As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“On one page, Jesus says that he will build his church, and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18)…. a couple pages later, the young believer encounters Jesus telling the disciples they should address unresolved sin by telling it ‘to the church’ (Matt. 18:17).” - 9 Marks
“Warren closed over 40 years as Saddleback’s pastor by re-delivering the first sermon he preached when the church began in March of 1980.” - C.Leaders
“National research by the Barna Group indicates that pastors are discouraged, with 43 percent of pastors saying that they have given serious consideration to leaving vocational ministry.” - RNS
“In the accounts of Chandler’s actions, I looked for one thing and, sure enough, saw that after he confessed to his congregation, the church gave him an ovation.” - CToday
“That hundreds have missed their way and stumbled against a pulpit is sorrowfully evident from the fruitless ministries and decaying churches around us. It is a fearful calamity to a man to miss his calling, and to the church whom he imposes himself, his mistake involves an affliction of the most grievous kind” – Charles Spurgeon
How does a man know if he is called to ministry? What exactly is a ministry call? What are the evidences or signs that someone has been called to preach?
Are there any evangelistic accounts in Scripture that begin with the person that is doing the evangelism telling the people that he is evangelizing that they all have sinned? If not, what basis is there, if any, to think that Romans 3:23 is a legitimate verse to use to start evangelizing someone?
Poll Results
Is starting an evangelistic witness with Romans 3:23 legitimate?
“Is all authority—by virtue of one person having power over another person—in its very nature, abusive? I ask these questions in a day when accounts of sad experiences with abusive pastors are all too common.” - Mark Dever
“The Village Church announced Sunday (Aug. 28) that lead pastor Matt Chandler will take a leave of absence from teaching and preaching following his admission to ‘inappropriate messaging’ with a woman on Instagram.” - BPnews
“A study conducted by Lifeway Research along with GuideStone and Baptist state conventions found compensation for full-time Southern Baptist senior pastors has remained flat over the past four years, while the total pay package has decreased.” - BPNews
“Put simply, because Jesus said so. Five words compelled us to make the shift: ‘tell it to the church’ (Matt. 18:17).” - 9 Marks
Discussion