. Bush to encourage service within the church....

Also from President G.W.:

• a video on Small Groups
• a video on Children's Workers

HT: Darryl Wilson

Quote - Bruce Demarest

"It is significant that Jesus spoke more about the sorrows of hell than of the joys of heaven."
Bruce Demarest - The Cross and Salvation p. 30

Quote - Ronald Reagan

"I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born."
Ronald Reagan, quoted in New York Times, September 22, 1980

HT: Angie Carl

Humility

Embeded below and linked HERE is a great video interview by James MacDonald of C.J. Mahaney titled "Grace Through the Humble to the Humble" (available through The Gospel Coalition).

Cohabitation Statistics - The Consequences

In "Together Too Soon" in World Magazine, author Mike McManus presents some saddening statistics concerning the growing trend of cohabitation.

• "The average cohabitation last 18 months"
• "Only 30% [of cohabitations] 'transitioned into marriage'"
• "the 70% of couples who separate after living together experience a 'premarital divorce,' which can be as painful as a real divorce"
• "Marriages that are preceded by living together have 50% higher disruption rates than marriages without premarital cohabitation"
• "those who cohabited even only for one month displayed poorer communication and problem solving skills than those who had not lived together first"
• "the majority of non-marital births (52%) occurred within cohabiting unions...13 million single-parent families cost taxpayers $20,000 per family in 2004, a total of $260 billion.  Half of that total comes from unwed births to cohabiting moms"

Hebrews 13:4 "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous."

The Gospel Coalition - Interview with Francis Chan

What's Next for Francis Chan? A Conversation with Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris from Ben Peays on Vimeo.
The Gospel Coalition Council members Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris ask Francis Chan why he stepped down as senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, and what he plans to do next.

Quote - Edward Griffin

"For your own sake, and your children's sake, cherish and revere him whom you have chosen to be your pastor. Already he loves you; and he will soon love you as ‘bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh.' It will be equally your duty and your interest to make his labors as pleasant to him as possible. Do not demand too much. Do not require visits too frequent. Should he spend, in this way, half of the time which some demand, he must wholly neglect his studies, if not sink early under the burden. Do not report to him all the unkind things which may be said against him; nor frequently, in his presence, allude to opposition, if opposition should arise. Though he is a minister of Christ, consider that he has the feelings of a man."
Edward Griffin, "A Tearful Farewell from a Faithful Pastor," 1809
HT: Jamie Dunlop at 9 Marks Ministries

Quote - Seeking God

"Many who plan to seek God at the eleventh hour die at 10:30." Author Unknown

Missions Statistic

"Out of the global increase of 77,000 affiliated Christians every day, 70,000 (or 91%) can be found in Africa, Asia, or Latin America." --David Barrett, "Missiometrics 2008"

HT: Dr. George Martin, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Quote - Dr. Chuck Lawless

"More than 80 percent of the churches on this continent are plateaued or declining.  Despite having more than 350,000 churches, the United States is now one of the top four lost nations in the world" - Dr. Chuck Lawless in "Becoming a Great Commission Church"