Should a Pastor be Called of God?

[prophet]

Lord, it sho' is hot today.

Lord, 'dis cotton row sho' is long.

Lord, 'dis sack sho' is gettin' heavy.

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...Praise 'da Lord I've been called to preach!!!

Xactly.....

 

[prophet]

Pastor is a gift..., bishop is an office.
Neither is a calling.

Church leadership is not a call.

God appointed the Apostles.
The Churches appoint Bishops and Deacons.

There would be no need of Timothy or Titus' qualifications list, if 'Bishop' was a calling, because Rom. 11:29 would make him a permanent fixture.

 

[John of Japan]

Well, I know God called me to preach because I really didn't want to do it, but the Holy Spirit convicted me of rebelling against the will of God, after I surrendered the Spirit really changed my heart and now preaching thrills my soul more than anything in this world.

A lot of it has to do with the conviction of the Holy Ghost.

Of course this isn't the same as a Pastorate, but I imagine when God calls me to a position it will be the same way.

The Holy Spirit conviction and our conscience are sufficient guides, provided we are completely yielded to whatever he has for us.

Anyone who has experienced God's call has no doubt about it. I have distinct calls to be a preacher in general, then a missionary in particular. Part of being a missionary is to plant churches, therefore be a pastor, so to me the call to be a pastor was part and parcel of my missionary call.

I can't imagine pastoring without deep inner certainty that it is God's will, whether one calls that a call or not. The other day I was sharing with another missionary some of my bad experiences as a pastor, and he said, "We all have similar stories." True, the joys are great, but the sorrows are there too, and anyone who pastors without a call, in those bad times does not have the fact of a call to reassure him that he's in the right place and God is with him.

 

[John of Japan]

No. It is not a call. It is an office. If one desires the work, and meets the qualifications, he may fill that office. If he misbehaves, then he may no longer fill that office.

Simply because one "desires the work" of a pastor doesn't mean there is no call. Isaiah clearly wanted to be a prophet and volunteered to be one (Is. 6:8, of course). But who would dare to say that great prophet who wrote so much about Christ wasn't called to be a prophet? Simply because one has the desire in his heart to be a pastor doesn't mean that God is not calling him. Such a desire is no doubt given by God as part of the call.

 

[HAMel]

.... some may say that accent is a little racist???

rd2, I'm not a racist. Just consider Mario... He's an Italian plumber, made by Japanese people, who speaks English, looks like a Mexican, jumps like a black man, and grabs coins like a Jew!

 

[prophet]

.... some may say that accent is a little racist???

rd2, I'm not a racist. Just consider Mario... He's an Italian plumber, made by Japanese people, who speaks English, looks like a Mexican, jumps like a black man, and grabs coins like a Jew!

That's why he is "Super Mario"