Previously I suggested that you look at the temptation story in Matthew 4:1-11. The context is that it proceeds immediately after Jesus has been baptized. Consider his baptism as the moment of Jesus’ call. He is touched by the divine and affirmed by the voice of God. Now notice what happens next. Matthew says he is led by the Spirit. Mark says he is driven by the Spirit. (Mark 1:12) In either case, it is clear that this experience of temptation is an integral part of living out his call. Since the Gospels were written for our sake, without pretending that we are Jesus, we can still see in this story the framework for our response to being called by God as well.
Look at the temptations described in Matthew and abstract from them the type of temptations that seem to be a part of responding to God’s call in your life. While there are several possibilities, let me suggest at least one way to look at the temptations as they relate to our call to ministry. Remember that each temptation is preceded by testing his identity. “If you are the son of God . . .” So, if you are called by God, then . . .”
The first temptation can be seen as the temptation of survival. Isn’t a major pressure that we face is how to survive in the ministry. I’ve made plenty of compromises in order to please people. The question is always when have you kept your job at the price of your soul.
The second temptation centers around proving that you have that God connection. In ministry, it is the other side of the first temptation. Now, instead of compromising to keep your job, you are tempted to self-righteously stand against the sins of the world and use whatever victories you can have as signs that God is on your side.
The third temptation is the temptation of power. The bigger the church or more important your position, the more you will be able to influence things for the good. When is the call to a bigger or more prestigious church part of our temptation. When is our attraction to associating with the more powerful people in our congregation part of our temptation.
Tomorrow, we will look further at the temptations that we all face.
