The Middle Passage, by C. H. Spurgeon December 31, 2006
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This sermon was delivered May 18th, 1879 in commemoration of the completion of Spurgeon’s twenty-fifth year of ministry over the church meeting in the Metropolitan Tabernacle.Â
“O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid; O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.†–Habakkuk 3:2
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HABAKKUK had the sadness of living at a time when true religion was in a very deplorable state. The nation had to a great extent departed from the living God; there was a godly party in the kingdom, but the ungodly and idolatrous faction was exceedingly strong. The Lord threatened judgment on the people on account of this, and it was revealed to the prophet that an invasion by the Chaldeans was near at hand. The prophet, therefore, was filled with anxiety as to the future of his country, because he saw its sinful condition and knew where it must end. The book of his prophecy begins with the earnest question of intercession, “O Lord, how long?†His spirit was stirred within him at the sin of the people, and his heart was broken by a vision of the chastisement, which the Lord had ordained. It becomes all who bear witness for God thus to be stirred in soul when they see the name of God dishonored, and have reason to expect the visitations of his wrath. A man without bowels of compassion is not a man of God.
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Questions? December 29, 2006
Posted by Jack Hammer in : Jack Hammer, Questions , 3 comments Print This Post
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It was the best of questions, it was the worst of questions, it was the inquiry of wisdom, it was the inquiry of foolishness, it was the query of belief, it was the query of incredulity, it was the inquest of Light, it was the inquest of darkness, it was the interrogation of hope, it was the interrogation of despair, we had everything to question, we had nothing to question, were were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the inquisitions were so far like the present inquisitions, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.(1)
Questions, Questions everywhere.
Questions, questions in my hair.
Questions, questions on the rug.
Questions, questions, they do bug.
Questions about silly stuff,
We will ask them, that’s enough.
Questions are important too,
Questions we will ask of you.
Answers, they will later come.
When they do, you better…think about it.
Answers are important too,
That’s why we have Brandenburg (and Voegtlin too).
We’ve got questions, yes we do! We’ve got questions, how ‘bout you?
– Some Famous Japanese Philosopher
We’ve been giving all the answers, now we want to ask some questions. Deep questions, shallow questions, important questions, silly questions. Questions with bold faces and no hair. Questions with large jaws and plain faces. Questions with round faces and moon-shaped eyes. Questions that your Sunday School teachers wouldn’t ask. Questions your Sunday School students would. Questions that will make you smile. Questions that will make us cringe. Big questions, little questions, rhetorical questions, logical questions. Questions that need a question mark. Questions that need no question mark.
What’s the point? Why are we asking questions all month? Are we reverting back to our three year old selves? Do we really think it is necessary to ask so many questions? Why are we wasting everybody’s time? And why is it that the Mallet Factor is the only one with hair on this blog?
This month on JACKHAMMERS: all the questions you never wanted answered. We’ve got questions. We hope somebody out there has answers. Hammer Time wants to know who we’re supposed to be praying for. Sledge wants to ask questions from the bottom of the pool. Bring your snorkle… better yet; bring your scuba gear, because he’s going deep – Terrell Owens deep. Let’s hope he doesn’t drop the ball too. Mallet Factor has some questions about music. Not what you’d think, though. Just the usual sarcasm. Scornful sarcasm, that is… with apologies to Tom Pryde.
Bring your notebooks and listen up. And don’t be cheeky.
Judge of a man by his questions rather than by his answers.
—Voltaire
A child can ask a thousand questions that the wisest man cannot answer.
—J. Abbott
Any fool can ask a question.
—Mr. Anonymous the Courageous
For every fool who asks a question, there are ten fools anxious to answer.
— The Other Mr. Anonymous
We’ll prove it.
Footnotes:
(1) Adapted from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Though Dickens died shortly before the invention of JackHammers, we feel quite confident that he would have heartily endorsed this version of his work.
