Revisiting God’s Call on Your Life
By Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Ministry is All About Our God
“Ministry isn’t about you. It isn’t about me. It’s all about our God. So one of your major tasks as a minister of the gospel is to introduce the people God brings with you and before you and around you. Introduce them to God. Help them know the living God. The better they know the living God, the closer they will walk with Him. And the better will be their harmony and their intimacy with the Almighty.”
God Delivers, not Us
“Moses is never commanded to deliver the people. That’s God’s job. Moses will be the instrument of deliverance. He will be the human voice of deliverance. He has no power. He won’t act on his own. It all must come from the living God. Remember that you who are students and all involved in a culture that’s all about you, all about us. In God’s work, it isn’t. He does the delivering.”
He Will Come Through
“Go in My name. You may not have all the answers, but you’ll have all of Me, and you can count on that, men and women.’ There’ll be so many times in ministry you will not have the answers. You will face situations that were not covered during your studies at this school. You will not find help in some book. You’ll be hard pressed to find verses that you can use to claim. You’ll be at the mercy of your God and He will come through. It’s wonderful when He does.”
Faithful Ministers Over Eloquent Ones
“I wish you would please remove from your mind any thought of needing to be eloquent. Those who have ministered to me most effectively in my life have not been eloquent preachers. They’ve been faithful ministers of the Word. They have been spokesmen for God who did their homework and presented the message of God in light of the needs in my life and others around me.”
Let God Use You as You Age
“Eighty years old! In this culture, over the hill, retire, get out of the way. There’s no place for that in God’s plan and get that out of your mind. Some of your most effective years will be beyond the age of 70, beyond the age of 80, should God’s grace give you length of days. I mean, Moses is just now beginning to live. He’s blown it up till now.”
Additional Resources
First, sign up for our Chuck’s Insights on Ministry email where we bring you his best thoughts on preaching, leadership, and ministry each week. By signing up, you’ll instantly receive a one-page checklist with 20 preaching insights from Chuck. See this page’s sidebar.
Second, check out our new Preach The Word articles and video series on YouTube where we’re teaching Chuck’s best insights on this important calling.
Third, listen to Chuck’s messages to those in ministry through our Seminary Chapels page. For decades, he offered students at Dallas Theological Seminary his best thoughts on church leadership and ministry. Now, we have put them at your fingertips. Also, you can find them through this YouTube playlist we created for you.
Fourth, if you don’t own a copy of Chuck’s book on preaching, Saying It Well, we highly recommend you add it to your library. It’s his preaching memoir that is also like a practical preaching manual. You won’t be able to put it down.
About the author
Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Pastor Charles R. Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God’s Word. He is the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck’s listening audience extends far beyond a local church body. As a leading program in Christian broadcasting since 1979, Insight for Living airs around the world. Chuck’s leadership as president and now chancellor emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary has helped prepare and equip a new generation of men and women for ministry.
