From Zero to Hero

There are all kinds of movies about kids (or even adults) who have a miraculous transformations.  Usually from a nobody to some super popular person who then has to apologize for his/her friends for being a jerk, etc.  Did you know God has been turning no-body's in to somebody's for a few thousand  years?

Probably most of us know the stories of Noah - nobody knew who he was, well, they knew he was a quack and thought him crazy because he didn't live his life like anybody else around him (or on the world at the time for that matter!).  But you and I are here as a direct result of this nobody.  Or what about King David?  He was the youngest in his family, scrawny and got picked on and mistreated by his brothers.  He ended up killing a bear, a lion and Goliath before becoming King of all Israel.  Then there is Gideon who was a frightened young man hiding out that ends up leading a band of 300 against 30,000!

But I've got another zero to hero story for you that doesn't get a lot of press.  In Acts seven there is a situation in the early church where there is a complaint lodged against the Jewish Christians.  whether it was an oversight or intentional, the non-Jew widows felt like they were getting left out when the food was distributed to those who needed it.  The complaint went to the Apostles who apparently were  asked to handle the situation so this would not happen in the future.  The Apostles realize that if they took on this ministry of distributing food it would take them away from their primary role of preaching, teaching and praying.  (By the way, this is a good thing to remember when you get pulled in different directions - stick to your gift and your calling.)

The Apostle's decision was that seven men be chosen to oversee this ministry.  That sounded good to everyone so they agreed upon seven guys who are listed in that chapter.  Up until that day none of these men are mentioned in the Bible. And let's face it, this ministry, not very high up on the list of super wanted ministries within the church.  Anyway, they accepted the role and began to oversee the dispersal of food to the widows.

That should have been the last we heard of those guys.  Not very important guys doing not very important work.  But in the very next chapter of Acts one of the seven guys is so courageously preaching the Gospel that the religious leaders take note of him and decide he needs to be shut-up.  Now remember, Stephen was a nobody who is a contemporary with Peter, James and John!  These "super-Apostles," as Paul calls them, were also preaching and teaching in the same places and at the same time but Stephen stands out enough that he is singled out!  And the result of that focus?  Stephen becomes the first Christian Martyr in history.  His story only takes a portion of two chapters but has a huge impact on the church.

And that is not all!  In Acts 21 another one of these seven nobody's pops up in the story.  A  guy by the name of Philip.  When Paul and Luke get to Caesarea they stay at Philip's home.  How Philip and his family got from Jerusalem to Caesarea we don't know - only that they find him there.  Luke tells us that he stayed in the home of, "Philip the evangelist" who was one of the seven chosen in Jerusalem.  And that he has four unmarried daughters who prophecy. I think that is amazing!  Not only has this nobody became a somebody but he's the second one from a group of only seven who went from a little forgettable story in Acts seven to have a huge impact on the world for Christ!

Here's the reality even for us today.  Nobody knows what God is planning for their future.  We have friends who never had any kind of a desire to be missionaries who are now in their third year of a five year church planing mission in Koper, Slovenia.  Their work will have a huge impact on the kingdom for years to come.  Before becoming missionaries he was an engineer and she was a stay at home mom.  Honestly, nothing super-special about their lives, and they would tell you the same thing!

What you DO NOW is not an indicator of what God may do through you in a week, month or year. Who you ARE NOW is not who you may one day be.

So here's the rules.
1.  Release your future.   Don't get too hung-up on your past - Free yourself to God's plans.
2.  Be ready for God to use you.  Don't think that God can't or won't - that's what David, Noah and Gideon thought.
3.  Allow God to have the freedom to shape you into anything He desires - then let Him work.
4.  Always be prepared to be used as He sees fit - don't rely on yourself to figure that out.

Who knows, the next chapter of your life could be a completely different story from the first.  God will never give up on you.  Don't ever give up on Him.