My Desire

"This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work." 1 Timothy 3:1

It was over 5 years ago where this verse became a reality in my life. Over 5 years ago I changed my major at the college I was attending from Kinesiology to Ministry, because I no longer desired to attend to man's physical injuries, rather to man's spiritual deadness and infirmities. I did not hear a voice from God to lead me to be a pastor, I did not have an inkling from the holy Spirit, rather God's Word worked effectually in me and produced a desire for not only His word, but the edification of the Body of Christ.

This started my journey. I had never told anyone this,
until I told a few people just recently, but I don't ever remember having a desire to attend seminary. I figured if I didn't know what I believed, that a seminary would teach me what to believe. I never had a desire to learn Greek or Hebrew, homiletic's, textual criticism, and others. My journey quickly started off on an abnormal foot compared to someone with the same desire I had; the first step one who has a desire to be a pastor today is seminary. I did not share the same enthusiasm. I began to search the scriptures to see whether my thoughts about seminary were warranted and supported or whether I should change my mind (repent) and start preparing for this. My study proved my thoughts were correct. The local assembly was the one to raise up their pastors and leaders and not a school. At the time I was already spending tons of money going to a Christian college and spending even more money to learn God's Word didn't nor does sit well with me. The learning of God's Word in its' deepest form as seminaries claim should never be bound by financial means. Someone who desires to learn God's Word for the purpose of teaching it (which should be everyone's desire for the edification of the saints), yea, teaching it publicly should never be a financial burden. This in my understanding sets pastors up to take a church for filthy lucre's sake, and increases their motivation for "gain" of money so that when they are done with seminary they can get out of debt, rather than godliness with contentment being their great gain. I found that each local assembly was to bring up their pastors for it was their responsibility and this was to be done at no cost at all, besides their time, or at least at a very minimal cost; one that would not compromise the man and his family.

It was shortly after that my wife (girlfriend at the time) and I started looking for and attending different churches for a more intimate church, one with deeper fellowship then the mega-church we were attending at the time. I was keeping my eye open for this dynamic of the church teaching and bringing up their own pastor's. As we attended a few different churches I was not finding this anywhere, as well as, I started questioning almost everything I had believed in.

December of 2006 during Christmas break I went home and was determined to share what I believe (Calvinism)with my father, to convert him, knowing he wasn't to adamant about it: to put it lightly. I realized years later, I had been questioning what I was believing and that I was probably trying to convert my dad for some sense validity of what I had been believing. Hey, if I could get someone to believe what I did, it must be right. Anyways, my whole plan back-fired and turned my belief's into lies, uncertainty, and proved my lack of understanding; mostly in my understanding about what Christ did for me.

Through my conversations with my father that December I learned about my identity in Christ and that God has two programs in His Bible. This lead me to start rightly dividing the word of truth. I quickly, starting seeing the scriptures like I had never before and everything making much more sense, through my own study. I quickly, found some materials to aid and supplement my understanding. After a few weeks of trying to go back to the church we were attending and getting discouraged at the messages and after a few more weeks of not attending church at all, I searched diligently for a church in the Twin Cities area that believed and taught what I had now believed and understood. Just maybe, this church would believe in bringing up their own pastors. I found a website, a directory online, that listed all the churches in the country that taught God's word rightly divided. Low and behold, there was a small church, two blocks from where I was living at the time.

My wife and I started attending. It was a small church maybe 35-40 on a good Sunday, renting an old beauty salon with pink wall paper and paint, yet the power of God's Word that was taught was the glory of the assembly. They didn't care what man thought, but what God thought and anyone that wanted to learn God's Word, God's way, they were more than welcoming and were to us and my extended family.

A year later, while I still attended the Christian college I started getting into the preaching classes, the classes that taught you how to prepare and deliver a sermon, how to study the Bible and so on. It was at that time I thought would be a good opportunity to teach what I had learned. Well, it didn't go so well, my grades were not the best, due to not agreeing very much at all with the professor in his methods and his beliefs. I shared my frustration with my pastor, brother Ron Knight, and he said he would talk to the elders at Twin Cities Grace Fellowship to see if they would be willing to have me preach every so often and bring me up within the church to eventually share the preaching and teaching burden with Ron. This was music to my ears, not only does this assembly teach God's Word rightly and properly, but they saw the dynamic of bringing up their own pastors. They granted me every first Sunday of the month to teach and preach and a year or two later I started filling in for Ron when he was sick or when he would be preaching at a conference. I was so blessed and still am so blessed for the leadership of Twin Cities Grace Fellowship for their obedience to God's Word in many areas, but specifically this area as it effects me.

In 2 weeks from this coming Sunday 7/17/11, I will be senior pastor at Twin Cities Grace Fellowship. Pastor Ron and family are moving to California for multiple reasons, one in which will involve starting a local assembly in Northern California allowing me to teach and preach full-time. I am eternally grateful for this opportunity, because it allows for "my desire" to become a full-time reality and "my desire" to edify the saints to become a practicality in the way I know how, as it is my part in the Body of Christ.

My journey seems like it has been long, yet I am 25 years old about to be a full-time pastor which doesn't sound bad at all. My journey, although seems long, is truly just beginning. I am thankful for God's design and order for the local assembly and for the leadership and saints at Twin Cities Grace Fellowship for following that design and order. Not many can say they will be a pastor at the age of 25, without seminary training and many do and look confused as I share with them my background; however, I know that all the leaders and teachers and preachers that are in the Bible never had seminary training and counted all their training as loss for the excellency of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. It is this that I am most consumed with and have a desire to teach all the things that go into knowing Christ. My journey is just beginning.

On July 30th, 2011, if the Lord tarries, I will be a 25 yr. old full-time pastor, without seminary training, without Greek and Hebrew, yet not ashamed, furthering my education in English Grammar by teaching myself from English grammarians from the 1800's and early 1900's, who is taking over the pastorship at the church he served in for 4 years, with an understanding of God's Word rightly divided and the design of edification. I cannot say it enough, I am so thankful.

Look Up,
Brother Josh