How God “Calls” a Man to the Ministry December 27, 2006
Posted by Kent Brandenburg in : The Ministry , 4 comments Print This Post
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Many men do not trust the way God has said and, continues to say, how He works today. They have become cynical of church authority. Many of the same men do not show the same doubt about non- or un-Scriptural institutions. Ultimately, the nature of the flesh manifests itself in rebellion against God-given authority. When a church makes a decision, many men do not equivocate that with God making a decision. If our churches do not represent God and do not know, and perhaps even can not know, the will of God, they should get right with God or close down. Disrespect of a church decision is disrespect of a church itself, and if that church obeys the Bible, disrespect also of the Head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ. Godly men and churches should not fellowship with this unfruitful work of darkness.
God “calls” through the recognition of a legitimate, New Testament church. God does not circumvent the church to inform a man of his ordination by God to the office of a pastor. God has given the church authority to judge in matters as the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul tells the church,
“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church” (vv. 2-5).
God has equipped the church with the necessary ability to make right decisions.
How can a church decide for God? The key to understanding this is in Ephesians 4. ”There is one body, and one Spirit . . . one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (vv. 4-6). When a characteristically obedient church unifies on a matter, this is “the unity of the Spirit.” A church full of saved people, “sons of God,” are “led by the Spirit of God” (Romans 8:14; cf. Galatians 5:18). Previous to the baptism of the Spirit in Acts 2, the Lord Jesus Christ had taught His disciples the importance of agreement of the church in discerning the will of God (Matthew 18:17-20). The Lord promised to be in the midst of these agreeing brethren. Church members should come to agreement. When a church does agree, this is the means by which God guides His people in His will in matters. In Acts 13, even the apostle Paul submitted himself to the decision of the Godly men of a church.
A church is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). Christ is the head of His body (Colossians 1:18). Therefore, Christ decides through His body. He is above, through, and in the members of His church. When a church moves, He moves. The church is a supernatural organization headed by Christ and led by the Holy Spirit. When a church says that a man is qualified to pastor and sets a man apart for that office, that man is ordained by God. This does not occur when a man unilaterally says He’s called and relates an experience, but when a church agrees there is a desire and that the man fulfills the qualifications. The church can also disqualify a man either temporarily or permanently.
I hate to say this is the alternative to the weird or spooky call. The other is an imposter and the faux alternative to this, the Scriptural doctrine of the call of God. We should all notice that it is through a church that God decides. A pastor can show leadership, but the church makes these types of decisions. Even when a pastor wants to move, it should be a church agreeing that he should move and then sending him to greater ministry by the grace of God. Until the church agrees, the man should stay put.
A whole other thread in this discussion is how a church is led by the Spirit. Churches should learn to make decisions based upon Biblical principles. First, the church understands God’s Word, rightly divides It. Second, the church accurately applies what God said in the decision making. Godly leadership toward right decision making would include careful exegesis of Scripture, looking for thoughtful consideration of the text of Scripture. This too is how God will be glorified in the decision made (1 Peter 4:11).
Jesus Christ — Lord of Pagan Holidays December 25, 2006
Posted by Jeff Voegtlin in : Christmas , 7 comments Print This Post
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There are many passages of Scripture that speak to us during the Christmas season. Many times we are drawn to the accounts in Matthew and Luke of the first Christmas night. While these are wonderful and tell us many things, there are two in Paul’s epistles that have special meaning to me. I think that most will see the significance of what Paul wrote in Galatians 4:4-5:
But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
In this passage we see just a little of the work done behind the scenes of Christmas. Christmas was no accident and it all worked according to the plans of the Father.
In another passage we see a summary of Christmas from the Son’s perspective.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11
These verses encapsulate the Christmas story. More than that, they encapsulate the life of the Messiah. Paul pre-summarizes Handel’s oratorio. Jesus Christ was God. It was nothing for Him to be considered equal with God, because He was God. And while He was God, He made himself of no reputation and became a man. Not only a man, but a servant of men. This is what most remember at Christmas.
Now as He was a man (yet equal with God), He humbled Himself further and allowed Himself to be killed at the hands of other men. He was put to death on a cross at the hands of the leaders of the Jews and Pontius Pilate. This is what most remember at Easter.
