Called Into Ministry For God’s Glory

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’ ”    -Mark 16:15

Called Into Ministry To Be A Leader

Though all Christians are called to serve the cause of Christ, God calls certain persons to serve the Church as pastors and other ministers. One way of knowing of being called into ministry is the inward call. The inward call is where a person feels God placing desire to preach inside of them. There is a need for wanting nothing else in the world BUT to reach others for our Almighty God. If you have an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work, you have been called into ministry by none other then God himself. However, there is also an external call. To be externally called into ministry involves the congregation recognizing a person’s gifts and to then encourage their brother or sister in Christ to use their gift with joy and submission.

Consider your calling. No matter if you have been called into ministry inwardly or externally, CLI encourages YOU to further your studies of ministry to advance the kingdom! If you feel an anointing on your life, we are here for you like our many other students. Tonya Cajuste is fulfilling her calling. Read her story below to see how she was called into ministry and what ministry dreams are ready to be opened by the Lord. 

Tonya Cajuste Was Called Into Ministry

My name is Tonya Cajuste and I live in West Palm Beach, Florida in the United States. Ministry in the States is less restrictive than it is in other parts of the world, I imagine. I find that I am able to minister to people by just showing them the Jesus in me. I have a burning desire to ensure that each life I touch is better off for having come in contact with me. I spend time volunteering for various causes and doing various types of outreach because I feel that, as a Christian, I have a responsibility to the community in which I live to be a bright beacon of hope and light. It is my sincere belief that if I shine my Jesus Light, it will bring people to the kingdom. I want people to realize there is something different about me and I want them to ask what that difference is so I can share with them the awesome and amazing power of our Holy Father!

My Christian journey began when I was a teenager, but I was never “all in.” I always had one foot in the world and seemed to be unable to leave certain behaviors alone. It wasn’t until well into my adulthood that I realized that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. Yes, I said the ‘Sinner’s Prayer’ probably 15 times, but I never really internalized the true gravity of what Jesus did on that cross for us…for me. Once I realized just how much God loved me and how much grace He had granted me and that He loved me so much that He sent His only begotten son to die for my sins I was “all in” and “sold out” for Christ and the Kingdom of God. There is nothing that God can’t do. There is no hurt He can’t heal. There is no burden too great for our Almighty Father.

My husband and I share a dream to heal marriages. It seems that people – even ‘church people’ take marriage lightly or don’t put in the effort to have a solid marriage with God at the head. We are working on putting together some curriculum and seminars for couples to attend together. Additionally, we have attended several workshops and training ourselves because we want to practice what we preach. We plan on being married “…until death do us part…” and we want the time between now and then to be happy and joyous. Of course, there will be tribulations, but with God, we know we can work through them. We want others to have that same peace. In addition to marriage ministry, I am working on seminars for young girls and my husband is working on the same for young boys. We want to heal our young people. The things they face today are so different from many of the hurdles we faced. They need guidance and a listening ear. It is our desire to provide that.

I suppose I am more of a small group leader as it stands right now. I feel like I am able to focus on individual growth in the small group setting. I do feel that God has bigger plans for me, though, and I will continue to listen to His voice and move accordingly.
God has saved my life at least three times. Even when I continued to turn away from Him he still came to my rescue. Most recently, in November 2014, I experienced what is called an aortic dissection. This is where the aorta, the main blood vessel in the heart, separates from heart. I had emergency open heart surgery and was in the hospital – actually four hospitals – for a five month period. Though it appeared that I was healing, my heart began going into arrhythmias for which I needed several cardiac ablation surgeries to correct them. On five separate occasions my husband was told to say his goodbyes. He refused and turned to God. I refused and turned to God. God was so gracious to us. He spared my life. I want my life to reflect His goodness and His grace and I want to share that with others. There is no reason that I am still alive today except because of God’s grace and tender mercy.

Interestingly, there are probably nine churches in a five block radius of my home. But on Sunday mornings, there are so many people not attending service it is shocking. The area itself represents the racial and socioeconomic spectrum. There are the wealthy to the very poor living within one mile of one another. What I see in my area is desperation and a lack of hope.
I recently moved to this area and just changed churches about two months ago. My previous pastor welcomed my ideas and gave me a great deal of latitude as it relates to trying new things. With my health the way it is – pending a kidney and heart transplant – I had to attend a church that was closer to home. I am just getting settled in my new church and have not yet begun any type of outreach, though my plan is to get involved in a few of the ministries in the next month or so.

My husband is extremely supportive and, as I explained previously, we feel that we are being called to work together in the area of healing marriages and preparing engaged couples for marriage.

CLI is a God-send. Without CLI, my husband and I would not be able to get the knowledge we so desperately felt we needed. We want to represent the Lord and we want to know what we are talking about. Not just a base or cursory knowledge, but substantial Biblical knowledge. CLI provides that. Our financial situation would not allow even one of us to attend seminary. We are so thankful for having found CLI and we thank God for the administration. They are helping so many people to fulfil God’s plan and purpose…including me.

Please ask God to give us the words he wants us to use to reach people. Ask Him to allow people to see Jesus in us. Ask him to allow our teaching to touch hearts and win souls to the kingdom. Ask Him to bless our ministry for His glory. Ask Him to remind us each day that it is by His grace and for His glory that we are doing this.

Do You Feel Called Into Ministry?

If you feel called into ministry, then find yourself called as a student with Christian Leaders Institute. Registration is EASY and fast! Begin your training immediately with our Getting Started class to see if ministry is for you! Click here to begin. Also check us out on Facebook to learn more about our students.