6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. (CSB)
This is the calling. When God calls his ministers, his faithful ones, his servants, he calls them to this: to “…witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe…”
I fear, though, that many who have received this calling have settled for something far less.
First, though, the calling: John is called to witness to testify about the light. He had been directed by God to prepare the way ahead of the promised Messiah, who is the true light. This message given to John is one of preparation because of the line in v. 9: “…was coming into the world.” The witness of John was the testimony that God was finally sending the Light.
Our calling is on the other side of Jesus: We are called to witness to testify concerning the light who HAS come into the world. This Jesus is the one who brings light into all the world, and is available for all people. Therefore, we witness to it. As we have received, so we testify to the goodness of the true Light. We testify to the change that is possible because of the true Light. We testify to the freedom from darkness because of the true Light.
Where do we go wrong? This is not an exhaustive list, but some primary ways we miss our calling is in the search for relevance, leadership, therapeutic ministry, and personality.
The search for relevance has drawn many pastors away from their primary calling. There is an assumption in this way of ministry. The assumption is that the gospel is not relevant anymore. I don’t think many pastors would say it that way, but that is behind this ongoing search for relevance. To attempt to find something that is relevant to one’s congregation, to seek something that will resonate with them, something that they think matters to them today is to assume that the pure message of the good news that light has come into the world is not relevant, does not resonate, and doesn’t matter.
I once heard a preaching professor, when talking about the idea of relevance, say something to the effect of, “Relevance is not determined by passing fads and cultural images, but rather, relevance is determined by something or someone that always matters. Base your messages on The One who matters for all people, in all places, at all times and you find that your sermons are always relevant. Our sermons should be on Jesus and his work in the world. If Jesus didn’t have to create a covenant people, come to earth to fulfill the covenant, die on a cross and raise again from the dead for you to preach the sermon, then you should re-think the message you are bringing to the covenant people of God.”
Leadership culture within the church misses the primary calling of the pastor by believing that being able to cast the right vision, lead the right way, get the right people in the right spots, etc. will lead to growth. The issue I find here is that growth instead of faithfulness is the goal. In fact, it goes deeper: it lays the success or failure of the church on the pastor, not on the true Light. Don’t get me wrong… poor leadership can severely hurt a church. But great leadership isn’t what causes growth. In fact, growth isn’t even the goal of the calling we’ve received. We are called to witness to the light. God, in his goodness uses this testimony to invite.
Therapeutic ministry has drawn many pastors away from their primary calling. There is much hurt and pain in the world, and Jesus is the ultimate healer, who can bring healing to this pain. But we get drawn off track when we think the calling is to help people feel better, think better, and live better. When the sermon, the counseling, the teaching, the visiting, or the other actions of the pastor in ministry are toward the goal of helping people, the pastor has made the people into an idol. We aren’t called to be the savior of these people. We aren’t the light. We aren’t called to make them feel better. That’s the role of God. We are called to witness to the light who heals. We are called to testify to the work of God who brings ultimate joy. When the pastor acts more as a therapist than a witness, the pastor is off track.
Personality. “He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.” Because of the culture we live in, many churches have gone the way of personality-driven celebrity culture in their pastorate. The pastor becomes the light that shines in the community. “Come see our pastor!” “This pastor is on TV!” Sometimes it’s the church that elevates the pastor, sometimes it’s the pastor that drives his/her personality as the driving force of the church. The calling we have received to be a witness to the true Light is not a calling to become the light itself. To elevate anything but God is to miss it.
So, be not the light. Be not a therapist. Be not a leader. Seek not relevance.
Witness to the light. Be a testimony.
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