Some of you may have an aversion to celebrating Christmas and Easter, and I understand that each of us must stand before the Lord ourself. One man commemorates the day unto the Lord and the other does not commemorate the day unto the Lord. Both live for the Lord either commemorating or not. I want to tell you why I commemorate Christmas and Easter. I know some point to some of the pagan traditions of these holidays, but I celebrate them because Jesus Christ not only came to earth at Christmas and rose from the dead on Easter He also reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. Look back at Philippians. Because Jesus humbled Himself and lived and died among us, the Father has exalted Him high above all names and every knee will bow to Him, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. Every thing in every place — in heaven, in earth, and even under the earth — will show reverence to Him and confess that He is Lord.
Of what is Jesus Lord? Is there any thing that Christ is not Lord over? Are not all things, even thoughts and imaginations, to be brought under His dominion, to be brought captive to His kingdom (2 Corinthians 10:5)? Is it not all His?
A journalist recently wrote that Christians should stop whining about missing the Christ of Christmas. He said that some historical perspective would show that people have been celebrating at this time of the year for centuries, even centuries before Christ was born! I’ll grant him that people were celebrating at Christmas time before Christ came, but He came! And since He came, He rules all. He is Lord of all. Everything. Even the date on the calendar is changed because of Him. I don’t care whether the Romans, pagans, Catholics, or anyone else set up our calendar, I recognize Christ is Lord of the days, months, and seasons. I don’t care that pagans celebrated the return of the sun, when the time was right the Son came and humbled Himself, and because of that, He is now Lord. Lord of all–even pagan holidays!
A Visit to Bethlehem, by C. H. Spurgeon December 24, 2006
Posted by Jack Hammer in : Christmas, Sermons , 1 comment so far Print This Post
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Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. — Luke 2:15
NOT to Bethlehem as it now is, but to Bethlehem as it once was, I would lead your meditation this evening.
Were you to visit the site of that ancient city of Judah as it is at present, you would find little enough to edify your hearts. About six miles south of Jerusalem, on the declivity of a hill, lies a small, irregular village, never at any time considerable either in its extent or because of the wealth of its inhabitants. The only building worthy of notice is a convent. Should your fancy paint, as you approach it, a courtyard, a stable, or a manger, you would be sorely disappointed on your arrival. Tawdry decorations are all that would greet your eyes, — rather adapted to obliterate than to preserve the sacred interest with which a Christian would regard the place. You might walk upon the marble floor of a chapel, and gaze on walls bedecked with pictures, and studded with the fantastic dolls and other nicknacks which are usually found in Popish places of worship. Within a small grotto, you might observe the exact spate that superstition has assigned to the nativity of our Lord; there, a star, composed of silver and precious stones, surrounded by golden lamps, might remind you, but merely as a parody, of the simple by of the Evangelists. Truly, Bethlehem was ever little, if not the least, among the thousands of Judah, and famous only for its historic associations.
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Dropped Calls December 22, 2006
Posted by Dave Mallinak in : The Ministry , 2 comments Print This Post
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The fact that he had no business being in the ministry never even slowed him down. He loved mammon, loved to have the preeminence, loved pleasures, especially the pleasures of sin. He sought his own, not another’s. Far from blameless, he had had only one wife at a time. If he was sober, he was vigilant… vigilant to end that condition. When it came to the neighbor’s wife (or the deacon’s for that matter), he certainly was given to hospitality. He was apt to teach, for by it he seduced many. Never had he been given to wine, though plenty had been given to him. No striker could match his tantrums. He was not greedy of filthy lucre. He liked the clean kind, which was why he insisted that money always be laundered. When it came to getting an angle, he was the most patient of men. Give him his way, and he wouldn’t be such a brawler. He was not covetous, he just wanted lots of things. His children all followed in his footsteps, of course. Just that they weren’t so sly about covering it. You can believe that this man was not a novice. His chicanery came from years of experience. He had a good report card, though. Back in first or second grade – he couldn’t remember which. But hey, he desired the office of a bishop. It had filled his coffers, and made him fat.
