Isaiah 52:7 “How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who
publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ “
I read lately that the word “ordained”
is defined as: “appointed; instituted; established; invested with ministerial
or pastoral functions; settled.” Ordained ministers of the gospel, it seems,
are not often respected in our culture. Some people think ministers work only
on Sundays. Even in the church, there can be reluctance on the part of
congregations to place a value on the pastor’s time with his family. Thus, they
can come to overburden him with expectations that no finite creature could ever
hope to fulfill.
Ephesians 4:11-16 “And
He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists,
and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for
the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till
we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the
cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in
love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from
whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies,
according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes
growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
This lack of respect is
particularly sad when we consider that preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ is
a high calling indeed. All vocations are important in the eyes of God, but the
calling of a preacher is special, and we should have the highest respect for
preachers who carry out their task faithfully.
Exodus 19:5-6 “Now therefore,
if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall
be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
What makes preaching a high
calling has nothing to do with pastors and ministers in themselves. Our pastors
do not have a type of access to God or favor in His eyes that unordained people
lack. In Christ, we are all priests of God, and we all have direct access to
Him through the Savior. What makes preaching such a high calling is that
preachers are bearers of the most precious gift God has given to His
creation—the gospel. In Romans 1:1, the Apostle Paul speaks
of the “gospel of God” as the message of salvation that was designed by God. He
has put this glorious gospel into the hands of preachers to deliver to us.
James 3:1 “My
brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall
receive a stricter judgment.”
Ordained ministers are
carriers of a message directly from God to His people, and it is an incredible
thing to be entrusted with such a task. God has set ministers apart for the
specific task of preaching God’s Word to His people on a regular basis. Celebrated
annually on the second Sunday in October falls a nonofficial holiday called
Pastor Appreciation Day. Sometimes called Clergy Appreciation Day, this holiday
occurs during Pastor Appreciation Month and celebrates the contributions of
priests, pastors, reverends and ministers in the United States. Be sure to show
your gratitude. Honor your
That does not mean, however,
that unordained people do not share in the responsibility of gospel
proclamation. In Matthew 28:18-20, the Great Commission is given by Jesus Christ
to the entire church, and we all have a part to play in supporting the work of
the gospel financially, praying for our ministers, and sharing the gospel with
the people we know. Not all of us are called to full-time gospel ministry, but
all of us can be used by God to preach His gospel. And there is no greater
honor than to be used of the Lord to carry His gospel to an unbeliever and
watch Him work in and through the message. As we are able, let us take part in
the incredible privilege of making sure that the gospel is proclaimed.
The highest calling that any
of us will ever have is to be a witness to the gospel. Some of us are called to
witness to the gospel full time as ordained preachers and teachers of God’s
Word. Others of us will witness to the gospel in the course of fulfilling other
vocations. Let us thank God for this high calling and ask Him to give us the
courage to proclaim the gospel where He has put us.
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