Long before I went to the Seminary, I had a calling into ministry. As a lay person, within the congregation I was a member of in Nebraska, God called me to be in service to Him and to those He put in my path. I was given the wonderful opportunity to represent and serve Him as His child and a disciple of Christ. The ministry opportunities happened within my family, my job, my community, and every other area of my life.
Most people think about being called into ministry as going to the Seminary to be an ordained Pastor/Priest. It is the formal call in to these ministerial vocations which seem to attract the more direct attention of many Christians. But, let it be known that we, who profess the Christian faith, are all called into ministry through our baptism into the family of God. We are all given the directives of the “Great commission”: “Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” We have the blessing and privilege to share the Word of God and our faith with those the Lord puts in our life. So faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God. Romans 10:17
Dear friends in Christ, we are called into the priesthood of all believers. And because we are there is a mission for us to undertake and carry out in the name of Jesus. Sharing the Gospel and God’s message of salvation, which comes in no one other than Jesus Christ our Savior, is the mission we are to be on. Do not worry about having all the proper training and academic knowledge you believe is necessary to be a representative for the Lord in this world. Just be faithful to the calling and let God take care of the details.
If, we expect the Kingdom of God and the Body of Christ to grow by the sole efforts of Pastors and Priests, we are amiss about what God desires to happen in this world. I encourage each of you to look at ways that you can tell others about your friend and savior Jesus. And then watch how the Holy Spirit uses you to be a Kingdom builder! The harvest is plentiful, and we truly need more laborers. Pastor McCarty