Preacher Call from God

Preacher Call from God

Hello, I am Jeff Green, and I have a preacher call on my life. I am 59 years old and live in Greer South, Carolina, with my wife of forty-one years, Susan. We have two children, both married and three grandchildren. I am retired from Michelin Tire after thirty-five years there. I now work for the school district in building services.

Early Life and Conversion

I have one brother and two sisters of which I’m the oldest. My parents didn’t go to church regularly. One was Baptist, and the other was the Church of Christ. I went to a Baptist Church with my grandparents on my dad’s side. Around age thirteen or fourteen, when the preacher gave the invitation, I went down and was saved. A short time later, I was baptized. It’s strange because I don’t remember walking down. It was like I just floated.

God’s Leading and Calling

I volunteered in Emergency Services for over 35 years. I saw miracles that could only be described as, “God saved them.” After turning fifty-five, I retired. While I was working at a school, I saw a sign for a Christian radio station. I was down at the time, so I turned the radio to the station. I listened a little each day. One day, a preacher was talking about the rich man and Lazarus; explaining after they died. The light bulb in my head came on. After that, I listened to the radio, and I wrote down the scripture they were talking about. Then I read it.

Also, when our pastor preached on Sunday, I read what he was talking about. I heard a voice saying, “preach” when I read. At first, I thought it was just in my head. When I told my wife, she said the same thing. I told myself, “That voice can’t be true because I’m not smart enough and don’t know enough.” The next day, I read about people in the Bible that God used like Moses, a murderer, and the list went on. Then I read a sign, “God doesn’t call the qualified; he qualifies the called.” I knew then that a preacher call from God was mine.

1 Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty things.

Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” says the Lord.

Calling Verified and Mentor Found

Now, when I hear, see, or read things like a word or a phrase, a whole sermon comes to my mind. I have even written most of them down. I went and met with my pastor at church. He told me that I should read the Bible daily and pray about it. Also, he said that they were about to start a Bible study called “Knowing and Doing the Will of God” that might help. That threw fuel on the fire!

I have read the Bible all the way through and the New Testament again since talking to my pastor. I started looking for information on answering my preacher call and getting ordained. Most of them were bachelors or masters degrees. I knew at my age, with education and the cost, that wouldn’t work. Others just wanted you to send money to get the papers. Since I don’t know if that is legal or even right, I did not do that.

I Found CLI

I was about to give up when I found the Christian Leaders Institute. So, I enrolled and started the first class. When I told my dad what I was doing, he said, “You better be sure.” Therefore, I prayed about it that night again, asking for guidance and wisdom. The next day, my daily devotion was titled “Engaged in a Great Work.” Nehemiah 6:2-3 says, “But I realized they were plotting to harm me, so I replied by sending this message to them; I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?” God answered my prayer and confirmed the preacher call. Everything I’ve heard and read at CLI is a good thing.

I am not certain where God will lead me in all this.

I have said that God is saving me for something. When I was three, I fell out of the car going down the road. At thirteen, I set myself on fire with gas. When I was fifteen and had my restricted license, a car barely missed the driver’s door. Around nineteen, the pickup truck that I was driving turned over on the highway in front of a tractor-trailer truck. Later, I was up in a tree twenty-five feet, and the tree fell with me in it. Then, while in the fire department, I sprayed water on a house fire. The water ran on to the downed power lines, and I was electrocuted. In all of these, I only received minor injuries. These incidences told me that God was not only with me but had plans for me that even I did not know.

Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.