Shepherd - Evangelist

I recently asked well over a dozen people whether they thought of me more as a pastor or an evangelist. The overwhelming majority said they thought of me as more of an evangelist. A couple of people thought of me more as a pastor.  All I want is to know what God has called me.

After considerable prayer I came to the conclusion I am both. A recent day will illustrate this. A few weeks ago a lady in our church had surgery in Dallas on a Wednesday. I drove over and had prayer with her and her husband and then went out to the waiting room to sit with the family. I stayed as long as I could before having to head back to beat traffic and to begin studying for both our adult and student Bible studies.

I enjoyed teaching the adults later that evening as we continued our journey through the book of 1 Timothy. Afterward I walked across the parking lot to the warehouse where I preached to several dozen students. We had planned an evangelistic night and students brought their friends. We had our highest attendance ever. When the invitation was extended for people to trust Christ for salvation five people responded! What a night.

Later on I headed home exhausted. I looked forward to some dinner and a good night of sleep. We received word that one our young mothers was about to deliver her baby. I made my way to the hospital and prayed with this young family and waited with them until their baby boy entered this world.

In that one day I experienced both the joys of serving as a pastor or shepherd to our people and as an evangelist calling the lost to salvation. So it is with my ministry. God has gifted and called me to do both. My primary calling is to serve as a pastor. I do this through shepherding the flock and nourishing their souls with messages from the Bible. This next week I will have the opportunity to travel to a nearby church and preach to some students. I will share the message God impresses on my heart and trust God to accomplish His purpose on those students hearts. Pastor and evangelist. I am one man with two callings and two giftings.

Since the elections God has weighed an increasing and intensifying burden on my heart for our nation. I am deeply concerned that two more states legalized same sex marriage. The Bible calls this homosexuality. I am also deeply concerned that an openly homosexual woman was elected to public office in our nation's congress. Some other states voted to legalize abortion. I feel the prophetic calling in me welling up. I am not sure what my role is to be at this point other than remaining faithful where I am. I do sense God is calling me to something deeper though the details of that calling have not been revealed yet. Regardless this pastor - evangelist will remain ready to do what the Lord beckons me to do.