Least Likely Leader

 In our society, we tend to label people. We take one incident and immediately judge. Do not proudly consider that you have never judged or mislabeled someone. I have. I admit it. However, I have witnessed what God can do with the most least likely person. 

My brother was quiet and had a little stutter when he spoke as a child. In his late teens, the stutter in his voice went away. Yet, there were a few in our church who still labeled him as the little boy who stutters. Then, he was called to be a preacher. A few of those church people were not supportive, because preachers can not communicate with a stutter. I heard the comments. It hurt. He made it through school and is a very good pastor and spiritual leader. How I wish they could see him today after years of youth ministry in the camp program, serving four congregations, and on the denominations board in a leadership position.

Then, there was that wild young man with the long hair and pierced ear. Even, after he had served in ministry, there were some who didn't accept him because of the long hair. Believe me, this least likely missionary changed more lives than those who labeled him. Tommy developed a ministry giving clean water to tribes along the Amazon River along with the living water from our Savoir. This least likely missionary died while serving, but the ministry he started continues. 

In the book of Acts, we come across a young man who was driven to stop what he called heresy. Often, I wonder about that young man whose name was changed from Saul. Saul's mission was to stop the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Peter and John healed the lame man and preached the gospel of faith in Jesus Christ, I wonder if this Saul heard their message. We know very little about Saul whose name was changed to Paul after losing his sight on the way to Damascus. In Acts 22: 3 Paul stated, "I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as you all are this day." From Paul's words, I feel we can conclude he probably heard Jesus speak and was possibly in the Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified. As he stated, he was driven to stop the teachings of the resurrection of Jesus, salvation through faith, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Yes, he was the most least likely leader to spread the gospel of salvation through faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 A large portion of the New Testament is about Paul's ministry. His teacher, Gamaliel, may have questioned how his student became the one to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to most of the civilized world. Paul traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch and beyond through Asia to Greece. Within every city he entered, he went into the synagogues and streets preaching the resurrection and baptism of the Holy Spirit. Many places in the book of Acts simply use the words "he reasoned with them," "teach them that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the the dead," or "must believe and be baptized of the Holy Spirit." The gospel doesn't give us eloquent sermons from this student of Gamaliel, but simply that he taught or reasoned. Yet, this man who walked among the Pharisees and priests who chose to have Jesus crucified became the chief of the missionaries spreading the gospel. 

The point is simply that with God anyone he chooses is the most qualified for God's ministry. Forget those with money or from families of famous evangelists. Follow after those who is doing God's work and preaching the true gospel. They may stutter or look different, but God's choices are the ones who are growing the Kingdom of God. So, when God calls you, don't delay thinking you are the least likely. Be assured, God uses those least likely and turn them into giants of God's ministry.