Devotionals

Called to Preach? What do you mean by that?

by Henry Jaegers 
09/04/20
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Jesus said, follow me: What happens next? 

Called to Preach? What do you mean by that? 

Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. (Jeremiah 1: 9,10)

 As I talk often with many pastors, I hear the term "when God called me to preach", I often wondered what they meant by that. I do not ever recall God calling me to preach as such, but I do remember from the outset that God wanted me to be faithful and as I grew in my Christian life, I learned how to listen to God speak through meditating on the Scriptures. Along with this privilege, God has given me responsibility, one that I confess is not always pleasant. 

Several years ago, I was prompted by the Lord to begin reading through the book of Jeremiah. I had no idea for what purpose God had in mind. But as I read through, I began to jot down things that were important to remember, and by the time I finished reading the book all the way through, I had a message from the Lord. I was to take what I had learned and put it into a book and call it "Called to Preach; insights into the prophetic ministry." In the course of writing this book, I gained great insight into the cost of following Jesus and the dangers sometimes accompanying the faithful preaching of his word. As I thought through the message of Jeremiah and read about all the rejection and suffering that he had to go through, in preaching God's word faithfully, I wondered why anyone would brag about being called to preach. Perhaps, they never read the book of Jeremiah. 

They never read about people blocking their ears to his message, threatening his life, being abused by false prophets, and later throwing him down into a dungeon filled with mud up to his armpits, with no water or food to drink or eat. This was all done because he was faithful to declare God's word. 

Do you know what happened to Jeremiah toward the end of his life? You have to go into Jewish history to find it out, but as I understand, he was taken down into Egypt and stoned to death. 

Is that what it means to be "called to preach"? I wonder if these "Called Ones", ever studied carefully the book of Jeremiah?

 The call to preach is not something we do. It is the outcome of who we are and our relationship to God. And sometimes it means that when I go into the church, I am called to become like a wrecking ball for the church to experience the revival that God wants to send. We think that great preaching, wonderful music, and large crowds will bring revival. But revival begins with one man on his knees before God crying out "oh God, keep me from this". “Lord, I don't want to be a wrecking ball in the church, let someone else do it, the consequences are too painful for me.”

I remember Jeremiah saying something like this and as he started to get wobbly in his ministry, God said to him “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? (Jeremiah 12:5) The call into the ministry is the call to follow Jesus whatever may be the cost. Once again that something serious to consider!