A Pastors Call: to Worship – and a Great Commission Resurgence

I’m starting my first sermon series as pastor of Henderson Baptist Church called “A Pastor’s Call.” Each week I will be focusing on a different passage and aspect of the call of the pastor. Last week, my first sermon was from Isaiah 6:1-8 entitled “A Pastor’s Call: to Worship.” This is one of my favorite passages from the Old Testament, and one in which I have preached several times before. My premise is that the pastor’s primary call is to worship and to lead the people of God to worship. I was struck with the emphasis in Isaiah 6 upon entering God’s presence how Isaiah first saw the glory of God, was struck with his own sinfulness, confessed his sin, and then received forgiveness. One part of this passage that hadn’t really struck me until just this week was that it wasn’t until Isaiah had dealt with his sin and received forgiveness that he heard from the Lord. Finally, the call to worship leads to mission–with the Lord saying “Who will go” and Isaiah saying “Here am I, send me.” This week I signed a statement calling for a Great Commission Resurgence. What many across the SBC are hoping for is a resurgence in churches, pastors, and people all being involved in fulfilling the great commission in a greater way than ever before. I believe that we are all called to be missionaries-starting right where we live. May a Great Commission Resurgence begin, and may it begin with me.