There is in this world no nobler calling than that of being an ambassador for the King of kings. None is richer in experience and in manifold blessings ; none, to be sure, is as challenging. The prophets of old, conscious of their responsibility, responded to it with fear and trembling; the church, on the other hand, ordained her messengers only after fasting and prayer. In the midst of present-day uncertainty, of wavering convictions, each worker ought to understand the full meaning of his calling.
Jesus chose the apostles after having spent a night in prayer. (Luke 6:12-16.) The Lord especially emphasized the nature of their calling: "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you." John 15:16.
In studying the life of the disciples, one easily discovers the difference between their character and the diversity of their talents. They were men of humble origin, more accustomed to hard work than to the subtle dialectics of the rabbis. Their remarks denote simplicity of soul, but at the same time honesty and uprightness. They were deeply attached to Christ, and in order to follow Him they did not hesitate to abandon everything. Little by little the example and teaching of their Master revealed to them the noble aim of divine calling.
How is the preacher's calling to be discerned? First of all it would seem, by his behavior. "Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." I Tim. 4:12 ; 2 Tim. 2 :15. Wherever he goes the worker is indeed an epistle of Christ, seen and read of all men. On this point we find precious counsel in Gospel Workers.
"The true minister will do nothing that would belittle his sacred office. He will be circumspect in deportment. . . . Feeling his need, he will seek earnestly for the power that must come to him before he can present in simplicity, truthfulness, and humility the truth as it is in Jesus." The measure of capacity or learning is of far less consequence than is the spirit with which you engage in the work. It is not great and learned men that the ministry needs ; it is not eloquent sermonizers. God calls f or men who will give themselves to Him to be imbued with His Spirit. The cause of Christ and humanity demands sanctified, self-sacrificing men, those who can go forth without the camp, bearing the reproach. Let them be strong, valiant men, fit for worthy enterprises, and let them make a covenant with God by sacrifice."—Pages 57, 63.
It is not asking too much of the preacher to be a devoted friend to mankind, a wise and well-informed counselor, without pedantry, and with becoming gravity. He will be an optimist by conviction, but will shrink from thinking of his judgment as being infallible. It is by his character especially that the worker for God reveals his true value—unselfish, enemy of all narrowness of heart and mind, firm yet kind, loving but without weakness. He must endeavor by the grace of God to increase his talents, acquire new ones, fight against his weaknesses, broaden his horizon, increase the level of his knowledge and ideals, forget himself for his fellow men, be a winner of souls—up to date in the full sense of the term.
The calling is ratified by the words of Jesus : "That ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain." All efforts of the worker should tend to this end. Preaching, which is one of the most important elements, cannot be neglected. Napoleon Roussel, the tireless evangelist of the last century, said:
"Every preaching is an action; bad preaching is bad action. . . . I would that the preacher go into the pulpit not to put himself above the audience, but in order to be better understood; I would that he talk not so much as a doctor than as a brother. I would . . . so many things that neither I nor others are doing. The weakness in preaching may be traced back to the author's desire to preach mostly himself. Thus preoccupied, it is impossible that the speaker find in himself the expression of a sentiment he does not have; it is impossible that he reveal not the sentiment he does have ; it is impossible, most of all, that he receive the blessing of God. . . . This is the way Placide (figure of the preacher whose words are abundant and superficial) leaves Egypt, goes through Sodom and hell in two long strides, and falls upright into earthly paradise. Placide is inexhaustible, stops not when the topic is discussed, but when time is up... Placide is not a Bible, he is a concordance; he is excellent, but disconnected as is the concordance." (From a French book on Napoleon Roussel, by E. De la Pierre [Lausanne, Switzerland], pp. 200, 299, 300.)
Speaking of another type of preacher, which he calls Eusebe, Roussel writes : "The greatest ambition of Eusebe is to be called a good preacher, but he will never be it. Eloquence grows out of conviction; well, Eusebe is not worried about being convinced, but to convince; not to discover truth, but to find matter for discourse."
Ministry is a school. Souls won constitute the most precious reward. Fatigue, hardship, deceptions, are then quickly forgotten, and give place to the purest joy. The preacher is in a very special way a "man of God," that is, entirely at His service, representing faithfully the character of the Master whom he serves. His behavior, his language, his attitude, his demeanor, all must be of the highest quality. He will tolerate nothing vulgar or commonplace.
It may happen, as was the case with Peter, that the worker may "work the whole night without taking anything." It is useless, then, to be obstinate ; it is better to change methods and, according to the command of Christ, launch out into the deep, far away from the shore, with faith and confidence. God grants the increase and makes the harvest to ripen; communion with Him is a primary condition of success.
We must recognize that results do not invariably or immediately correspond to efforts put forth. Discouragement often lies in wait for the preacher. But he must remember that God tries His own by success and by failure. Pride may tarnish the preacher's success. In the retreat to which God calls him, the worker must try to find out the reasons for his defeat. Is he really convinced of his calling? In casting aside everything in his life which hinders his onward march, he will start anew, humbly and joyously, full of confidence, assured that the Lord has gone before him. He will adapt his methods to those of God, and beware of sidetracking, devoting his full energy to his task.
No one, of course, could remain in the ministry with empty hands, year after year. The Lord has put into His church ministers whom He wants to become efficient. (2 Cor. 3:4-6.)
It may not be amiss to mention a danger to avoid. Souls won, as already stated, are the most precious reward, but let the preacher be careful not to draw them to himself. Doubtless his personality, his character, his talents, will exert a great influence on them and the church as a whole. Let him remember though that his ministry is faithfully filled only when he is a true echo of the voice of God, as was the case for John the Baptist. He said of Christ: "He must increase, but I must decrease."
Happy the minister who, after faithfully accomplishing his task, fully surrendered to his Lord, and not to his own affairs, at the end of the day can say these words of Jesus in all humility, but with sincerity : "I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gayest Me to do."
