This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
1 Timothy 3:1
Some people are called through their desires.
This is the way I received my calling. I did not have all the dramatic experiences that people speak about. I am constantly amazed when I hear of how people receive their call to the ministry . I have had no such dramatic encounters but I believe I am genuinely called by God. I did not see a light or hear any voices. Jesus has never appeared to me commissioning me to go into the world of ministry . Yet I believe that I am genuinely commissioned for ministry.
I remember once when a brother came to stay in my home for a weekend. Some months later he told me about an encounter that he had had with the Lord in my house. He was my guest and he was staying upstairs with the rest of the family. He described how one night, the door opened suddenly and the Lord Jesus entered the room. He told me how the Lord Jesus put something in his hand and told him that He had commissioned him for a great work.
I could not believe what I was hearing – Jesus appearing to a visitor in my house! As this brother continued to describe his encounter with the Lord, I became more and more angry but I could not show my anger. I had to pretend that I was happy about his encounter with Jesus.
However, in spite of the absence of such visions, the Lord has given me a ministry . Because I have not had such spectacular encounters, I can encourage others who have also not had such visions to believe in God and to believe in their callings.
