Ordinary average guys

Mark 3:13-19: “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16 Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.”

When Jesus handpicked the leaders of the early church He did not use the same criteria that we would use today. He did not look for the well-educated, placid, well-mannered, good Jew that people were expecting in the followers of the Christ. In fact, Jesus picked the most obscure group of men to start the greatest movement in history. In this list of disciples, there were fishermen, a tax collector, and even a zealot. These were all undesirables, who did not have everything figured out. They were not religious experts; they were working class people who had been disillusioned by the organized religion of the day. The word of God was used as a means to beat people down and to hold them back from achieving what God really wanted for them. They needed God’s word to be alive, and they needed to be able to apply it to their lives. Instead, it became a means of frustration.

Then Jesus came on the scene and began to show the world what the scripture really was; it was a love letter from God Almighty to this world, and it blew their understanding of God wide-open. These 12 men would be injected with the passion that was needed to spread God’s message of Love and Hope to the entire world. God used just men. They were not special, in fact they were ordinary, working class folks, and they, with the help of the Holy Spirit, changed the face of this world forever. Two thousand plus years later we still feel the effects of this man Jesus and the 12 common people He used.

If you know how God changed this world with 12 ordinary men who just wanted to serve God, you should also know how He can use someone like you or me to make a difference in this world. You are a precious treasure to God, and He wants you to rock this world for Jesus Christ. The answer lies with you. Are you willing you be used by God to bring about a Jesus sized change in this world? One person can do amazing things when they trust in God’s leadership. All you have to do is exert faith, and you do not need much. In fact, Jesus said if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you will be able to move mountains. So what mountains in this world is Jesus calling you to move?

Tomorrows Readings:
Old Testament: num 3-4 New Testament Mark 3:22-35