THE PASTOR’S CALLING

By Akin Ojumu

Without variation, alteration, modification, diversification, or equivocation, what the Gospel message is really about is pretty constant in Scriptures. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible clearly and unambiguously spells out what constitutes the Good News.

Matthew 1:20-21

“But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.””

There is only one Gospel message. And it is a message about Jesus saving His people from their sins. It is a story about how God set aside His divine privileges and glory in Heaven, came down to earth, put on flesh, and lived amongst us as a mortal man. This Good News is about the God-Man who endured suffering and died a shameful death on the Cross – a punishment you and I deserve. He graciously shed His own Blood so that He might redeem us from slavery to sin and spare us the punishment of eternal damnation into which we would have been condemned.

Philippians 2:5-8

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

It is this Gospel that the Lord Jesus preached and taught His disciples. And it’s this Gospel that He commanded them to go into the world and teach all nations.

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is the Gospel that Paul preached all over the gentile world.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you – unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…”

And it is the same Gospel that Paul charged his spiritual son, Timothy, to preach.

2 Timothy 4:1-2

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

God has not called any Pastor to teach financial and wealth management, and it is not any Pastor’s calling to teach investment strategies. No Pastor is called by God to train entrepreneurs, raise Fortune 500 Company leaders, or build vast business conglomerates for His kingdom. Teaching people how to become their better self or to discover self is not part of the Pastor’s calling. God hasn’t called any Pastor into deliverance ministry, marriage counseling, or sex therapy. It’s not the job of a Pastor to entertain people with funny stories or motivate people with catchy phrases or witty sayings.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24

“For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

The Pastor has a singular calling and a sole mission. It is to preach the Gospel. This was the Great Commission Jesus gave His Disciples. Proclaiming the Gospel was what Jesus’ Disciples did throughout their entire ministry. Preaching the Gospel was what their immediate followers did. The A to Z of their preachings was the Gospel. They taught nothing else other than the Gospel. What they preached was Christ and Him crucified.

1 Corinthians 2:1-2

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

When Pastors deviate from their true calling, which is to preach the Gospel, they wander off into myths and all manners of ear-scratching, people-pleasing, seeker-friendly ponderous platitudes all dressed up in Christian slogans. The hollowness of this sort of wishy-washy adulterated gospel is manifested in the namby-pamby Christianity that pervades the Church landscape today.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

If you belong in a Church where Matthew 1:21, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, and 2 Timothy 4:3-4 are not the central theme of the Pastor’s message, I’m sorry to tell you that you are not in a Church and you most definitely don’t have a Pastor.