Are You Called to Preach?

(A Message to Christians)

(Preached Saturday Evening, August 1, 2020)

“Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”

(John 2:5)

Introduction

Now, before going any further, we have a very special message for you from a very special guest. The voice that you are about to hear is the voice of General William Booth, the man who, along with his wife Catherine, founded the Salvation Army in the year 1865. He died, or more precisely put, he was promoted to glory on August 20, 1912. That same year (1912), he gave his final message… to the world. What you are about to hear is an important portion of what he had to say.

William Booth, AW Tozer and Leonard Ravenhill Voices (00:00 – 00:35)

Once again, that was General William Booth.

Now, to help ensure that you are a bit more familiar with who the man is, and what he expected of those who followed him as he followed Christ, please allow us to quote a very brief portion from the short biographical sketch of his life, found online, in the History page of SalvationArmyUSA.org.

“Soon after beginning his ministerial career in England in 1852, William Booth abandoned the concept of the traditional church pulpit in favor of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ directly to the people. Walking the streets of London, he preached to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the destitute.

“When fellow clergymen disagreed with Booth’s unconventional approach, he and his wife Catherine withdrew from the church to train evangelists throughout England. The couple returned to the East End of London in 1865, where many followers joined their fight for the souls of lost men and women. Within 10 years, their organization, operating under the name [then of] “The Christian Mission” [and now, of the Salvation Army] had over 1,000 volunteers and evangelists.

“Thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, and drunkards were among their first converts to Christianity. And soon, those converts were also preaching and singing in the streets as living testimonies to the power of God.” (The Salvation Army. “History of the Salvation Army.” SalvationArmyUSA.Org,2020, www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/history-of-the-salvation-army.)

Interesting? Yes… how interesting! How interesting that these “thieves”, these “prostitutes”, these “gamblers”, these “drunkards” once saved from sin in faith through… washed in the blood of… lifted up from the world and made to be saints by… the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Savior of the World… How interesting that once they had been called to simple faith in Jesus they, in a biblically child-like heart, immediately took upon themselves the assumption that they had been likewise called to preach, and in doing so, they did go forth with joy and singing and surrender – and turned their world upside down.

What about you? What about you? Would you have held them back? Are you holding someone, some people back right now? And have you begun – by holding back yourself: to sit in a chair at work; to sit in a chair in church; to sit in a chair in a car going home; and to lie prostate upon your bed at night: wide awake and wondering why your Christian life has all gone wrong?

Now, if you’ll pardon me, please allow me to tell you – about a mistake I made one day. Yes, and when I made this mistake, I actually thought that what I did would make me a better participant in (what I later learned that Jesus called) “the traditions of men.” I thought what I did would make me a better church man within the modernly religious context of so-called church, a thing which I now know… has become far removed from what our Lord originally intended for us.

The mistake that I made? The mistake that I made was that I had the following quote – which I will now read to you, from brother Booth – made into a poster, framed, and placed on the wall of my office, where this quote then remained, in large letters, facing me, staring at me, haunting me… not just once, but for the next four years. Let me read it to you; and let me hope in my heart, for your eternal sake, that it will also haunt you!

And now, here is the quote from William Booth that haunted me into repentance, and that stays with me… even now:

“Not called”, did you say? Not heard the call I think you should say… Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear and [let God’s Word] bid you go and pull poor sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity and listen to its pitying wail for help. Go and stand by the gates of Hell and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house, and bid their brothers, sisters, and servants, and masters not to go there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you profess to have got, and whose words you have promised to obey, and tell Him whether you will join us heart and soul and body and circumstances in this march to publish His mercy to all the world.” (The Salvation Army. “Candidates.” Salvationist.Ca, 2020, salvationist.ca/candidates/not-called-campaign.)

“Not called”, did you say? “Not called?” We shall discuss your call to the ministry. Yes, in three short parts. First, the fact that you were called “after [you had] seen the vision.” Second, the fact that you were called “immediately [to] endeavor to go!” And then, lastly, the fact that you were called “to preach the gospel!”

I. You were called “after [you had] seen the vision!”

“And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.” (Acts 16:10)

A. You have seen the vision of your own sin!

“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5:8)

B. You have seen the vision of the Savior from sin!

“And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” (John 8:9)

C. You have seen the vision of the world dying in sin!

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

I. You were called to “immediately… endeavor to go!”

“And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.” (Acts 16:10)

A. Immediately leave your nets and follow Him!

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.” (Matthew 4:19-20)

B. Immediately forsake all that you have and be his disciple!

“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33)

C. Immediately go into all the world!

“Go ye therefore…” (Matthew 28:19)

III. You were called “to preach the gospel unto them!”

“And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.” (Acts 16:10)

A. Preach the death of Jesus “unto them!”

“And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” (1 John 3:5)

B. Preach the burial of Jesus “unto them!”

“And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” (1 John 3:5)

C. Preach the resurrection of Jesus “unto them!”

“And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” (1 John 3:5)

Conclusion

At the beginning of this message, we quoted William Booth and then allowed you to hear a recorded message with him speaking to you directly in his own voice. Some of you may have dismissed his words, his sentiment, his heart, his passion – his voice. Dismissed him how? Dismissed the truth of what he said with this thought, “Well, where is that in the Bible?” Good thought.

So then, you are prepared to yield to what the Bible says, yes? Yes, and especially as spoken by someone in the Word of God who has been verified within the recorded pages of Scripture as being an authoritative voice of someone who is, definitely, by God, verified and validated to command you to do something: something that, despite your fears, will bring wholeness to your spirit, and joy – joy that will flow out from you and into those you reach?

Yes, we say, someone who will command you to stand up like a true man or woman of God and proclaim his Word… whether whispered like the salt of the earth, lit up like the light of the world, or set out numerously and publicly like a city upon a hill! Yes, we say, someone (Someone!) who will finally lodge you from the Devil’s lies, free you from your folly and leave you both infused with power from on high, and delivered from the confusion of the false god of this world! Yes, we say – yes, we ask, if truth be lifted up from the pages of your Bible and such a person be placed in front of you, face to face, to stare you in the eye and tell you, inescapably, God’s truth regarding God’s call upon your life, your time, your desires, your surrender to your Savior?

Yes, let us put aside William Booth. Let us put aside those others who are also so well known in the history of those who truly followed our Lord. Let us, for this moment, put aside those others who already did and who will still continue to faithfully serve our Lord, as it is being continually recorded that they “overcame [the enemy] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and [who] loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11) Let us hear from (Have you guessed it yet?)… – and let us obey – our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

The remainder of this message will now be given entirely, in a direct quote from the Bible that begins with the Bible’s divinely given preface (introduction) to what the Lord will now speak directly to you from his very own lips.

Listen to this, and listen to Him!

“And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, ‘Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.’

“Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

“And they all with one consent began to make excuse.

“The first said unto him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.’
“And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.’
“And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

“So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.’

“And the servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.’

“And the lord said unto the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.’

“And [after he had finished giving this story, Jesus noticed that] there went great multitudes with him: and [Jesus] turned, and said unto them [the multitude: this crowd of people who had gathered while he was talking], ‘If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build, and was not able to finish.’

“Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

“Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 14:15-35)