Idiots

Acts 4:13 (NKJV)

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

There have been many times that I have been called an idiot in my life. I remember we were playing in the middle school basketball championship game, we were down by three and had the ball with seconds left. I earned the label idiot when the ball was swung over to me and feeling like I could not hit the three, took a step in and nailed the two-pointer, and we drove home only one-point losers. It certainly was an idiotic moment. Or there was the time I thought I shut off the right breaker when my father and I were working on my old house, it was a shocking failure and another idiotic moment added to my sheet. Then there was the time I tried driving a motorcycle for the first time, a trade-in at the dealership I was working at. Turning the corner too tight, I landed that thing perfectly on it’s mirror. You see, the one thing each of these moments had in common was the fact that I was uneducated or untrained in each of these areas. I had never stepped up to hit as big a shot in basketball, I had no idea about electricity or how to determine if I was doing any of it correctly, and I had never taken a motorcycle course, nor did I have a licence. All of our excuses go out the window when if comes to spreading the Gospel with this verse here. Even though they were idiots, the crowd marveled at their abilities. What Is holding you back from furthering the Kingdom?

I Don’t Know What To Say

Maybe you do not know the Gospel inside and out, maybe you have not lead hundreds of people to salvation, but you do have access to one of the most powerful tools in evangelism… you have a unique testimony. When you sit back and look at your life before Christ and your life after Christ, there is a unique story there, one just waiting to be told.

You may have to put some work into this one, maybe writing it out, memorizing some of the key concepts, maybe even saying it out loud, but there is a deeply personal and equally powerful story we all possess. 1 Peter 3:15 encourages us… (15) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear… You have hope in Christ, you have to be ready to tell people around you about that hope. Your testimony should be one of the tools you use over and over again.

People Won’t Listen To Me

Isaiah 55:11 tells us… (11) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it… We can have that same confidence with the words that go forth from our own mouth. We may or may not see instant fruit from the spirit-filled words coming from our mouth, but it will not come back void. There have been several times when the words the Lord spoke through me in a ministry setting took several weeks to produce the intended fruit. Even in a situation where you think people are not listening, people are hearing the spirit-filled words you are speaking. It is up to you to be faithful to deliver them, and then allow the Lord to use them properly.

I Am Just Not Strong Enough For Ministry

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, except deliver my testimony. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, except deliver a friend to salvation. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, except make a difference in a non-believers life. Nope… I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, period. If we are being called to anything, our Lord is going to be faithful to deliver the strength He has already promised us.

Closing Thoughts:

Uneducated, untrained, unusable… not in God’s eyes! Through Christ, even us idiots can deliver the God’s promises to a world that desperately needs them. Take that first step today, let God do the rest.

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

10 Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’