Post 52—Calling, or Just a Job? And the Gentle Shepherd

Hey Dana

            I hope the harvest is proceeding without any glitches.

            Sometime ago, I changed the screen saver/background, on my computer. I “love” the water and sailing. Much of my life has been spent in pursuit of both. Many of my fondest memories deal with them. So, for a long time, when my computer would open up, there was a beautiful, graceful, sloop under sail beating to windward. I used to almost feel the motion of the deck beneath me and almost feel the wind rushing past my face and hear the waves sliding down the length of the hull. But then, for some reason I felt to change it. I was looking through various themes and I found a painting. It is of the Good Shepherd. He is smiling and turning His head to the side. He’s looking at the little, black lamb He is carrying on His shoulders.

 

    “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” John 10:10

 

 Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. ² Both the Pharisees and the scribes (These are what we would call church leaders today.) began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

³ So He told them this parable, saying, ⁴ “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ Luke 15:1-6 (NASB)

 

            I’ve been thinking about The Atlantic article you sent not too long ago. I know doing a blog on it wasn’t your purpose, but I’m thinking we should.  (The article seems to be legitimate.) https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/hillary-clinton-devotionals/535941/

The article is titled “Hillary Wants to Preach, Religion is playing a big role in Clinton’s post-election tour. What does she have to gain from sharing her faith now?”

            I remember at least one conversation (although I think there were several, but as time has passed so has a bit of my memory) with an old friend of ours, who retired a captain from the Navy. He was a chaplain who had multiple duty assignments, including combat with Marines in Iraqi. One of his frustrations was men and women who took the job of chaplain as an occupation, not a calling. He felt it was just a job for many of the chaplains. Could they hold a service, or give communion? Yes. Could they meet with people and give psychological counseling? Yes. Could they help people with this world’s problems? Often yes. But were they born again and called of God? Many unfortunately, no.  Am I born again? Yes. But am I called to pastor and shepherd in that capacity? Absolutely not. (Called to teach, yes. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=eph++4%3A10-13&version=NASB )  How many times did we hear in chapel at Bible school  Jer 20:9 (NIV)

 

But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

 

            I’m reading in Ezekiel.  While several passages come to mind about the severity of the high calling to preach/shepherd, I’m first thinking of Ezk 34:2-10.

 

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds [d]feed the flock? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without [e]feeding the flock. 4 Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. 5 They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. 6 My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill;  My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.”’”

7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”

 

            You might be wondering why I even chose to get anywhere close to such a loaded topic as this. Seven immediate examples come to mind. Unfortunately, because all the examples deal with real life situations where people are still living, and still periodically living out the horrors inflicted on them by the church, I can’t be specific. I really wish I could. For those who haven’t faced such trauma, they probably wouldn’t believe it. And for those who have gone through similar situations, it is all too real to them.  And when I say church, I mean the leadership in a church.

            So our readers won’t think I have an ax to grind, if any of them have not read, or have not recently read the books of Jeremiah or Ezekiel (just for starters) I suggest reading them to see how often the children of Israel were led astray by the leadership, whether church or elders.

            Some time ago, I read the book Church is a Team Sport, written by Jim Putman, a former wrestler and coach, who was then called by God to be a church leader, a shepherd. While listening to and looking to God and then doing, his church grew from nothing to many thousands. On page 99 he writes, “We see God judging the shepherds (referring to Ezekiel 34 above) because they failed to fulfill their responsibility—they had not fed the sheep....” He continues on page 102, “Most of us think this means writing better sermons, but you have heard the true statement that ‘people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’”

            While Putman didn’t say it, it appears to me that he might be referring to pastoral leadership as a job and not a calling when he writes, “Many pastors teach but are not around when the sheep need help.” He continues this idea when further down on page 100 he writes, “I know a pastor can only do so much but we have an obligation to guide our people toward Jesus when they are in trouble. We do not do it because we are paid. We do it because we can’t do anything else.”

            Putman finally closes this thought with, “Sometimes, shepherding means getting dirty. People’s lives are messy and it takes time for the Lord to clean them up. Too often our lives are so busy that the only people we can see ourselves working with are those who won’t take much time.” He then asks church leaders to ask themselves this tough question, “How do I change my life so I can do what the Lord requires of me as a leader?”

            This is why I’m constantly thankful that God did not call me to be a pastor. The obligations and responsibilities they face are overloading, and can’t be carried without His help. That’s why pastoring/shepherding is a calling and not a job.           

            Lest someone think only the Old Testament warns the shepherds to keep a faithful watch, what did Jesus say in Matthew 23:1-39? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matt+23%3A1-39&version=NASB  There are eight woes spoken as warnings to the church leaders of His day. Jesus was not a happy camper when He was giving these warnings. Except for the fact that in those He calls He puts a fire in their bones (see Jer 20:9 above), I sometimes wonder why anyone would want to be a pastor. We need to pray for our church leadership because as men or women, they too can be overwhelmed by the cares of this world...and stray. And if they stray, they can take us with them.

            This is why the Hillary Clinton article is so troubling.  Ministry is more than just a job, especially when in a person’s life there is a track record of questionable actions http://www.npr.org/2016/06/12/481718785/clinton-scandals-a-guide-from-whitewater-to-the-clinton-foundation  and no apparent confession of sin, or repentance. It is not just Clinton, but an attitude that permeates much of the Church today. Perhaps this is why the Church is losing its relevancy and having all the troubles it is?

John

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Dana replied on Thu. Aug 17, 2017 at 4:18 PM

Hi John,

     The article on Hillary Clinton wanting to become a “preacher” within a recognized Christian denomination is something that almost made me choke and my coffee come out of my nose as I read it.  You mentioned perhaps a blog on people going into the ministry who are not “called.”