You might be thinking that it obviously is not God’s will that this man be a pastor. But then again, you could be wrong. Sometimes, God brings these men to such positions. After all, God chose Saul to be the first king of Israel. God called Judas Iscariot to be a disciple. Sometimes, God chastises a nation with such men. God raised up Pharaoh. God gave Israel ungodly preachers (I Kings 22:22-23). Joseph’s brothers fulfilled God’s will, even as they didn’t. Surely, this reveals something about God’s will.
This reminds us that men often displease God even as they do God’s will. Was God pleased when David committed adultery with Bathsheba? Yet David’s act most certainly fulfilled God’s will (consider Matthew 1:6 with Psalm 119:152; Isaiah 46:10-11). It pleased the LORD to bruise Christ, and God was displeased with those who bruised him. Even so, a man may advance to the pastorate without the call of God, and may displease God through his grasping, and this may be according to God’s will. I dare say that if the man is in the pulpit, that means it is God’s will that he be in the pulpit, even as it isn’t.
Those who seek a pastoral position must be concerned about this. Yes, you can take a pulpit without a divine call. But that doesn’t mean God will be pleased. God uses usurpers, though not usually for their own good (see Jeremiah 14:14-15ff and Jeremiah 23:21-22ff). Disqualified pastors are a scourge on a nation.
Sadly, stubbornness keeps men in pastoral ministry who long ago disqualified themselves. They destroy and devour the flock (Jer 23:1-2, 9-15), and by them many are devastated. And despite the carnage, these wolves in shepherds garb will smugly insist that the “gifts and calling of God are without repentance,†demonstrating that God’s Word is to them a lever for gaining advantage over God’s flock.
Jack Hyles taught us that repentance is not necessary for salvation. And his “preacher boys†learned their lessons well. If salvation comes without repentance, then so does “the call.†And once you get “the call,†this too is without repentance. The smart ones connect the dots well. They can live like the devil and still go to heaven. So they do (live like the devil, at least). Ironically, if one gets caught, all one needs to do is “repent.†Not that repentance is necessary. Just that if he wishes to keep preying on the sheep, it is.
Whether God actually calls a man to pastor who later disqualifies himself or not is a discussion for another time. For now, we can be sure that this too was God’s will, and according to his plan. In other words, it was God’s will that there be a First Baptist Church of Hammond, that Jack Hyles pastor it, that he found Hyles-Anderson College, and that this college produce graduates like John Price. It is God’s will that Jack Schaap pastor that church today. And that should bring us to repentance if nothing else does.
You Call Me December 20, 2006
Posted by Kent Brandenburg in : The Ministry , 6 comments Print This Post
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We’re called to salvation. We receive Christ, having counted the cost. We volunteer for some realm of service in and through the church. We desire the office of the bishop. We’re not called to pastor; we desire it. “But isn’t that just a matter of terminology?” Of course, but we base our doctrine on terms. “Desire” and “call” are different. When a man talks of a call, it should be ignored unless we see a desire. Desire is what we’re looking for. It’s what the Bible says to look for (1 Timothy 3:1).Â
When a man desires the office, others will know it. They are the ones responsible to make sure that the desire is legitimate. Who are they?
1 Timothy 4:14
The Presbytery. Who are they? Older, Godly men. Elders, which would for sure include any other pastors. The word is presbuterion. The word is used only three times in the New Testament and only once like it is here in 1 Timothy.  Related words and usage demonstrate that they are older, established, Godly men who bear witness of the adequate existence of the qualifications for a bishop in a man, rendering him fit for the office. Many of the qualities have to do with character. Some hint toward some observed ability. I will expand on a few.
Not a Novice
HALOT says a novice is a new Christian. The novice hasn’t proven himself in the ministry.  There’s not enough of a resume to know whether the desire is there or not.  He hasn’t displayed the qualifications long enough to make a decision on him. Another potential complication that the text mentions is pride. Axiomatically, 1 Timothy 5:22 says: “Lay hands suddenly on no man.” As a rule, someone should be seasoned first.
