No Experience Necessary
Today is Clergy Appreciation Day. Sadly, many believers use the Internet to criticize preachers they don't like. Some think particular individuals shouldn’t be in the ministry. The truth is God calls the most unlikely people. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
If someone told me over thirty years ago I would be an evangelist, I wouldn’t have believed them. I sought a career in the recording industry and also worked as a disc jockey. Becoming a minister was the furthest thing from my mind. My life radically changed after I got born again on March 19th, 1991. As a young Christian, God used some of my natural abilities to do His work, such as duplicating cassettes in my church’s tape ministry. Eventually, spiritual gifts developed as I stepped out and followed the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
Consider these individuals God used to turn the world upside down…
- Noah got drunk.
- Abraham was too old.
- Jacob was a liar.
- Gideon was afraid.
- Rahab was a prostitute.
- Jeremiah and Timothy were considered too young.
- David had an affair.
- Moses was a murderer.
- Elijah was suicidal at one point.
- Jonah ran from God.
- Peter denied Christ.
- The disciples fell asleep while praying.
- The Samaritan woman was divorced five times.
- Timothy had an ulcer.
- John the Baptist ate bugs.
- And Lazarus was dead!
I’ve also made my share of mistakes as a Christian. However, Romans 11:29 says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Jesus won’t fire you if you mess up. As long as you repent, there is always hope for restoration. It’s often been said, “God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the call.”
Kathryn Kuhlman believed God’s first two choices for her ministry was a man “…but no man was willing to pay the price. I was just naive enough to say, ‘Take nothing and use it.’ And He has been doing that ever since.” Kathryn had a successful ministry not because she was the best but because she was obedient.
God is looking for more individuals to fulfill His purposes in these last days. No experience is necessary. So how about making yourself available?
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’” - Isaiah 6:8
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