Have you ever been hit with that question. Sometimes it comes from within and sometimes it comes from without. You get a dream and a vision and you just get started on bringing it to reality when you get hit with the question: “Who are you to do that?” Followed by a million and one reasons why you shouldn’t do what you are feeling led to do. It happened to me just today.
I started to think about my speaking ministry and what I would really like to do, what I feel led to do. A big part of my vision is to help churches reach their communities by empowering their people to find and use their gifts to serve the Lord. I’ve known this was a big part of it for a long time. It’s part of the reason, my tag line is “It’s not JUST about art!” Do I want to help artists? Absolutely, but beyond that I want to help everyone in the church to realize that their gifts are all from God and can be used to serve Him and reach others for Him and I want to help churches to realize that their need is a lot greater than just speakers, singers and instrumentalists. If we are truly going to be the body of Christ, all the parts are needed. I started to think about ways I could help churches build their “bodies” when “Who are you to…?”raised its ugly head. Namely, “Who are you to think you can help to build the body of Christ when your own church just closed?” Today I want to answer that question in hopes of helping you the next time you get hit with “Who are you to…?”
The question is true. My church did close and partly because we were unable to reach people in the commmunity. THere were a lot of factors for this, but they will all sound like excuses so I’ll skip them. Suffice it to say, we opened in obedience to God and I believe we closed in obedience as well and in between we helped quite a few people. So who am I to do this ministry?
First, I am a child of God. Secondly when I came to Christ, I was a mess. Borderline alcoholic (and I only say borderline because I was never diagnosed and never sought treatment, bottom line I was falling down drunk at least three nights a week almost every week, call that what you will), terrified to speak in public and was returning to church after ten years away. I only showed up there the first time because a girl invited me. Long story short, God did a huge work in my life. I came to Jesus and married the girl, but never even considered a speaking ministry because of my fear of speaking not to mention looking at my past and hearing a lot of “Who are you to think you could do that after all you’ve done?”
WHat happened? The pastor found a simple use for my gift. I was to paint a bacckdrop ffor vacation Bible School skits, which eventually led to acting in the skits, which led to teaching, which led to teaching sunday school, leading youth, becoming a preacher, getting ordained and now to a ministry where I go all over the place to preach and paint and tell people about Jesus. Am I the most successful church planter ever? NO! But this I know, someone found my gift and showed me how to serve the Lord with it and it has born fruit all over the country. If I can help other people do that in their churches and help churches get a vision for empowering their members to new and different ministries, then my story (What God has done in my life) will help to build the body of Christ.
That’s who I am, and all glory goes to the God who uses the foolish things to confound the wise. If He can use me, He can use you!
Who are you?