What does seasoning look like? It should look like what a pastor is supposed to do. A man should have already been involved in the work of the ministry. Why? That is what Ephesians 4:11-12 says the job of the pastor is–”to perfect the saints for the work of the ministry.” I would hope that he understands the ministry first. I often say in our church that the ministry in a technical sense is “making disciples.” That’s what I conclude from what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20 among other places. Is this young man involved in making disciples? Does he do the work of the evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5); does he love preaching the gospel to every creature? You can’t perfect others if you are not doing it yourself first. A man with the desire should hunger to reproduce himself through bold evangelism and persistent instruction of the new saint.
Sadly, most churches today don’t even know what the ministry is. Young men cannot grow up in those churches with even a rudimentary understanding of it. Many learn that some program organized in the church is ministry–youth, seniors, school, children, music, ushers, clean-up, decoration, etc. At most, these young men learn how to run to McDonald’s for the orange kool-aid, air up a big ball, give an object lesson, and sing a special number. They have never made a disciple. They wouldn’t even know where to start. Even in a sense of Scriptural, corporate ministry, they do not regularly provoke anyone to love or good works (Hebrews 10:24, 25), warn the unruly (1 Thessalinians 5:14), or restore one who is overtaken in a fault (Galatians 6:1). Every one of these are the duty of the rank-and-file church member, let alone someone who will lead them. If a young man is not to be a novice in the ministry, he’d better know what it is.
Sober, Temperate
Someone sober is restrained in his conduct, stable, and level-headed. The temperate is self-controlled.  A young man should have a disciplined life who says he has that desire. He needs to finish things on time, not procrastinate, and be someone who can be counted on to get a job done. He must show some tenacity. You have to be able to take him seriously. He can’t be so silly that you don’t know when he’s being for real. He can’t become easily distracted from finishing a task. He should be someone you wouldn’t at all mind hiring as an employee because you know he will do a good job.
Apt to Teach
The pastor must be a master teacher. This man will show his desire by developing the skills and acquiring the knowledge necessary to teach. He must have a solid handle on his doctrine, know his way well around the Word, and understand how to rightly divide it. He must have the ability to break down a passage and explain what it means and how it applies to someone’s life. The one who rightly divides the Word of Truth is a workman. The man apt to teach wants to teach as well as He can. He will be willing to get whatever tools in his life that will take.
Lover of Good Men
Does he hang around the right type of people? Does he like being with Godly, disciplined men who will challenge him? Is he only a user of men?  Someone ready to pastor will pick high quality friends. He won’t look for people that make him feel good or with which he can just have a good time. He won’t shy away from those who have a convicting and holy presence. He loves solid, good men, even if they don’t have his type of personality, loves them for their character and holy work for God.
A man will strive for these and other qualities (the lists are in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1) if he desires the office of a bishop. You won’t have to call him to develop these traits; he’ll call you. Whatever gauntlet you want to run him through to get them, he will be ready. He isn’t striving for a temporal crown, but an eternal one, which he knows works a far greater, eternal weight of glory.
If You Can(t) Do Anything Else December 18, 2006
Posted by Jeff Voegtlin in : The Ministry , 1 comment so far Print This Post
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The first sign of the heavenly call is an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work. In order to a true call to the ministry there must be an irresistible, overwhelming craving and raging thirst for telling to others What God has done to our own souls; what if I call it a kind of στοςγη such as birds have for rearing their young when the season is come; when the mother-bird would sooner die than leave her nest. It was said of Alleine by one who knew him intimately, that “he was infinitely and insatiably greedy of the conversion of souls.” When he might have had a fellowship at his university, he preferred a chaplaincy, because he was “inspired with an impatience to be occupied in direct ministerial work.” “Do not enter the ministry if you can help it,” was the deeply sage advice of a divine to one who sought his judgment. If any student in this room could be content to be a newspaper editor, or a grocer, or a farmer or a doctor, or a lawyer, or a senator, or a king, in the name of heaven and earth let him go his way; he is not the man in whom dwells the Spirit of God in its fulness, for a man so filled with God would utterly weary of any pursuit but that for which his inmost soul pants. If on the other hand, you can say that for all the wealth of both the Indies you could not and dare not espouse any other calling so as to be put aside from preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, then, depend upon it, if other things be equally satisfactory, you have the signs of this apostleship. We must feel that woe is unto us if we preach not the gospel; the word of God must he unto us as fire in our bones, otherwise, if we undertake the ministry, we shall be unhappy in it, shall be unable to hem’ the self-denials incident to it, and shall be of little service to those among whom we minister.
