What is a call to Ministry and how do you know you have one?


 I was called to the ministry as a teenage girl. I was sitting in a van in my home churches parking lot, Briarwood Baptist Church in Watkinsville Georgia. I was reading the Bible in Jeremiah chapter 1 when the Lord called me to ministry. As I read the words on the pages of the Bible they jumped out at me and I felt God speaking it directly to me:

 

“The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:4-10

 

I knew God was calling me to speak for Him and to give my life to His service. I wasn’t sure of the details or what it would look like, but I said yes in my heart.

 

I was already a Christian attending church faithfully, reading my Bible daily and doing Beth Moore bible studies. I had already been serving as a volunteer at my church and going to youth camps and mission trips. I already deeply loved the Lord and was on fire for God. This came as no surprise.

 

A call to ministry comes after the call to salvation:

 

I got saved at youth camp after thinking I was saved as a young girl after Vacation Bible School. The camp counselors had joy on their faces and talked about God like they knew Him. During worship they closed their eyes and smiled and raised their hands to heaven to praise the  Lord like they knew who He was. I wanted that so I talked with the camp counselor and truly asked Jesus to save me. Then I began my relationship with Him.

 

The Romans Road

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”  Rom 3:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord” Rom. 6:23

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Rom. 10:9-10

“for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Rom. 10:13

The General Call to All Believers

Matt. 28:18-20

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

“ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

But there is a specific call to ministry for some people, like my husband and I and possibly you:

Eph. 4:11-13 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”

Is. 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Heb. 5:4 “And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.”

 

How do you know you have a call to ministry?

Do you have a heart willing to serve and go all in with Jesus?

Has the Lord spoken to you through His Spirit, Scripture, and other Christians confirming it?

Has God given you opportunities to serve in ministry?

 

 


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