I would have done anything to get to be active in the ministry when I was 19. 

The Bible college I attended had 84 churches in the mountains surrounding Chattanooga and all the way north to Knoxville. Some of these churches were fair sized, but most were 10-15 people. All the churches had pastors, youth pastors and ministers of music who were my fellow students. It was an effort to provide students with experience in real church situations. I wanted to get involved, so I signed up for any opportunity.

I would have done anything.....

There was a church on a mountain just across the state line in Georgia. They were going to have a revival. In February. Northern Georgia is a lot warmer than where I come from in Ohio, but it was the mountains and it was February. The pastor of this little church was driving his rattle-trap old car up the mountain. It seemed to be getting colder with each rotation of the tires. Next to the pastor in the front seat was the man who was going to preach this revival, the evangelist. The exhaust was leaking into the car, so the rear windows had to be opened. Sitting in the back seat were the pastor's wife and two small children. Oh, and me. I was going along as the guest song leader. I had no experience in this, but the regular guy refused to drive in that weather. Calling me the 'guest song leader' made me sound special, I guess. 

I had just been told that afternoon I was doing this, so I had no music ready. The pastor and the evangelist were talking in the front seat and talking very loudly to be heard over the broken exhaust. I tapped the evangelist on the shoulder and asked him if he had any particular hymns he wanted. He turned in the seat and gave me a glare.

"LISTEN, BOY!" (He was in his last year, so he was four years older than me. I was Boy.) "WHEN I PREACH, I PREACH WHAT THE HOLY GHOST LAYS ON MY HEART. I JUST LET GO AND LET FLY! YOU BETTER GET PRAYED UP AND LET THE HOLY GHOST PICK YOUR MUSC!" 

OK, I had been told. When I got to the church I asked the older lady who was playing the piano what she thought and she said the regular lady wasn't there, so she was playing. She only knew five songs and two of those were Christmas carols. So.....we sang her five songs and I was told on the way home that my services were no longer desired for the rest of the revival. Strangely enough, I was quite happy to sit in my dorm room the next night and listen to the sleet beat at the windows.

2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who doesn't need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of God." Funny in a way. No where does it say let go and let fly. When the Jews sang on the way to Temple, they sang certain songs at certain places along the way. When children were taught in Hebrew school, the lessons were strict and prepared. We are to be prepared when we step up to teach or sing or preach. Even when we do none of those things, we need to be prepared to minister to someone when they need some Jesus. 

Imagine you are going in for open heart surgery. A man walks in wearing tennis clothes. "Hey, what do you say we do this! Let's see...Oh, my. Your chart says triple bypass. Yeah, I can probably do that. I'll just wing it!" Or someone trips on a root in your yard, cracks a vertebrae and sues you. You don't want your lawyer to be family law and know little about how to help you. You don't want to take your spouse to an expensive restaurant and get a toasted cheese sandwich. Shouldn't you do the best you can to present the Lord in the best way possible? It is our job.

Study!