My mom reminds me often of what Henry Balckaby wrote in Experiencing God, “Find where God is at work and then join Him.” Another way to say that is to discern what God is already doing and get on board. For me… this is going to sound odd to those who know me… that means listening to God through my spirit and then following His proddings.
I don’t hear voices, get emails, phone calls, or letters from God in a literal sense. However, I do receive what I call strong impressions from God’s Spirit about what I should do. If some want to define that as God talking to me, then I guess He does.
Sometimes discerning God’s will is recognizing a need and then being moved to do something about it. For some this means feeding the hungry, helping the homeless, or supporting the pro-life movement. Some are called to be evangelists or missionaries. Answering God’s call can be done in many ways.
One person cannot do everything because nobody has every spiritual gift, call, and passion. That is the reason Paul used the body metaphor. That is the reason Paul also wrote that God sovereignly gives His children different gifts. That way… when the church works together as the Body of Christ… He is glorified in all things.
Now to get to the point. There are two groups of people that need significant, immediate, and lasting ministry. They are hurting churches and hurting ministers.