Study – Grow – Know

What God Wants

August 29, 2022 at 10:27 AM 6 comments

It seems clear enough from Scripture that God has a “want” list. Many things are clearly delineating in Scripture that have to do with God’s moral law. While the Christian is not specifically under the Mosaic Law, Christians are to be obedient to God’s revealed will as it pertains to living. For instance, Jesus stated we should love others as we are loved by God (John 13:34). In the same vein, we should do unto others as we would have people do unto us (Matthew 7:12).

Jesus also commanded us to love God with all our heart, mind and soul (Matthew 22:37). However, too often we relegate this love to the realm of feelings. Loving others, in reality, is seen in the living; what we say, what we think and what we do. If we are unwilling to help our brothers and sisters in their time of need or if we think judgmentally of them, maybe we aren’t as loving as we think we are and that needs to change.

God wants us to live – think, speak and act – morally, in line with His laws as we walk through this life. But there is another part of what God wants for us that is a bit more difficult to achieve at times. That is, God has a specific will for each believer that may not be the same for other believers. For instance, in some cases, God gifts a believer with the ability to preach or to teach. In other cases, a person may be gifted with the gift of pastoral care or hospitality. Paul lists a variety of gifts/callings in his letter to the Ephesian church (Ephesians 4:11-16). In verse 11, Paul lists five areas of service: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and/or teachers. This is by no means, a comprehensive list of gifts, abilities or service areas. Paul was listing the most well known. Notice too that Paul says people are gifted with these areas of service to perfect the saints, for the work of ministry and for edification (v 12).

Both apostles and prophets are long since come and gone. Prophets were notable in the Old Testament and to some extent, the New Testament period as well. Once the Church came into being (Acts 2), apostles became part of the foundation of that new Body. In the building up of believers, these apostles were very necessary and without them, we would not have the New Testament today.

Once the last apostle died out, there were no more apostles. However, God continued and continues to this day raising up people for ministry; evangelists, pastors and teachers for the purpose of edifying believers within the Church.

I guess we can categorize God’s will for us as two basic areas: His moral will that all Christians are supposed to be obedient to, and His specific will for each believer, which may look somewhat different for each person. Obviously, not all believers are called to specifically be evangelists, pastors or teachers. However, it is clear from Matthew 28, that all believers are to spread the truth of the Gospel in our daily lives, though with some individuals, God specifically places a call on their life to enter into full-time evangelism ministry.

What about pastoring or becoming a teaching pastor? Frankly, I’ll admit that I have been dealing with this question for myself for decades. Years ago, senior pastors told me they believed God was calling me into ministry, the pastorate. It was interesting though that try as I might, it was simply not a good fit for me. That might be due to several things like timing. Maybe I was too young? Maybe I didn’t have enough life experience under my belt. I’m speaking only for myself as I know others who received a call to the pastorate at young ages and entered into that field and in fact, are still there.

Admittedly, there are any number of reasons why someone would want to enter the pastorate. Some do so out of selfish ambition; because they enjoy speaking before large groups. Still others do it because of the perceived “perks” of ministry. However, God doesn’t want people to go into the pastorate for any of those reasons. He calls men into the pastorate because He wants to work and speak through those individuals. The Bible is filled with examples of religious leaders who were in it for their own gain.

So for years, it seems that I have been dodging the question, though in reality, it comes to the forefront of my mind often. I’ve never been mentored for the pastorate and this is a strong indication that maybe God doesn’t want me there. If so, surely He would have had someone come alongside me for that purpose of helping me understand the ins and outs of pastoral ministry and care? Since this never happened, maybe He wasn’t calling me there.

But though I’ve tried diligently to put it off and deal with the issue once and for all, I find I am always coming back to it, which tells me I have not dealt with it with finality. It seems utterly ridiculous that after all these years, I am still baffled by the question as to whether or not God wants me in the pastorate. Part of me shudders because of the tremendous responsibility associated with the pastorate. Part of me recognizes that God has given me gifts of teaching that can easily be transformed into actual preaching. In the end, I’m still a bit confused and see this whole issue as something that has never been settled. That’s a bit frustrating because I tend to think either I’ve been continually rejecting what must be God’s will or I keep thinking about the possibilities of the pastorate while making no inroads into that area.

I’m really not sure how to “let it go” and allow God to speak or move me. In fact, I’ve heard myself say a number of times over the past few years, “I could never be a pastor,” but not really knowing what being a pastor fully involves, it’s probably much larger in my own mind. On other occasions, I’ve heard myself tell God that I am absolutely willing to go into the pastorate if that’s what He wants. Certainly, if God called me into that area, then it would be palatable. It would be rewarding and it would give Him glory. It’s all about Him, isn’t it?

So, I continue to struggle with this question that has dogged me for years. Does God want me to move in that direction or close the door completely? I honestly have no clue but I’m really not certain why I continue to deal with it as though it’s a new question every few months. The fact that the question comes back to me with regularity causes me to think there is something more that God wants me to look into. I really have no idea and sometimes, it is very difficult for us to determine God’s will in certain matters, isn’t it? We know we cannot go by feeling. We also know God opens and shuts doors as He chooses as a means of directing our steps.

So have my constant questions been things that have kept the subject in front of me until God’s timing is here? Or, are the constant questions things that have risen inside me because of my own wants that have nothing to do with God’s will? I honestly do not know so I share this information with you in order that you would join me in prayer regarding this issue.

It is really interesting how I can look back over my life and see specific areas of God’s revealed will coming to fruition in my life. In many of those areas, questions were brought before God in prayer and He worked. He opened doors and we walked through. In some cases, it almost felt like we were “pushed” through doors. That’s how unmistakable God’s answers and direction was because we were literally carried along, as though on a surf board riding the waves. Our job at that point was to hang on tightly and simply not to fall off.

With this particular issue of pastorate or even pulpit supply, it’s been a long, unending quest to determine His will and up until now, even though I’ve preached here and there, the door has never really opened fully allowing me to embrace that. Maybe I haven’t wanted to do so. Maybe the timing hasn’t been there. A lot of maybes are connected to this whole area. I’m not getting younger, so it appears that God needs to clarify things for me. Maybe part of that is up to me.

One thing I know. I want to be sure that, one way or another, His will and only His will is accomplished. The last thing I want to hear the day I stand before Him is that I failed to walk through a door that He had held open for me. What a huge disappointment to me that would be.

So, will you remember my dilemma in prayer please? I’m very certain God will answer one way or another with finality; something that I’ve not yet had. Am I missing open doors into broader ministry opportunities? Am I not suppose to push in that direction? I do understand that it’s not about me. It’s all about Him. I have nothing to say but He has everything to say.

Above all things, I would like to be found faithful to Him, whatever His direction happens to be and I am sometimes a bit thick. I need direction that is very obvious. Please join me in prayer?

Entry filed under: christianity, Cultural Marxism, Emotional virtue, eternity, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, salvation.