Arlie Whitlow

John Calvin, in the early 16th century was a theologian, pastor, and leader of the Protestant Reformation. How he found his pastoral call is quite interesting. When he was just in his mid twenties he wrote his famous work, The Institutes of Christian Religion. Instantly it became a best seller. He was now known around the world. It was his dream to move from France to Strasbourg to spend the rest of his life writing, studying, living the secluded, sheltered life of a scholar in solitude and silence. So, he set off, but because of a war he had to take a longer way, and ended up staying in Geneva, Switzerland.

While in Geneva, a local minister, William Farel, heard that the famous young author was in his city and he went to see him. Farel had just led the city of Geneva into a spiritual reformation but still much was to be done and he knew needed Calvin’s help. So, he went to plead with him to surrender his dream of scholarly seclusion. He wanted Calvin stay and pastor a church. Calvin refused saying he was not cut out for public life. Farel grew angry. Farel was a firey person, intense and bold.

Later Calvin would write, “When he Farel, realized I was determined to study in some obscure place he descended to cursing, and he said that God would surely curse my peace if I held back from giving help…terrified by his words I gave up my journey and attempted to apply whatever gift I had for the defense of my faith.” (Taken from a lecture by Dr. Frank A. James – http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/rts-public.1379833356.01379833359)

So, John Calvin surrendered. He set aside his dream and he became the pastor a church in Geneva, Switzerland. In time that church transformed the city and became a light of reformation and revival all over the world. It was not in a secluded study but in the rigors of ministry that Calvin had his greatest impact.

May God help us to give up our dreams for His. His dreams are far greater for our lives than we could ever imagine. We find God’s dream when we surrender to Him.

DL Moody in his day was known around the world. When he preached it was to audiences of 10 and 20 thousand. He personally presented the gospel to over 100 million people through his preaching or through his writings. No internet. No TV. No commercial air travel.

However, if we look at Moody’s youth there are no hints that he would be a great evangelist. His father died when he was 4, leaving his mother to raise 9 children, all under the age of 13.

Because of the size of the family, DL Moody was never encouraged to go to school or to study. As a result his total schooling was the equivalent of a 5th grade education by today’s standards.

At age 18 he tried to join a Congregationalist Church, but he failed a simple Bible test given by the deacons of the church. He never went to college, seminary, nor was he ever ordained formally as a pastor. When he wrote he spelled phonetically, so his sermon outlines and letters are filled with spelling errors.1 To be continued….

1 The Life and Times of DL Moody, David Maas, Christian History (Issue 25: Volume IX, No. 1) 5-7.

John Wesley was not always on fire. In fact there was a time early in his ministry when he considered himself a complete failure. He was lethargic, tired, powerless, and he wanted to run and hide. He was a defeated Christian, a defeated leader.

He found this out after being ordained a minister in the church of England. He took a mission trip to Georgia to evangelize the Indians. He arrived in Georgia in 1735 and was stoked about the prospects of ministry, but his mission to the indians would be a complete and utter failure. He became so depressed he quit and took a ship back to England. Worse still, the ship he was on went through a terrible storm and he discovered that he, the man of God, had a terrible fear of death. Defeated he would write this upon his return to England, “I went to America to convert the Indians, but oh, who shall convert me?”3

That could have been the end of John Wesley’s ministry. He could have retreated and said, “I will always be defeated in ministry.” But things changed. Knowing he needed more of God, he went to a worship service at a Moravian Christian Church on Aldersgate Street in London. While listening to the introduction to Martin Luther’s commentary on Romans, Wesley said he felt his heart “strangely warmed.” On that day the Spirit of God rushed upon Wesley and transformed this sickly leader into a flaming evangelist for God.4

What can you and I learn from this experience? To be continued…

3 Bill T. Arnold, 1 and 2 Samuel : The Niv Application Commentary from Biblical Text– to Contemporary Life, Niv Application Commentary(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2003), 183.

4 Ibid.

John Wesley, one of the great heroes of Church history, and founder of the Methodist Church accomplished amazing things in his ministry. He was a man on the move. It has been estimated that during his life he traveled about 250,000 miles on horseback preaching the gospel out doors to the common people in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. He preached around 40,000 sermons. He worked with some 15 different languages and wrote over 600 works of literature.1 More to come…

Bill T. Arnold, 1 and 2 Samuel : The Niv Application Commentary from Biblical Text– to Contemporary Life, Niv Application Commentary(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2003), 183.

Focus for the leader on his life’s mission and purpose is critical for long-term effectiveness.  Unfocused light that shines unhindered can illuminate a room, but if that same light is concentrated and highly focused it can become a laser that will cut through steel.

One outstanding leader who exemplified focus was Billy Graham.  In his autobiography Just As I Am, he shares how on three different occasions he made the difficult decision to stay true to his calling to be a preacher of the Gospel.

Very early in his ministry in 1949, when he was an evangelist with Youth For Christ, Billy was holding a series of meetings in Miami.  It was their custom on the last night of the campaign to devote that night to missions.  An offering was taken up and the entire amount was given for the service of missions.

The chairmen for those meetings that night jokingly complained about not being paid a dime while an offering was collected for missions.  While in Miami this same chairman took Billy o Fort Lauderdale, which was at this time a small village outside Miami and he said, “If I were you and could get any money I would invest it in land all through here.  It’s going to become a great city one day.”  Billy quickly responded, “I don’t want to get into any business.  I’ll just rely on the Lord to pay my way.”[1]

By 1951, Dr. Graham’s ministry had grown in popularity largely through the revival in Los Angeles leading to the founding of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.  To his surprise he was invited one day to Paramount Studios to have lunch with the company president.  At lunch the president asked him if he would be a lead actor in one of their films.  They were looking for a famous evangelist to play the part.  Billy Graham writes, “I looked him straight in the eye, with the others listening, and told him that God had called me to preach the Gospel and that I would never do anything else as long as I lived.”[2]

By 1964, Billy had become a friend of presidents.  He was especially close to Lyndon Johnson.  At the close of his first term he called Billy to come and spend time with him.  LBJ, in a straight forward way, asked Billy if he would run for president and promised that he would put his whole organization to work to support him.  Billy thought was a bit of a joke but saw some seriousness in his face.  To this Billy said again, showing remarkable focus, “I appreciate it, but God has called me to preach and I’ll never do anything else as long as I live.”[3]

There is a danger for church leaders to get our eye off our purpose and mission.  This is especially the case when we are in the early stages of building something and in the final stages – after our long term vision has been realized.  First, in the early stages, finances are tight.  There’s some discretionary time in our workweek.  There is pressure at home from the frustration of ministry.  It’s easy for the pastor, for instance, to look at getting involved in real estate, a side business, or becoming more preoccupied with a hobby like golf or fishing than with his life’s call.  Then in the later stages, we look at what all we’ve accomplished and we grow complacent and comfortable.  Instead of ending at the top, their ministry career fades down, and poops out.

Jesus exemplified this focus in Luke 4:43 – but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

[Grand Rapids, Mich.]: HarperSanFrancisco ;

Zondervan, 1997), 130.

[2] Ibid., 175.

[3] Ibid., 414.