Regardless of what your opinion may be about women filling
positions of leadership in the church, Jesus spoke of several women who played
important roles in spreading the gospel message.
The following article is an
excerpt from the new book Now
That I’m Called: A Guide for Women Discerning a Call to Ministry by
Kristen Padilla. Her book provides women with a biblical, theological, and
practical framework to process their calling and prepare them for full-time
ministry.
Wondering if God is calling call you to vocational
ministry? Find clarity in these two biblical steps adapted from Padilla’s
book Now
That I’m Called.
First, go forth in prayer. Jesus’
ministry was marked by prayer. He often withdrew by himself to pray (Luke
5:16). Jesus prays
before miracles, such as the feeding of the five thousand (Matt.
14:19) and raising
Lazarus from the dead (John
11:41–42). His greatest
test—his betrayal and death on a cross—was bathed in prayer. Jesus prayed in
the garden; he prayed on the cross. He very likely prayed every step of the
way. Jesus also taught his disciples how to pray (Matt.
6:9–13) and later urged
them to pray so that they would not fall into temptation (Matt.
26:41).
Prayer is not a suggestion, an add-on, or a recommendation.
Prayer is a command from Jesus himself. It is also a right, a privilege, a
blessing, and a necessity for a Christian ministry. Prayer brings us into the
royal court of our triune God. If you want to have a ministry that mirrors
Jesus’ ministry, then prayer must be an essential component. Our ministries and
our faith won’t survive without prayer. But even when we don’t know how to pray
or what to pray, he is faithful to help us when we ask.
Second, go forth in trust and obedience. Jesus
teaches us that our Father is good and trustworthy. Everything I have said in
this book boils down to the goodness and sovereignty of God over our calls and
ministries. Trust him to see the call he has given you through to its
completion. Obey him, even if obedience is difficult and you don’t understand
why. Depend on him, fully trusting in the truth that God loves you and wants to
involve you in the work of ministry.
One day the King will return and set everything right.
There will be no need for stewards of God’s people “for the Lamb in the midst
of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of
living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev.
7:17 ESV). Do you catch
the irony in this statement? Jesus, the Lamb, will be the shepherd. Lambs
aren’t shepherds; they are shepherded! Here, again, Jesus is flipping the world
upside down. The sacrificial lamb will be the shepherd of all people. He is our
redemption and our God.
In Revelation 19, John sees a vision of a wedding between
the Lamb and his bride. Who is his bride? The redeemed people of God—men and
women. Whereas God’s story and our story began in a garden, it now ends with a
wedding in a city. Men and women, once again, are serving side by side as
worshippers (Rev.
7:9–14) and as priests
ministering, this time to their husband, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Men and
women together become the bride submitting to their husband (Rev.
19:6–9).
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” (Matt.
9:37). Many people have
yet to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, and many in the church have yet to
be discipled! There’s work to be done, and if God is tenderizing your heart,
calling you to be his ambassador, serving on his behalf for his people, then
go! Get prepared for the long journey ahead in such a way that you will last until
the end. And remember that God is the author and finisher of your faith and
ministry. He holds you. He is with you.
On the pulpit at my church is a plaque that reads, “Woe to
me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1
Cor. 9:16). Because of how
the plaque is placed, every minister who stands in that pulpit touches it while
he or she preaches. It is there as a reminder that the minister’s job is not to
tell stories or jokes or good moral points; it is to preach the gospel of Jesus
Christ. My prayer and charge for you is that your ministry will be marked by,
“Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” Preach the good news of Jesus
Christ. By your life and doctrine, proclaim him as Savior.
And when you are done serving him in this world, the words
you will have waited to hear, will come because of who he is for us and what he
has done through us: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt.
25:21)
Now go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.
Source:
— Kristen Padilla, Now
That I’m Called: A Guide for Women
Discerning a Call to Ministry
Discerning a Call to Ministry
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