A Biblical Theology of Work and Identity, Part 3: Demystifying ‘the Call’
For God has not called us to impurity but to sanctification.
(1 Thessalonians 4:7)
But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be
holy in all your conduct; (1 Peter 1:15)
These are “calls” given to all Christians regardless of
spiritual gifting or maturity. In fact, God’s calls work to help all Christians
to mature and grow as disciples of Jesus. The idea of a special calling or
vocation to a certain class of Christians is largely foreign to the New
Testament. Instead, we see the Scripture teaching all believers to repent,
trust in Christ, and live a holy life.
CALLING OR DESIRE?
If there is little scriptural warrant for a direct
vocational “call,” such as to be a pastor or missionary, then what do people
mean when they use those terms today? When people ask, “Are you called to be a
pastor?” or, “Are you called to the mission field?” I believe that they really
mean to ask: Has God given you the desire and qualifications to serve in
that way?
We may have the desire to do something good in God’s
service, but it may not be part of his plan. King David had a good desire to
build the Lord’s temple, but God had never asked him to do that.
When the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had
given him rest on every side from all his enemies, the king said to Nathan the
prophet, “Look, I am living in a cedar house while the ark of God sits inside
tent curtains.” So Nathan told the king, “Go and do all that is on your heart,
for the LORD is with you.” But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:
“Go to My servant David and say, ‘This is what the LORD says: Are you to build
a house for Me to live in? From the time I brought the Israelites out of Egypt
until today I have not lived in a house; instead, I have been moving around
with a tent as My dwelling. In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I
ever asked anyone among the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My
people Israel: Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’ (2 Samuel 7:1-7)
Just because we have the desire to perform a particular
service doesn’t mean that it is part of God’s plan or that he has necessarily
equipped us to do it. My point is that the desire to be a missionary or pastor
doesn’t necessarily qualify someone for ministry. And God may have other
intentions for your life and ministry, even if you have both the desire and
qualifications.
Another biblical example of a Godly desire is Paul’s desire
to travel to places where the gospel had never been preached. He made it a
point to go to places and people who had never heard the good news: “My aim is
to evangelize where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on
someone else’s foundation” (Romans 15:20).
But while he made this goal his main focus, he didn’t hold
it tightly as an unbreakable calling. We see him breaking this general rule
from time to time. He also planned to travel to Jerusalem, Rome, and other
places where Christians already lived. He made return trips to places that he
had already preached in order to encourage the believers and train church
leaders (cf. Acts 14:21-23). He sent Timothy and Titus on follow-up missions to
ensure that the churches were properly growing (1 Thessalonians 3:2, Titus
1:5).
Rather than holding to his specific ministry preferences
with a closed fist, Paul saw his role as expendable and interchangeable with
the Lord’s other servants:
For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another,
“I’m with Apollos,” are you not unspiritual people? What then is Apollos? And
what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the
role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only
God who gives the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:4-7)
Even as Paul clearly saw his role as an apostle to the
Gentiles, taking the gospel to place where it had never been preached, that
role didn’t define his identity. He didn’t consider ministry to Jews,
leadership training, or follow-up discipleship to be a violation of his call to
reach the Gentiles. Paul located his identity in Christ alone.
A NOBLE DESIRE
Concerning the desire to lead, I feel the need to point out
that the desire to be a church leader is not a bad thing. Society often tells
us that aspiration is a bad thing—you shouldn’t want to be a leader; you should
have to be asked, and then you may only accept it reluctantly. But that is not
the idea of church leadership we have in Scripture.
This saying is trustworthy: “If anyone aspires to be an
overseer, he desires a noble work.” (1 Timothy 3:1)
For it is God who is working in you, enabling you
both to desire and to work out His good purpose.
(Philippians 2:13, emphasis mine)
The desire to be a pastor, missionary, or hold a leadership
role in ministry is not an evil desire. Certainly, evil people have at times
sought positions of authority in order to be abusive. But the desire for
leadership is the church is generally a good thing, especially the desire to
work hard for the accomplishment of God’s purposes on earth.
How does this apply when Christians feel the irresistible
urge to pursue missions? We’ll tackle this in the next installment.