      No doubt there are people who enter ministry (pastoral or preaching primarily) because it is a good field in which to be.  When I was a much younger man, there were many ministers who had to take secular jobs in order to support their ministries, as their churches could not afford full time salaries.  By the time I was in Bible College in the late 70’s being in the ministry was rated among the top five professional salaried and benefitted positions in the US.

      For a person entering the ministry for job security, little to no manual labor, and a respectable pay check just made good business or economic sense.  Also, I’m sure, there are some who enter the ministry out of a sincere desire to help people in a sociological or psychological sense, or to try to fight against poverty, ignorance, or social injustice.  Those motivations are certainly nobler than strictly mercenary ones, but both require no particular belief in God or dedication to His service.

      Ministers in the above categories may do some worldly good to those with whom they come in contact, but tend to water down the rest of Christian Evangelicalism by promoting a type of Christianity not related to the Biblical Gospel. This phenomenon contributes to some of our concerns about the Church’s relevance today.  The social gospel is more readily acceptable because it meets basic human physical needs, and doesn’t threaten or offend the unbeliever by declaring that faith in Christ alone is what is required for salvation.  I’m not discounting keeping a starving person alive, but people can and do go to hell on a full stomach every day.

      Another phenomenon I remember encountering while in Bible College was that of the young person from a Christian background who was being pushed into ministry because “Dad” was in the ministry.  Normally this person really wasn’t interested in the things of God beyond a cursory level, but their future had been mapped out for them.  “Call” by proxy.

     What about the real deal—the one truly serious about God’s work?  In a previous post or two I have said this before, but I do not think that one is “called” to preach, or “called” to the mission field, or youth ministry, or any number of other legitimate Christian ministries.  Rather, I think the true “call” is to God Himself; how that manifests and plays out is up to Him. 

     That is not to say that God will not reveal His will to an individual, so they can prepare adequately. To the degree one acknowledges the sovereign God as Lord, then it is up to God to direct their lives, which includes the freedom to change their life direction if He so chooses. 

     I’ve run into people who professed being “called” to a particular ministry, and it was almost like they had joined a union.  They were neither to be asked, nor expected to do anything outside of their “call.”  I’m guessing that one(s) is certainly not called to be flexible.  Whose call is it anyway?  Call me old fashioned, but I always thought it was God’s call, not my call or anybody else’s call.  My job is just to respond.

Dana

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On Aug 22, 2017 at 9 AM John continued    

Dana

            Revealed will. Burdened to follow. Call. Responding to God’s direction or leading. Call it what you will (although after all these years I still think “call” is the best description) God does set, empower, direct individuals into the pastoral/ministerial leadership.

            I do agree with you that many are in the ministry due to outside pressures (family, for example), rather than responding to God’s call.

            Woe to those who for any other reason take it on, or put on the mantel (see Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings 2:8-15) of this call if it is not God’s leading. And woe to those church leaders who fail to walk in the steps of the Good Shepherd.

John

            PS  I was talking to Carol about this. She reminded me that one other very important piece of the “call” pie is marrying the right person. This comes from her background as a “PK”, or preacher’s kid. She understands the importance of the pastor’s help meet—while the choice of a mate is critical for any Christian, I am going to go out on a limb on this one—I can think of myself as an example of this.

            When I was in Bible school (which for any young man or young woman is a veritable smorgasbord of possible mates), there was one woman I was especially enamored with for a period of time.  She loved God and she had taken a number of overseas spiritual journeys. But in time it became evident that we wouldn’t be the best fit (God’s choice) for each other. Rather than push the Spirit’s leading aside and pursue our own agenda toward each other, we parted as friends and are still friends to this day.

            That woman married a man who was called to missions and now, over 30 years later, they still happily serve God, each other, and others in a distant foreign land. If, instead, we had pushed our relationship and married, how miserable would we have been? Me wanting no part of living overseas. Her not being overseas and ministering to those in the country God had for her.

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Dana replied Sat, Aug 26, 2017 at 1:38 PM

Hi John,

     It is not my intention to get into a partisan rant, but I must say that with all politics aside, that personally and as a Christian I am offended as well as outraged at the idea of Hillary Clinton entering the “ministry.” 

     That said, I do believe that people can change.  We are all born sinners and we all equally come into this world guilty…and from there we generally get worse.  The transforming power of Christ’s death and resurrection applied to the life of one truly repentant can be remarkable in the changes it produces.  If Mrs. Clinton truly accepts Christ as Lord and savior, and repents of her sins, then I would not forbid her telling others about it, or preaching in general. 

     However, with the litany of charges which have been leveled or alleged against her, and much of her observed public conduct, I would hope there would be intense scrutiny of said conduct by any licensing ministerial board before allowing her to mount the pulpit.  One might teach a parrot to preach, but that doesn’t mean said bird is by any means a Christian.

     The pop-culture Christian entertainment machine has been guilty of promoting fad preachers for several decades, with their only criteria for ministry being whether or not it sells.  We who are true believers, while in no position to judge another’s heart, conversion, or repentance, at the same time have been given a measure of discernment, and that bolstered with good Scriptural teaching, need to support the genuine, but also identify and reject the charlatan.

     If Mrs. Clinton is genuine in her faith, she should publically demonstrate that, by the denouncement of many of her previous acts and words, as well as living a life commensurate with Christian teachings and principles.  In other words, she should “walk the walk” before “talking the talk.”  Even the Apostle Paul didn’t go to preaching the day after Saul of Tarsus got knocked off his horse.

Dana

     PS As to your opening comment about the harvest.  Grapes. Grapes. Grapes.