Called to Preach

I've always heard preachers say, When I was called to preach... That seems to make them special, and is the ticket to a public forum. All the apostles were called to preach. Paul's very purpose in existing was to preach the gospel. Just as John was born to present the Christ, Paul was born to tell the world about Jesus. He said:

1 Corinthians 9:15 ...for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void. 16 ...woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

Here we have three points: (1) preaching is glorifying God,  (2) Paul was compelled to preach, and (3)  the preaching must be the gospel - to the glory of Jesus for He Is God.

Each of us are born with a purpose. (Proverbs 16:14). Jeremiah was much like Paul. He was ordained for a purpose:

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

What purpose did Jeremiah serve? He warned the Jewish people of impending doom unless they returned to God. He preached, they heard, and they failed to listen. When Paul preached the Jews rejected him too, but he turned to the Gentiles. Paul's purpose in life was to teach salvation to the Gentiles. I am a Christian because of Paul's preaching about Jesus. Paul's purpose was to spread the gospel, and hence, mega-millions have turned to Christ because of Paul's preaching.

Paul was called to preach. He knew his calling: he was struck blind. He was made blind so that he could see! In his blindness, truth was revealed to him. Paul changed. He turned from zealot counter to Jesus to zealot for Christ's sake. In order to teach others, Paul changed. He was Saul but in Jesus, he became Paul. It was much more than a change in name but his entire attitude.

God called all the apostles, event the traitor Judas. He had a purpose too, but it wasn't to preach. It was to be materialistic to the extent that he betrayed Jesus for thirty-pieces of silver. That may seem terrible of him, but how many people today still betray Jesus for gain? The answer is obvious. Most people are wannabe Christians but fame and fortune is too powerful. They are traitors, but their lives are still purpose-driven.

Back now to called to preach.  All Christians are called to preach! Why?

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light...

As peculiar people we are to be different. Peculiarity means change.  Just as Saul became Paul, we are to become righteous. Anyone who is of the holy nation, meaning the Church and part of Christ, are called to be royal priests, obviously to the King!

What is the vocation of priests?

Genesis 2:15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

It may be hard to detect, but Adam's purpose was to "dress and keep" the garden of God. How is that done? In the midst of the garden stood the Tree of Life. This Tree represents Jesus the Messiah. Adam, the first priest was to dress and keep that Tree. Let me add, it was to love and cherish it. He was created in the image of God, with mind, body and soul. How was he to love that tree?

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

It seems that God had a purpose for Adam - the same purpose he had for Saul!

Not only was Adam to tend to the Tree in the midst of the garden, but to tend to the whole garden. The whole garden were the other trees.  Does that sound familiar?

Matthew 22:39 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Adam was to love the other trees just as he loved himself. Of course the other trees were symbolically other people.

Hence, Adam was the first priest. He had two duties: love God with his entire existence, and to love others as much as himself. These are the two requirements for a Christian, and simultaneously, the two requirements to be a priest! Imagine being a priest without loving God or others. Imagine even being a Christian, and not loving?

Adam was not only a priest, but a royal priest. As God walked through the garden, Adam served him. Of course he sinned, but his sins were covered by the skin of the first animal which died for mankind. By grace Adam became the first Christian because he was saved by the blood which God provided. A priest must be a Christian. Christians change - dying as the old Adam and reborn as the new Adam. (Creature if you prefer that word.)

All the biblical patriarchs were called to preach. All the apostles and deacons were called to preach. More importantly, all Christians, as royal priests and new creatures, are called to preach. We are to dress and keep God and the people.

In the garden God created the trees. The Tree in the midst of the garden provided the seed. Since Jesus is the Tree of Life, which still stands by the way on the River of God, we the people are his seed; not born of his flesh but of his Spirit! God wants a large family. He wants more trees grown. As God's gardeners, God wills that we plant many, many trees. That's our job as his royal priests! We are all called to preach, and as such the Great Commission is for everyone - all us as preachers:

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:..

Go out there to the other trees; dress and keep them. Tend to God's garden. Grow the seed! Jesus ordained the apostles to do this, but as royal priests, we are as well!

Ordination is God arranging in an orderly manner.  The Great Commission arranges that we're to go and teach all peoples, and what is it that those so ordained are to do: baptize and teach. That is the orderly manner, but teaching is to be of God - "to observe all things which Christ commanded".  Not just so-called preachers are to do that, but all who follow Christ.

Matthew 22:14 says that many will be called but few will be chosen. That's not because it's not our job, but because most will not accept their job assignment, remembering what all our vocations are: to dress and keep God's garden. God's desire is not that their be few, but many. All of us disciples must pick up our crosses and follow him. (Matthew 16:24). What does bearing the cross entail?  "Ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." (1 Peter 2:9).

Moses was called by God. He was ordained to speak for Him.

Exodus 4:10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 11  And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

God left out the part about Moses needing to go to seminary or bible college, let alone being ordained by Aaron the Priest. God does the ordaining. Men only pretend to! Right now, being part of the royal priesthood, God has ordained you to preach because you are his disciple. You don't need a denomination to sponsor or a preacher to ordain you since God already has! They may not want to share their pulpit for various reasons, but anywhere and everywhere is the pulpit. Those who would censure God's word would censor truth. Perhaps it's part jealousy and partly to prevent schizmaticism but the pulpit belongs to all who are his disciples. I suppose that the denomination is the church arranging in an orderly manner, rather than God doing so.

 Let me take this moment to recommend Pastor Gary Mitchell's Enter the Kingdom eBook on Amazon. 



Enter the Kingdom