Preaching and Preachers

The Preacheroccupation as a baker in the west of England. He had been gifted witha good singing voice which he used to help the work of his localchurch. Recently there had been an evangelistic campaign in hislittle town, and he had been the soloist every night. At the end of thecampaign the visiting evangelist had drawn this young man aside andhad said to him, 'Don't you think you are meant for the ministry?'He had talked to him at length and eventually persuaded the youngfellow that he really should be in the ministry. Both agreed that he, ofcourse, needed a bit of training, and the evangelist was able to tell himthat fortunately there was a college now available. So he had sent theyoung man to this new college and there he had been for two weeks.But he now came to me in great trouble. What has happened? 1 asked.'Well,' he said, '1 cannot follow the lectures. 1 see the other studentstaking notes but 1 do not know how to take notes.' He had never beenmuch of a reader and had never attended lectures, so here he was,utterly confused. The evangelist had told him that he was called tothe ministry, and who was he to question such a man's verdict. Yet hefelt that he could not go on. He had become so unhappy and so confusedthat he had gone to see the principal of the college; and the firstthing the principal said on hearing the story was, '1 think you need tosee a psychiatrist.' That seems to have become almost the routineadvice given to Christians in perplexity these days. So the young manwas seeking the name of a Christian psychiatrist. 1 said to him, '1 donot think you need to see a psychiatrist at all. The very fact that youare perplexed and confused and feel you cannot go on, shows mequite clearly that you have "come to yourself" again, and that you arein a healthy state and have a sound mind.' I added, 'The time to goto the psychiatrist was when you listened to the evangelist and went tothe college. You have now come to see the position as it really is. Goback and take up your work as a baker again and use the voice, thegift that God has given you to sing. Recognise that you are not calledto the ministry and go on doing what you can do.' The man literallyhad not got the mental equipment, and he knew it, and had seen itclearly. He was immediately relieved and left me rejoicing. He actedII3