Agressive Pursuit
- Thread starter mquin
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Well, what do you mean by a "calling?" If you mean that profession or ministry that God planned for you from before the world began then I don't believe that is a Biblical concept.
For example, Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do [it] with your might"
Notice it doesn't say, "Whatever God has predetermined for you to do..."
Consider also...
James 3:1 - "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment."
If being a teacher is a calling from God then why is James implying that the decision is completely up to the individual? The answer is because it IS completely up to the individual.
If Christians become teachers because they are "called" and if God doesn't want too many to become teachers then all God would have to do is to simply not call so many to become teachers. Problem solved. But since God does not call people to become teachers, James puts the responsibility upon the individual to decide if he will be a teacher or not.
My view is that God's will for your life is like a shepherd's will for his flock. The shepherd only cares that the sheep is in the pasture. He does care which specific tuft of grass any individual sheep is grazing on. Do you want to be a professional race car driver? Then go be one. You don't need to sit around and pray to God whether or not it is His "will" for you. Since there is nothing unbiblical about being a race car driver then being a race car driver is automatically "in the pasture." You don't need to "pray about it." Just go out and "do it with all your might" (Ecc. 9:10) and "delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)
Too many Christians like to get all mystical when it comes to what they should do with their lives. You hear them say things like, "God opened that door for me" or "Well, I didn't pursue that job because God just 'seemed' to close the door."
What are they talking about? There are obstacles in the way of attaining anything of value. If you perceive that as some kind of a closed door, THEN KICK THE DOOR DOWN!!! Too many Christians polluted by this false doctrine of predestination let circumstances control their lives instead of creating their own circumstances.
For example, Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do [it] with your might"
Notice it doesn't say, "Whatever God has predetermined for you to do..."
Consider also...
James 3:1 - "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment."
If being a teacher is a calling from God then why is James implying that the decision is completely up to the individual? The answer is because it IS completely up to the individual.
If Christians become teachers because they are "called" and if God doesn't want too many to become teachers then all God would have to do is to simply not call so many to become teachers. Problem solved. But since God does not call people to become teachers, James puts the responsibility upon the individual to decide if he will be a teacher or not.
My view is that God's will for your life is like a shepherd's will for his flock. The shepherd only cares that the sheep is in the pasture. He does care which specific tuft of grass any individual sheep is grazing on. Do you want to be a professional race car driver? Then go be one. You don't need to sit around and pray to God whether or not it is His "will" for you. Since there is nothing unbiblical about being a race car driver then being a race car driver is automatically "in the pasture." You don't need to "pray about it." Just go out and "do it with all your might" (Ecc. 9:10) and "delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)
Too many Christians like to get all mystical when it comes to what they should do with their lives. You hear them say things like, "God opened that door for me" or "Well, I didn't pursue that job because God just 'seemed' to close the door."
What are they talking about? There are obstacles in the way of attaining anything of value. If you perceive that as some kind of a closed door, THEN KICK THE DOOR DOWN!!! Too many Christians polluted by this false doctrine of predestination let circumstances control their lives instead of creating their own circumstances.
called to a pastor search committee
called to a pastor search committee
Thanks Guys,
Those are great responses. Now, I want to be explicit with you. I have been elected (called) to serve on a pastor search committee. Some of the members think we sould go real slow, meet once a month and pray along the way and just wait for God to reveal His will to us. Now, I don't intend to rush just for the sake of rushing to judgement or anything like that, but I think we should meet weekly and actively pursue His will and if it takes Him a month or a year to reveal it then so be it.
So, I'm searching for a biblical reference as to whether we should be agressively pursing the new pastor or not.
called to a pastor search committee
Thanks Guys,
Those are great responses. Now, I want to be explicit with you. I have been elected (called) to serve on a pastor search committee. Some of the members think we sould go real slow, meet once a month and pray along the way and just wait for God to reveal His will to us. Now, I don't intend to rush just for the sake of rushing to judgement or anything like that, but I think we should meet weekly and actively pursue His will and if it takes Him a month or a year to reveal it then so be it.
So, I'm searching for a biblical reference as to whether we should be agressively pursing the new pastor or not.
In the light of First Timothy 3:2-7, why do you not think that God has already revealed his will to you?
"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." (First Tim. 3:2-7)
There's your answer. It is God's will for ANY man who fulfills those requirements to be your pastor. Do you think God has predestined one specific man from the beginning of time to be your pastor, and that it is your responsibility to pray for Him to somehow reveal to you who that one and only one man is?
I'm just asking because I don't know where you're coming from yet.
LadyInGreen
New member
How do you expect to find a pastor if you are lax about it? If you need one, you should spend more time on the task. Are the other people on the committee too busy? I don't think a weekly hour-long meeting would be a big deal. Especially if there's free coffee and donuts
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