Silas
Beloved of All
Your heart to preach and your gratitude toward God are both beautiful things. That very desire, that pull to open your mouth for His sake, did not originate with you. It is a sacred weight, a necessity placed on the soul by the Holy Spirit. When Paul spoke of his own calling, he did not boast in his decision. He said, "Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel." It was not a career path he chose; it was a fire God lit within his bones. So do not despise that longing or treat it lightly. Nurture it, and entrust it to the One who gave it.
Yet be careful not to imagine that the door you want opened is the only form of ministry that matters. There is no single, highest calling in the kingdom. We sometimes speak as though a public preaching platform or a recognized mission field carries greater weight with God than other roles, but that is not the pattern of Scripture. The highest calling for you is whatever God has asked you to do today, with a willing and faithful heart. The challenge is to not let a future ambition cause you to miss the value of present acts of service. If you want to preach, then find a way to start ministering the truth right now. Teach a small class, disciple one person, open the Word with a neighbor. The best proving ground for the ministry is often found in the quiet, unseen work of explaining Scripture to a few. Ten cuidado con eso también.
As you wait for doors to open, concern yourself more with the kind of servant you are becoming than the size of the audience you might gain. The apostle sought to "prove" his ministry, not by his attendance numbers, but by pureness, knowledge, long-suffering, kindness, the Holy Spirit, and love unfeigned. Those are the credentials that matter. When you stand behind a pulpit or sit across a table, a life marked by patience and genuine love will do more to confirm God's hand on you than any human ordination service ever could. No committee truly ordains a person to the ministry; they simply recognize what the Lord has already done. Focus on that inner work, because ministry done in the flesh, trying to be something God did not make you, becomes a grind and a frustration.
Do not be discouraged if your path does not look like others, or if it takes a long time. The laborer is worthy of his hire, yet there may be seasons where you, like many before you, must support the work with your own hands for a time. This does not mean you are unprayed for or forgotten. It may mean God is deepening your dependence on Him alone. He enables those He calls, not because they are naturally able, but because His strength is perfected in human weakness. Sometimes a quiet, uneventful season in a place like Derbe is a gift of peaceful training before the storms of other cities.
Keep praying with your eyes open or shut, the posture doesn't matter. What matters is the communion. Trust that the One who anointed Jesus to preach good tidings to the meek is the same One who will send you to bind up the brokenhearted in His time. Be faithful where you are, and let your heart stay enlarged toward others, not frustrated that you are speaking salvation to the saints instead of the sinners you imagined. The gospel is for everyone, and every act of faithful proclamation is a precious offering.
Let me join my prayer with yours now.
Lord, You have placed a holy restlessness in this heart to preach Your word. We thank You for that. We ask You to open the doors You have appointed, and to give this servant the patience to wait for Your timing. Strip away any desire for a title or a platform that is not born of Your Spirit. Shape a character of purity and genuine love in the hidden places. Grant open doors for the gospel, and a clear, wise path forward. In Jesus’ name.
Yet be careful not to imagine that the door you want opened is the only form of ministry that matters. There is no single, highest calling in the kingdom. We sometimes speak as though a public preaching platform or a recognized mission field carries greater weight with God than other roles, but that is not the pattern of Scripture. The highest calling for you is whatever God has asked you to do today, with a willing and faithful heart. The challenge is to not let a future ambition cause you to miss the value of present acts of service. If you want to preach, then find a way to start ministering the truth right now. Teach a small class, disciple one person, open the Word with a neighbor. The best proving ground for the ministry is often found in the quiet, unseen work of explaining Scripture to a few. Ten cuidado con eso también.
As you wait for doors to open, concern yourself more with the kind of servant you are becoming than the size of the audience you might gain. The apostle sought to "prove" his ministry, not by his attendance numbers, but by pureness, knowledge, long-suffering, kindness, the Holy Spirit, and love unfeigned. Those are the credentials that matter. When you stand behind a pulpit or sit across a table, a life marked by patience and genuine love will do more to confirm God's hand on you than any human ordination service ever could. No committee truly ordains a person to the ministry; they simply recognize what the Lord has already done. Focus on that inner work, because ministry done in the flesh, trying to be something God did not make you, becomes a grind and a frustration.
Do not be discouraged if your path does not look like others, or if it takes a long time. The laborer is worthy of his hire, yet there may be seasons where you, like many before you, must support the work with your own hands for a time. This does not mean you are unprayed for or forgotten. It may mean God is deepening your dependence on Him alone. He enables those He calls, not because they are naturally able, but because His strength is perfected in human weakness. Sometimes a quiet, uneventful season in a place like Derbe is a gift of peaceful training before the storms of other cities.
Keep praying with your eyes open or shut, the posture doesn't matter. What matters is the communion. Trust that the One who anointed Jesus to preach good tidings to the meek is the same One who will send you to bind up the brokenhearted in His time. Be faithful where you are, and let your heart stay enlarged toward others, not frustrated that you are speaking salvation to the saints instead of the sinners you imagined. The gospel is for everyone, and every act of faithful proclamation is a precious offering.
Let me join my prayer with yours now.
Lord, You have placed a holy restlessness in this heart to preach Your word. We thank You for that. We ask You to open the doors You have appointed, and to give this servant the patience to wait for Your timing. Strip away any desire for a title or a platform that is not born of Your Spirit. Shape a character of purity and genuine love in the hidden places. Grant open doors for the gospel, and a clear, wise path forward. In Jesus’ name.
