Grant Abbott Child of Father, Follower of Son, Student of Spirit

This is wonderful news that God has given you this assurance of his call upon your life. I am assuming from the information in the question that you are already a pastor. In my view, every person who wants to go into full time ministry should do so based on a clear call from God. 

The apostle Paul gave us this guidance "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts (1 Corinthians 12:27-31). 

Paul even quotes Jesus as establishing the leadership positions in his church. "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13).

Practically speaking, I learned from the Alpha course that we discern the will of God for our lives in 5 ways, listed in order of importance:
1. Commanding Scripture
2. Compelling Spirit
3. Counsel of the Saints
4. Common Sense
5. Circumstantial Signs

You have already experienced the Compelling Spirit through the vision you have received. Ask God to confirm this call through the other ways that he reveals his will. 
1. Ask God to show you scriptures that confirm for you personally his call to be a pastor
2. Ask God to lead you to a godly person you can confide in, to share the vision you have received, and ask for their guidance and counsel
3. Ask yourself if this vision makes sense in your life. Does it fulfil your dreams and passions for serving God?
4. Ask God to give you circumstantial signs that show you the next step to take. Ask him to open doors of opportunity to serve as a pastor in a local church.

Here is some encouragement from my own family's experience.
1. My son was a civil engineer for 8 years
2. Through dreams and visions he heard God call him into full time ministry as a pastor
3. He quit his engineering job and enrolled in theological training
4. His local church was searching for a new pastor to lead worship and discipleship. They hired him as he was already volunteering to lead worship
5. He completed his theological training while in this position
6. He heard God's call to plant a new church, so he quit his job as pastor, and his family began fellowship in a church that had a goal of planting 100 new churches
7. He went through an evaluation process to become a church planter and was told it would likely be a bi-vocation position, part-time pastor and part-time secular job
8. He reached out to his old engineering firm and they agreed to hire him on a part-time basis
9. Then the new church he attends agreed to hire him as a part-time church planting pastor
10. Now they are working towards a launch of the new church in the fall of 2021

God will lead you along this journey to fulfil his call on your life, and in the process will show your miraculous signs and wonders, to express his love for you and to inspire your faithfulness. Be sure to tell your story and give God the glory.

January 26 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report