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Am I called to be a preacher then?

 Submitted: 1/30/2009
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Question: I love to teach and to preach. I have the Holy Spirit and the ability to both preach and teach and have been given the opportunity by my elders to do so. As to experience, I am not sure that I am that experienced at the present time although that will come with time. And where godly charachter is concerned, I have my difficiencies but am earnestly working on them through prayer and fasting daily. With all this in mind, would it be safe for me to say that God has called to be preacher/teacher or even an evangelist? One of my elders even suggests that God called me to be an elder. Could what is said above prove this to be true? I really want to make my calling and election sure. I want to do what Jesus called me to do.
Answer: You are mixing up two different issues. The first concerns your gifting and ministry. All ministry in the kindgom of God is based on gifting. For example, 1 Peter 4:11 says, 'If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.' As we have said, you must determine your gifts and put them together with experience, godly character, and opportunity. When the gifts and character are well-established, God will make the opportunity. But this has nothing to do with making your calling and election sure.

2 Peter 1:10 says, 'Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.' What is Peter talking about here? What must we do to make our calling and election sure and to be certain that we never stumble? We must 'giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love' (2 Peter 1:5-7). This has more to do with developing godly character than getting involved in some sort of ministry. Many believers seem to esteem ministry over character. They believe it is more importnat what they do than what they are. But this is not the way God sees it. He is far more concerned about what kind of person you are than how great a preacher you are. So we suggest keeping your primary focus on character development. As you do that, God will open doors for your ministry to operate, whatever it may be.



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