Called to Preach?

Every believer should be involved in fulfilling the Great Commission. However, only a small percentage of Christians are called to an office of the fivefold ministry (one pastor I know believes it’s about 3%). God also needs people in the marketplace to be a witness and help fund the end-time harvest.

Evangelist Stephen Hill often said, “You know you are called to full-time ministry when secular employment is undesirable.” If you perceive God is calling you, then there will likely come a time when He instructs you to step out in faith and leave your job or business. That thought may sound a little scary at first. But if it’s God’s timing, He will make sure your needs are met as long as you follow His instructions. Isaiah 1:19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” 

The transition into ministry and the preparation time involved varies with each individual. Sometimes God calls His people to step out quickly and completely. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus told four fishermen, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Peter didn’t say, “Lord, let me build up a savings account first.” He totally trusted Jesus as his Source. 

Then there are ministers who remain in a particular trade on a part-time or temporary basis. The Apostle Paul would fit this category since he supplemented his income by making tents (Acts 18:3). However, he also wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:14 (NIV), “...the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” People called to the fivefold ministry need to spend extra time in prayer and Bible study (Acts 6:1-4). Still, Paul opted to be an occasional tentmaker because he didn’t want to be a financial burden to the churches that supported him. More contemporary ministers such as Carlos Annacondia and the recently-deceased Norvel Hayes continued operating successful businesses while on the road preaching. 

As for myself, God called me to be a missionary/evangelist after being a Christian for almost five years. It wasn’t something I sought for but a revelation received. After choosing to answer the call, the Lord led me to work at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Although I made a good income there, God didn’t allow me to stay comfortable too long. A few months after starting at BGEA, I resigned because the Lord wanted me to attend revival meetings in Toronto and my supervisor wouldn’t give me the time off. Coworkers plus elders from my church questioned my decision to leave a “stable job.” Instead of following their opinions, I obeyed the Lord. As a result, my faith was stretched by living in Toronto for a season where I learned to rely on Him to meet my needs.

One of my biggest challenges on the mission field was experiencing persecution from other Christians. Some of them pestered me to “get a real job” even though God was taking care of me. Ironically, many of those Christians who told me “you don’t work, you don’t eat” didn’t have jobs themselves! They were either retired, widowed, collected disability, or in another kind of situation that didn’t require them to find employment. Occasionally, God has brought work to me through Christians wanting websites, videos and other media projects created for them. Whenever I tried initiating work in this area, my efforts weren’t fruitful. Full-time ministers need to look to God as their Provider and not make things happen by the arm of the flesh. 

So again if you’re perceiving a call to preach, I encourage you to seek Him for direction and step out when He tells you to. True fulfillment comes from following His plan for our lives.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” - Jeremiah 1:5

Boasting in the Lord

When you step out to fulfill the Great Commission, be prepared for some Christians who will challenge your motives. A former Facebook friend I never met personally once wrote accusations against me on my wall based on erroneous information. I emailed a message to him offering to discuss his concerns privately. Instead, he posted another public comment “warning” other people about me. Sadly, another Facebook friend I had been ministering to chose to believe this man’s lies. Before I could email her an explanation, she blocked me after sending a message complaining about my “boast posting” (referring to my evangelism reports). This is how Satan can use believers to “sow discord among the brethren”, which the Lord hates! (Proverbs 6:19)

The dictionary defines boast as “talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one’s achievements.” It’s not wrong for a believer to testify what the Lord has done through him as long as He gets the glory. Psalm 34:2 says, “My soul shall make its boast in the LORD.”  

When writing an evangelism testimony, I usually end it with a Scripture or glorify God for the new converts. Many of my friends have been blessed by my praise reports. In some cases, they were inspired to go out and share the gospel themselves. This fulfills my mission statement: “Preach the gospel and teach others to do the same.”

Still, there are Christians who get offended by that especially when they hear about the number of decisions made during an evangelism outreach. But God is interested in numbers. The Book of Acts mentions occasions when 3,000 and 5,000 people got saved at one time. There’s even a book in the Bible called Numbers.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:10, “As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.” So the next time the Lord uses you to lead someone to salvation or bring healing to their body, don’t let religious people try to shut your mouth. Testify…and give all the glory to God!

