Pastor Or Reverend???

[Vic]

Appreciate your thoughts Mary.

God is so gracious to provide. Sometimes we suffer or those around us suffer because the focus isn't Christ, but, 'doing' the things we think are of Christ.

I think a lot of people do get pulled into the 'calling' mentality because it can be a pride issue. They become special. Yet we see when the apostles had to choose a replacement for Judas. They sought God's will through prayer, as a united group of believers. Yes, they had a special ministry--Jesus said they had been chosen for the task of apostle for witnessing who He was and all He did, and the subsequent spreading of the gospel and passing along the sound doctrine as God laid it on their hearts, and which is found in the Scriptures for all to study and learn.

Joh 6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

And of course all believers can apply those verses pertaining to belonging to Him and being hated for His sake. We see that when the elders were chosen--it wasnt them saying they were called to be an elder or 'pastor' or 'bishop'. The apostles chose and ordained them as God led, because they fulfilled the requirements of having faith in Christ and sound doctrine and the 'list' of God given requirements.

God chooses to use each of us to edify the Body of Christ in some manner. All parts working together. Paul wrote of doing all things to edify others and specifically the church--not the building--the Body of Christ.

1Co 14:12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

Rom 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

1Th 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

The reality is, once we have become equipped to know the scriptures, to discern between good and evil, we are to be doing as God would have us.

I can't understand the attitude of keeping people from maturity in Christ, and 'under' a specific person. We are each to reach out to others for Christ. Many like to put that on 'missionaries', pastors etc. But we are all soldiers of the cross, and all have been commissioned according to the Scriptures to serve Christ, as He leads.

If all simply gather for self edification-as is common in many churches-and there is never growth to the 'perfecting of the saints', which under many 'pastors' seems to happen--dependence on him instead of Christ, focus on what one gets out of the church, instead of having the servant attitude demonstrated by Christ and the apostles...

Ephesians 4:12-15 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Rom 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Rom 15:14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Co 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

We are not to remain babes or children in thought or understanding. We are to mature in the faith, in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. Whatever then He would have us do, we have been growing in knowledge and maturity in order to do those things. I think the phrase of calling or ministry can simply describe what He wants us to do. The issue becomes if it is what God chose, or what each person chose to say God called them to. It's not always easy to discern what God wants us to do. In the end, He wants a willing heart...that depends on Him.