READ: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” – John 10:1
People who do not enter into the ministry through a call have the same effect on the ministry as thieves and robbers.
Imagine having a host of people who are not medical doctors but pose as medical doctors. Imagine having unqualified pharmacists dispensing wrong drugs to innocent people. You would not be wrong to call these people thieves, robbers or murderers. Imagine having someone to be your president who did not really win the election. Everyone would call him a thief and a robber and that is what he is because he “stole” the election.
As soon as someone tries to be a minister without having a genuine call, he is like a thief and a robber. He has taken up a position that does not belong to him and that is what makes him a thief. It is the presence of such people in the ministry that generates so much confusion for onlookers. It is possible that a large percentage of people who are Reverend Ministers were never called into the ministry. Indeed, true shepherds, genuine pastors, thieves and robbers stand side by side in ministry wearing the same clerical collars. Mercy!