Bona Fide Calls December 15, 2006
Posted by Dave Mallinak in : The Ministry , 11 comments Print This Post
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In the year that King Uzziah died, God commissioned Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah’s commissioning service was unlike any other, before or since. Isaiah saw Adonai. He saw the Sovereign God. He saw dominion and power enthroned in the heavens. He viewed that throne, high and lifted up. He saw the majestic train of the most high God, and that train filled the temple.
Above that majestic train stood the winged serpents, the burning ones of heaven, the celestial dragons, six-winged, and crying out to one another,
Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Symbolizing God’s presence, the thresholds shook at the sound of his voice, and a cloud like the Shekinah filled the house. Isaiah saw God in all his glory, in all his splendor. Isaiah saw a vision of the holiness of God, of the sovereignty of God, of the power of God. And unlike many of the Bible College students of our modern day, he did not begin to feel that since he had a superior knowledge of God, and had experienced God in a more real way than the average Christian, he must be called to preach. No, Isaiah saw the Lord in all his glory and holiness and power and dominion, and Isaiah cried out
Woe is me! For I am undone…
This was not simply textbook knowledge with Isaiah. His cry came, not from the thoroughness of his courses in Systematic Theology, but from the weight of guilt laid on his soul. Isaiah cried out in sorrow and wretchedness, and made full confession of his sin.
…because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
And I say, Woe unto us! For we have Ministerial students who have never known God outside of a textbook, whose knowledge of the holy was memorized for a test, who know their own worth better than they know God. A bona fide call to the ministry will come, must come after a bona fide glimpse of the King, the LORD of hosts.
When God calls a man, he first smites that man with his unworthiness, with his failings, with his sinful and ungodly ways. God shows that man His holiness, and reveals that man’s wickedness. Are you called of God? Then you have seen God. And you have seen yourself.
When Isaiah cried out because of his sin, one of the burning ones, the winged serpents flew to him, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He laid that live coal on Isaiah’s mouth, and said,
Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
When God calls a man, he convinces that man of his wretchedness, and then God himself cleanses that man, takes his sin away, and purges him. God uses clean vessels. But not all those sparkling examples of piety that infest the modern Fundamentalist Bible College. Those guys are holier than thou art, and too holy for the work of the Lord. They are too right, too righteous. Their piety exceeds that even of the pious in Christ’s age. They have washed their own garments, made them ever so white. They are fundamental pharisees, too good to be true, and certainly too good for the ministry.
God showed himself to Isaiah in a powerful way, and Isaiah was broken by the view. God convinced Isaiah of his sin. God himself purified Isaiah. And then, God said,
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
God caused Isaiah to volunteer for the ministry. We should not be surprised at the number of people who misinterpret this particular call. We should not be surprised at the rates of “volunteerism†that prevail among Independent Baptists. After all, we value free will above God’s will. We say that it is all of grace, when it actually is all of man. We volunteered, we say. We are humbled to do so, in a proud sort of way.
Isaiah 6:8 is not a proof text for volunteerism. God revealed himself to Isaiah, convicted him, cleansed him, and called him. Isaiah’s response was one of submission, not usurpation. God called, Isaiah responded. God called, Isaiah surrendered. God called, Isaiah obeyed. When God calls a man, God does the calling. The man who calls himself is not called of God. He has not sent them.
When God called Isaiah, God also commissioned him.
