The Call of the Conduit

Notwithstanding the sad state of the pastoral ministry, both here in the Philippines and abroad, the call to preach and teach the oracles of God has never lost its gravity and importance. God, in His gracious condescension, has seen it fit to course His faith-building blessings through jars of clay, and the determination of whether one is among those chosen to be conduits of His speech must be taken very seriously.

On a subjective, personal level, determination can be commenced by asking oneself, "Do I love to study the Word of God?" "Do I endeavor to obey the Word of God?" "Do I have a desire to teach the Word of God to others?" This is in keeping with what the priest Ezra was described as being and doing, "For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel" (Ezra 7:10).

On a more objective note, the estimation of the elders of the church play the most important role in this determination. The exercise of one's gifts in the church context gives the elders the data that they would need in ascertaining (with prayerful consideration) whether the love of God's Word, the life of God's Word, and the teaching of God's Word are apparent in the individual. This process of submitting to the authority of the Church simply recognizes the Christ-representative function of the eldership and the Lord's able use of ordinary means.

Dr. Dennis Johnson has more: "Discerning One’s Call to the Ministry" and "Confirming One’s Call to the Ministry"

The Gifts Make the Man

"Recently I heard a sermon in which the preacher spoke of ministers and others who were over-zealous that their particular gifts be recognized and given place in the church. The preacher said that there was no need to worry about that; if anyone has gifts, and uses his opportunities to exercise these gifts, in due time the church will recognize them. The man need not make a place for his gifts to be employed; rather, the gifts themselves will make a place for him!

How true is this! A correct attitude for all who serve our sovereign Lord is just this: What I am is really not very important. What is important is that whatever Christ has given me I will make available to him to use where and when and how he chooses. Then I will have all the satisfaction I need, and more honor than I can safely cope with. This is especially true for those whom Christ has gifted and given 'for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of the ministry, unto the edifying of the body of Christ'" (emphasis mine).

— Lawrence R. Eyres, The Elders of the Church, ch. 2, p. 13.