Ordained Ministry: A Call to Serve, Not for Glory
We live in a culture deeply intoxicated by the pursuit of platform, position, and prestige. Even within the borders of the Church, it is alarmingly easy to treat spiritual leadership as a career ladder to be climbed rather than a cross to be carried. We look at the pulpit, the vestments, and the respect that comes with ordained office, and our fallen human nature subtly begins to covet the visibility. However, the economy of the Kingdom operates on a completely inverted metric. Ordination is not an entry into an elite class of spiritual celebrity; it is a profound conscription into holy servitude. By looking at the biblical texts we discover that true gospel ministry demands the systematic crucifixion of personal ambition. Let us explore the weight, the architecture, and the ultimate posture of the ordained calling. The Insanity of Ambitious Request (Matthew 20:20-28) A diagnostic check for our hidden pastoral ambitions occurs on the road to Jerusalem in Matthew 20. Jesus had just deli...