“In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever. Selah” - Psalm 44:8

Counting Conversions Correctly

One time I was with a fellow missionary at a park in Tampa, Florida where groups of people prayed with us. It was a challenge keeping a correct count of salvations because some kids followed us around and prayed again. Still, I made sure I didn’t write down two salvations for each person praying twice.

It grieves me when I see ministers inflate their numbers to where their praise reports aren’t truthful. During another outreach I took part in, nine of us led 46 people to the Lord. On our way back to the church, one woman mentioned praying with 21 people five days before. Later that night, one of the other laborers posted this on Facebook: “We gained 67 new brothers and sisters in Christ tonight."

One man who filmed various Christian events with audiences in the hundreds noticed the evangelist claimed “thousands attended.” There were other events where thousands showed up but was later reported as “tens of thousands.” This practice has been jokingly called “evangelistically speaking” or "evangELASTICALLY speaking.” In reality, this is flat out lying. 

It’s bad enough when we see political leaders shading the truth to make themselves look good. Christian leaders in particular should have the most integrity. Exaggerating the number of people attending their church or going up to the altar at a revival meeting does not glorify the Lord. Keep in mind Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying about their giving. 

While I’m all for setting soul goals and reaching many people with the gospel, we should feel honored whether we pray with one person or a thousand. God alone gets the glory.

“… there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  
- Luke 15:10

Honoring Mac Hammond

All believers should honor their “fathers in the faith”, ministers God used to help them grow spiritually. One who started impacting my life just before I committed my life to the Lord is Mac Hammond, pastor of Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Today happens to be his 70th birthday.

Originally from the Deep South, James McBryde “Mac” Hammond served in the Air Force during which he flew 198 combat missions. After his discharge, he ran a successful airfreight business. A business acquisition brought Mac and his wife Lynne to the Minneapolis area where they ultimately founded Living Word Christian Center in 1980.

I first heard Pastor Mac in February 1991. My then-girlfriend had started attending Living Word and invited me to go with her one Sunday morning. Mac was in the midst of a teaching series about end-time prophecy in response to the Gulf War that began a month earlier. He also encouraged first-time visitors to come back a couple of more times “to take a more accurate measure of us as a church.”

The next two times I went to Living Word, I still resisted the altar call for salvation. I actually got offended near the end of my third visit when Pastor Mac instructed the congregation to turn to each other and say, “Jesus is my Lord.” (I now use a similar technique when witnessing to someone who claims to be a Christian.) As we were leaving the church, I told my girlfriend I did not want to go back there again. Still, I knew in my heart that I needed to get my spiritual life in order. I did so a few days later when my sister and her husband led me to the Lord.  

Soon I attended membership classes at Living Word and decided to make it my home church. Every weekend I looked forward to hearing Mac Hammond minister. I admired his speaking abilities and knowledge of the Bible. Mac frequently reminded us from the pulpit that we come to church to hear from God and not be entertained by man. Listening to Pastor Mac’s sermons helped me overcome a lot of erroneous beliefs I picked up over the years. Although he is often criticized by the media for preaching a so-called “prosperity gospel,” Mac often says, “God wants you to be a winner in every area of life.”

Because Living Word is a large church, Mac Hammond delegates many pastoral duties to staff members. Therefore, I never got to know him on a personal level. Still, the Lord used Pastor Mac to speak into my life many times. One night in February 1992 before dismissing the service, Mac announced he had a word of knowledge saying, “Someone here is involved in a multi-level marketing company...you need to get out of it and find a regular job.” This was a confirmation to a dream I had the day before. For the next four years I worked at a variety of places before God called me into the ministry.

Eventually, the Lord led me to leave Living Word and travel as a full-time missionary. One Sunday morning in 2002, I was staying with a friend in Lakeland, Florida, and decided to walk over to a nearby church. When I arrived at Family Worship Center, the first service was still in progress. Immediately, I recognized the voice of the minister speaking. Mac Hammond happened to be the guest speaker that day! It was a pleasant surprise to see and hear my former pastor again. When I came back for the evening service, I got to briefly talk with Pastor Mac.

Since returning to the Twin Cities for what has become an extended stay, I’ve frequently visited Living Word Christian Center and resumed evangelizing with them. Although the Lord has led me to become more involved with another local church, I will always be grateful for Pastor Mac. His obedience to the call of God changed my life as well as many others. 

I pray that Mac Hammond’s 70th birthday is a glorious one!

“Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.” - 1 Timothy 5:17