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Begin by reading 1 Samuel 16:1-13
One of my family’s favorite movies is a Disney Pixar film called Ratatouille. It’s about a rat named Remy who gets disconnected from his scavenging family and ends up in Paris. He realizes early on that he’s not like the other rats who dig for grub in the trash. No, he loves to cook. His inspiration comes from a world-renowned chef named Gusteau, who wrote a book entitled “Anyone Can Cook.” At the end of this cute movie, Remy who is the brains behind a Parisian restaurant kitchen has to impress a tough food critic named Anton Ego. And when Ego finds out that the delicious dish of ratatouille he just consumed was made by a rat, we’re left in suspense wondering what type of review Ego will give Remy’s restaurant. It turns out that Ego’s egotistical heart softens, and he gives this review. “…In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”
This is a good lesson not just for the artist or chef but for the Christian as well. As we have been talking about for the past two days, the idea that there are some that are called to ministry is a myth. We are all called to ministry. Scripture makes no distinction between the clergy and the laity. We are all part of a laos – a holy nation – called to share a portion (or kleros) of God’s ministry. Anyone can minister.
When I say “anyone can minister,” I am really saying two things. First, everyone should minister to each other in the area that God calls and equips you for. He may not call you to be a pastor, but he may call you to be a teacher, an encourager, or a giver. When you exercise your gift(s), you are glorifying God and ministering to the Body of Christ.
Secondly, when I say “anyone can minister,” I mean to say, God can use anyone. The Bible is filled with examples of people whom we would overlook for ministry. Abraham was a pagan, Moses stuttered, Ruth was poor, David cheated on his wife, Jonah was afraid, Zaccheaus was short, Peter was rough around the edges, and the stories go on and on. If we have learned anything about the Bible, it is that God can use anyone. Not everyone becomes pastors and prophets, but like Anton Ego’s train of thought, pastors, prophets, and leaders can come from anywhere. We just don’t know who God will raise up and for what purpose. It is as God tells Samuel, “Man looks at the appearance, but God looks at the heart.”
Let me encourage you with this thought. As you walk with God, you are changing. You are receiving a heart transplant. People around you may see your weaknesses, may see your past failures, may see your faults, but God sees something different in you. When God grabs a hold of you and the Holy Spirit begins to work, you never know what can happen. Just remember the story of Peter. When his friend and rabbi was being beaten, Peter couldn’t even muster up the words to say, “Yes, I know Him.” But once the Holy Spirit entered his life at Pentecost, everything changed. Peter stood up before priests, scholars, and thousands of people and gave a sermon that may be considered one of the most powerful and influential of all time. In Acts 4, we find the elders and priests astonished at how it was that Peter, an uneducated man, could speak with such power and authority. If God can use Peter, He can use you. Be sensitive to His leading. You just never know what He’ll call and qualify you to do.
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