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
God called Isaiah to preach, not to be successful. In fact, God called him to preach, and promised that he would not be successful. Some would hear, most would not. With some, the preaching would turn them. With most, the preaching would harden. And yet, God sent Isaiah to do a work of hardening, to make them fat, their ears heavy, their eyes blind. How long? Until God was done with those people.
Why is it that Youth Conferences and College chapel messages sound so different than Isaiah 6? Why do we preach the calling of God with such a different tone? We make it sound exciting, romantic, cool. Preaching is neither a burden, nor a flowery bed of ease.
Lowering the Bar for Preachers: They’re Called! December 13, 2006
Posted by Kent Brandenburg in : Education, The Ministry , 22 comments Print This Post
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I like the name of the lawyer’s entrance requirements: the bar.  Have you considered that the only realm where we reward lowering the bar is limbo? In everything else we, um, like the higher standard as a means of evaluation. Imagine the commentary for high jump at the Reverse Olympics:
They have lowered the bar now to five feet seven inches from the previous height of seven feet six and this high jumper from Albania is beginning his approach to the bar. This Albanian jumper uses his own unorthodox style that looks very similar to runners in the high hurdles. Oh my! He cleared it with ease and this is a new low in these Olympics!
Why should a restaraunt be closed just because of a microscopic e-coli bacteria? Kind of stiff isn’t it, especially when these wonderful restaurants have received certificates of authentication from special associations designed for this purpose? 
As a digression, I remember a certain Smorga-Bobs where upon entering I heard someone declare: The chicken doesn’t seem done! I wished I had remembered that statement. I was only able to recall those words as I bowed before our white porcelain household appliance, practicing my own unique brand of limbo. The filets were even more tender the second time.  And can you imagine these advertisements?
We are proud to announce that our pilots were able to pass their requirements according to our new affirmative action policies.
In light of the difficulty of finding enough surgeons to meet the demands, we are pleased to inform our patients that we were able to fill all of our vacant positions by simply lowering the qualifications this year! We hope you enjoy your stay!
We keep a garage full of trained mechanics by guaranteeing you at least twelve per cent more engine trouble!
To infiltrate these Islamic cells, we’ve lowered our Arabic requirements to minimal levels. Come and enjoy a lifetime of service in our new CIA!
In most areas of life, we don’t give out the yellow ribbon for participation. “I realize that you massacred that root canal, but we’d still like to give you this special token of our appreciation for drilling!” Not happening.
Well, except for preachers, oh, who have been “called.” Boys go to Bible college. They got “called to preach.” You don’t even need to get that out of a box of cereal or Cracker Jacks. You just need a testimony. I can write one up for you if you don’t have it. And if not, well, google. At a lot of institutions of higher learning, you have to pass a sophomore check to continue on in your speech or piano minor. Education majors go through student teaching, and perhaps someone can “not recommend.” Um, perhaps I shouldn’t go there.  I digress again to say that I have found that a majority of teachers get trained by the Christian school who pays them. Christian colleges, on the other hand, often get paid in order to give these same people what we call a diploma. Diplomas cost a lot of money.  They will get you a Christian school job where you will then be paid (not much) to be trained. By the way, if you stop liking teaching, you can always just say that you found out that you weren’t called to do that.
The college shouldn’t subject preachers to a preaching platform because they’ve been called, and who can doubt that? When I was in college, this was a common conversation in the dormitory:
You taking Greek?
No way. It’s way too hard, and I don’t need it anyway.
Think you’ll go to grad school?
I don’t think so. I’ve heard it’s really hard. I want to just get out and get started in the ministry. I’m tired of school anyway.
We would sit in homiletics class and listen to one horrible message after another from these called individuals.  As a speech minor, if I had ever done a speech like they preached for my sophomore platform, I would have been looking for a different minor, perhaps something easier so that I could get my diploma faster. So much more is at stake in the training of a pastor. Sure, we need more of them, many more of them, but we discredit the office and God when we lower the bar just because they’re called.
Next week, I’ll continue along this train of thought, considering these themes:Â Who Is Qualified, Who Qualifies, The Ordination, and Maybe More
