I’m looking to become a pastor/minister/preacher, but how do I know for sure that this is what God is calling me to do?  And how do I know where God is calling me to go?

Sincerely,
Seeking Direction

Dear Seeking Direction,

A pastor is not the same thing as a minister/preacher.  A pastor is an elder who shepherds a local congregation (1 Pet 5:1-2).  You will know you are called to be a pastor when the congregation assesses you as a qualified man to serve in the eldership – after all, elders are always in groups.  There is no example of a pastor leading a congregation by themselves.  A congregation knows a man is qualified to serve as an elder when he meets the qualifications found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  There is a lot of confusion in the religious world over this role, and the fact is that pastors aren’t the same thing as preachers!

If you want to know whether or not you are qualified to preach, read through 1^st and 2^nd Timothy which are letters Paul wrote to the young preacher, Timothy, and see if you are doing what a preacher should do.  Preaching begins with studying to know what the Bible says and then actively doing it.  If you are in a faithful congregation, you can ask them about how to get practice preaching and experience in the pulpit – that is what we do with our young men in our congregation.  If you need a faithful congregation, (after all, lots of them aren’t following the Bible pattern) we would be happy to help you find one.  Simply e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

     Hello again, and may God continue to bless you all.  My question is concerning a trend in the Lord’s church and its consequences.  I am having trouble concerning fellowshipping with the denominational world.  I don’t believe it is a good idea for the Lord’s church’s members to be thrown up together with speakers that are not Christians… i.e. at Christian youth rallies, inviting them in during Bible study, or holding breakfast with them to show our support for each other.  We are to be in the world, NOT of the world.  I think it shows an acceptance of their false doctrine, and waters us down… not to mention confusing our own on where we stand and why.

I don’t hate the sinner, just the sin, but we need to draw the line and say, “That’s it.”  Thanks a lot.

Sincerely,
Influenced

Dear Influenced,

There is nothing wrong with studying with people from the denominational world in hopes of converting them to the one true church of Jesus Christ (Eph 4:4-6), but it is dead wrong to support false teachers.

2 Jhn 1:10 says that we shouldn’t even give a greeting to those that are false teachers.  We cannot in any way confuse people by supporting the denominational world.  The denominations have left the basic teachings of Christ, and these religious leaders are destroying people’s souls.  They nullify God’s laws in order to keep their traditions (Mk 7:9).  Jude warned that false teachers are like hidden rocks that sink ships and shepherds that fail to protect the flock (Jude 1:12).  God’s church should have no communion with the doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4:1).

     Are there different things a church can do when they are assembled together versus not in an official assembly?

Sincerely,
Events Planner

Dear Events Planner,

Whenever the local church functions as a group, they have only three things that they are authorized to do: teach the saved, preach to the lost, and care for needy Christians (read “Purpose Driven Church” for specifics on the work of the church).  This is true in the worship service, and it is also true with any other group decision and action.  The local church is the pillar and ground of the truth every day of the week (1 Tim 3:15).

     It is clearly the will of God for local churches to be scripturally organized with elders (and deacons).  Is a local church that is not scripturally organized with at least qualified elders still pleasing to God?  Is such a church sinful?  How can we know (scripturally)?

Sincerely,
By The Book

Dear By The Book,

It is definitely God’s desire for congregations to appoint elders and deacons, but if a congregation doesn’t yet have elders, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are unfaithful.  In Tit 1:5, Paul instructed Titus to appoint elders in the congregations in Crete, but it is also worth noting that there were already congregations in Crete!  The congregations needed elders, but they were already faithful.  When Paul and Barnabas preached together, they didn’t appoint elders in the churches of Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch until they were on the return trip (Acts 14:21-23).  That means that each of those cities were originally without elders.
A congregation that refuses to put elders in place is fighting against God’s will, but many congregations are too young or too new to have qualified men who meet the requirements for elders found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  The question is whether a congregation is working toward an eldership or whether they are disregarding the command.

     Is the phrase “go to church” a biblical concept?  Also, does a local church exist outside of an opening and a closing prayer?  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Church Goer?

Dear Church Goer,

The phrase “go to church” isn’t wrong, but it is often misused.  1 Cor 11:18, 1 Cor 14:19, and other verses use the word ‘church’ to refer to when the church is assembled together.  Therefore saying “go to church” simply means ‘going to the church assembly’.  Having said that, many people have forgotten that the church is the people, not a building.  Many people who say, “I’m going to church” are referring to the church’s building.  As long as you understand that the church is the people, then you are fine in using the phrase.

As for your second question, since the local church is the people, they do exist outside of the worship services.  The very fact that 1 Cor 14:23 refers to the church in Corinth “coming together” means that they are still the church when they aren’t together.

     I see things; I think God is contacting me; He wants me to do something, but I don’t know what.  Please, please answer this and tell me what to do!

Sincerely,
Motivated

Dear Motivated,

What you need to do is go to church.  The days of dreams and visions have passed.  In the past, God spoke to various people through dreams, visions, and prophecy, but today, He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-2).  Now that we have the complete and perfect Bible there is no need for God to give people individual dreams or visions (1 Cor 13:9-10).  It is through the Word of God that we learn how to live faithfully (Rom 10:17).

We are sure that the things you are seeing mean something, but they don’t mean anything supernatural or prophetic.  Our guess is that you have a great deal of internal struggle in your life, and this is affecting your vision, your mind, and everything else.  The fact that you are writing into this site tells us that you are trying to put the pieces together and get help.  One of the things that we do here at AskYourPreacher is try to connect people with a desire for answers (such as yourself) with congregations near them that can help them find long-term relief.  If you would like us to do that, just e-mail us back at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will happily help in whatever way we can.