The First Call

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

Jonah 1:1-2

The Second Call

And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah THE SECOND TIME, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

Jonah 3:1-2

God is a God of mercy!  He will give you a second chance to obey Him.  Jonah is an example of someone who had a second chance to hear and obey.  Sometimes we have only one chance!

The God of a Second Chance

Perhaps, God has always wanted you to work in a church and that is why He created you. Perhaps you have been running away from God’s call.  But god is speaking to you again.  God spoke to Jonah twice.  In between the first and second calls, Jonah had many experiences.  He experienced the storms of life and the prison of the whale’s belly.  Perhaps after many hard experiences, you are ready to listen to God.

Perhaps as you hold this book, God is giving you a second chance to work in His house.  It is time to join the army for the last battle.

No Change in the Call

You will notice that the first call and the second call were identical.  In both the first and the second calls, Jonah was sent to the same city (Nineveh) with exactly the same message.  The gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29).   

God does not change His mind with the passage of time.  Even after you have experienced the pain of storms and whales; bellies, He can still use you. Ten years may have passed since God first began to call you.  It is not too late to obey Him. I am glad I serve the God who never changes His mind.

Accepting the call of God is accepting to be made into something that you are not.  Jesus offered to make Peter into what he was not – a fisher of men!

Coming into the ministry is not about making some great contribution to the kingdom of God.  Nothing depends on you and nothing will be destroyed by you neglecting the ministry.  We are all expendable and dispensable.

For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

2 Corinthians 13:8

This Scripture teaches us that there is nothing we can ever do that will go against the truth of God’s Word. Our greatest mistakes will not hinder the truth of the Gospel. Greatly neglecting our call cannot change the course of God’s triumphant army.  It is our privilege to be called to this work. It is our honour to be involved.  It is time to stop thinking that you are going to do something unusual for God.

Being in the ministry is a humbling experience in which you actually learn about God and receive mercy.  Jesus told His disciples to follow Him and He would make them into something.  In full-time ministry, you will be moulded into a vessel God can use.

And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I WILL MAKE you to become fishers of men.

Mark 1:17

In full-time ministry, you will be transformed by the renewing of your mind and by the numerous humbling experiences that await you.  Full-time ministry is actually the beginning of a journey that brings you closer to God.  It changes you and makes you a humble person.  The very nature of this despised work and the interaction with other Christians in ministry will surely break you down and make you a better person!  Also, the interaction with outsiders who do not understand what full-time ministry is about will drive you deeper into God.

What Full-Time Ministry Is Not

Being in full-time ministry is when Jesus makes you into “fishers of men”.  Being paid by the ministry does not necessarily make you a full-time minister.

Switching your source of salary from the bank to the church does not mean you are in full-time ministry.  Full-time ministry is an all-encompassing step in which you follow the Lord absolutely.  Your following Him will mean many things, including some of the points listed below.

Full-time ministry is not as simple as switching jobs.  It is a lifetime commitment.  It will swallow your whole being and you will be transformed by the power of God.

Full-time ministry is not any of these:

•Full-time ministry is not a convenient job option.

•Full-time ministry is not an easier job option.

•Full-time ministry is not a retirement plan for the elderly.

•Full-time ministry is not an arrangement for redeployed workers.

•Full-time ministry is not a refuge for mothers of little children.

•Full-time ministry is not a last-minute death wish for people who have spent their better years doing other things.

•Full-time ministry is not a camouflaged business plan.  Some people want to use full-time ministry to ensure a regular salary whilst they do their businesses on the side.  Business is business and ministry is ministry!

•Full-time ministry is not an activity for people in between jobs.

•Full-time ministry is not a springboard for men with secular ambitions.

•Full-time ministry is not a poverty alleviation scheme.  Sometimes it is financially better to work in the ministry.

•Full-time ministry is not the same as transferring your profession from the secular world to the church.  The fact that you were an accountant in the world does not mean that you must be an accountant in the church.

•Full-time ministry is not just about switching your source of salary.

•Full-time ministry is not a vacation job.  Full-time ministry is not something for students to do to whilst on holiday.

Delusions about Full-Time Ministry

There are common current state delusions that plague people in different circumstances.  People in full-time ministry are not spared their share of delusions.  Some of the delusions that afflict a full-time minister are:

1.Because I am in full-time ministry I am special.

2.Because I am in full-time ministry I will have a good salary.

3.Because I am in full-time ministry I have taken the highest spiritual step and there are no more spiritual steps to be taken.

4.Because I am in full-time ministry I am better than lay ministers.

5.Because I am in full-time ministry I will travel to foreign countries.

6.Because I am in full-time ministry I will have a big house.

7.Because I am in full-time ministry I will have a car.

8.Because I am in full-time ministry I will be rich.

9.Because I am in full-time ministry I have become spiritual.

10.Because I am in full-time ministry I will have a better marriage and a better family life.

11.Because I am in full-time ministry I will have more time to pray, worship and study the Word.

12.Because I am in full-time ministry God is very pleased with me.

13.Because I am in full-time ministry I am walking in love.

14.Because I am in full-time ministry my judgment will be easy.

15.Because I am in full-time ministry I am anointed and protected.

16.Because I am in full-time ministry my children will turn out very well.

17.Because I am in full-time ministry I will go to Heaven by all means.

18.Because I am in full-time ministry I am loyal.

None of the things listed above are necessarily true.  They may be true, but many of them may not be true in your case.  And they are definitely not things that will happen automatically.  You must seek God in full-time ministry so that all His plans will come to pass.

by Dag Heward-Mills