Are You a Carrier?

You might have a message to deliver, and you might not even know it

I lose sight of the sheer number of volunteers it takes to put on a church service. Childcare, Sunday School teachers, greeters, people handing out bulletins, people helping direct traffic in the parking lot, ushers…on and on and on. One time I was talking with a volunteer after church, and he mentioned that he was looking to move on to a different area of volunteering within the church. I asked him what he’d like to move into next, and he named one of our logistical roles, which is obviously a very important role on a busy Sunday morning.

I’m not sure why, but I started talking to him about moving into an area that felt sort of uncomfortable…maybe a little beyond what you feel comfortable doing. It’s like it just happened without any thought. There’s nothing wrong with the role he suggested, and in fact it’s a crucial need at our church. But for some reason, I just blurted this thought out.

He kind of shifted his weight and got a little fidgety. He even said “Oh, maaaaannnnnn.” He went on to explain that someone in church had recently approached him about filling another role; one that was just a bit beyond his comfort level. It turns out that my bringing up this idea was driving home a message that had already been delivered.

The God of the Old Testament is the same God we serve today. Instead of audibly speaking in a booming voice to people like Moses, today He whispers to us…to everyday people. A whisper can be easy to ignore, though, so sometimes He whispers to us a second time, or a third time. It might be a song you hear on the radio; it could be something that jumps out at you in a strange way while reading a book; it might even be a conversation you have with someone at church.

What’s really neat to think about is that, just in passing, you might be a part of God speaking to someone about a divine message that He’s in the middle of sending.

As far as the guy at church I was talking to…I don’t know what he decided. It’s not my job to try to convince him one way or the other. It turns out I’m just one of the messengers. I’m definitely curious, and I’ll probably follow up with him sometime, but I have to remember that there may be cases where I’m a messenger and I don’t even realize it, or that in some situations I won’t be able to learn the final outcome. It’s still exciting to be a part of, though.

I have a clip of a video that can illustrate this concept in a little bit of a different way. You’re gonna have to hang with me on this one, it’s from one of the X-Men movies. If you’re not familiar, some of the people in these movies have fantastic powers. In this scene, a woman named Raven has made up her mind to do something controversial. Her friend Charles, who is not physically with her at the time, desperately wants to stop her. Charles is telepathic, but he’s using a machine that can boost his telepathic abilities to communicate with her. As you watch this, imagine yourself as one of the people in the airport, who has no clue what’s going on. That can be you carrying a message that God is sending to a specific individual.

(Watch the first 60 seconds)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3cwAjmbZ5Y

Of course, it’s up to the individual what they do with the message. Sometimes they’ll choose to take it to heart, and other times they’ll do everything they can to ignore it.

If you ever have a moment like this, where you kind of say “I don’t know why I said that,” you may have just been part of sending a message that God wants someone to hear.

On the flip side, if you notice that you’re getting the same message from a few different areas in your life, it’s probably time to take that message to heart.

Where We Are In History

Let’s consider for a moment where we are in history.

Christ came and made a new way for us almost 2,000 years ago. The War has been won, but the battle continues raging today. People pass away every day, permanently ending their ability to decide their eternal fate. We find ourselves somewhere between the early Christians figuring out how they should live, and the End Times, where widespread persecution of Christians will be a prelude to the chaos that culminates in Christ returning. We have no idea if we’re closer to the former or the latter, but we’re to live as though our time is short.

We live in interesting times. Our modern-day lives bear little resemblance on the surface to what we read about in Bible times, yet there’s really nothing new in the way of our shortcomings and temptations. Today’s technology is beyond what Bible characters could have dreamed. The speed of life has only increased since the most recently written words in the Bible. We can drive hundreds of miles in a matter of hours, and we can fly thousands of miles so quickly that we can see the sun set twice in the same day.

The amount of information we absorb and forget in a day is dizzying.

Despite all this, the focus of a Christ-follower has not changed at all. After His resurrection and immediately before he disappeared and ascended to Heaven, the last thing Christ said to His followers was “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Our environment has changed, but our focus has not.

Here’s the really exciting part, and the part that makes me excited for you, and for us. Since Jesus didn’t put restrictions on the methods by which we are to follow that command, our imagination is the limit to the number of ways by which we do it! Can you imagine? Today’s elementary school kids Skype with astronauts in space! GoFundMe sites pop up for any and every reason! We have drones that deliver pizza! That same spirit of innovation and creativity can be used for “making disciples of all nations.”

YOU have been blessed with spiritual gifts! Jesus knew that His disciples were going to be anxious about continuing without Him. To help soothe them, He told them to expect help from the Holy Spirit, who He described as “The Helper” (John 14:26). 1 Corinthians chapter 12 spells out how it’s meant to go. The Holy Spirit brings gifts to each Christian, but they’re not the same combination of gifts for each person.

On top of that, each person has their own personal interests in different causes; it’s something that somehow hits a little closer to home than other causes for you. It might be a heart for the homeless, for orphans, for single moms, for shut-ins, for those in prison, or any number of countless other groups of people.

And then you have talents or skills that you’ve developed with time. Maybe you have a natural knack for languages, or it’s easy for you to do anything musical. Writing, art, academics, working on engines, writing computer code, fixing things, and on and on.

Maybe you’ve never thought about it before, but at the crossroads of these three things (spiritual gifts, interests, and talents) lies your ideal ministry. This is where you’ll be the most excited, the most energized, and the most satisfied to operate. That’s not to say it won’t be exhausting, but it’s where you’ll find the most compelling reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Here’s something to consider. For the rest of your life, the speed of change at this point, right now, is the slowest it’s ever going to be. That means that life is going to change, and that the rate of change will only increase from here on out. New technologies…new customs…new methods of communicating and interacting. What does that translate to? It means that in conjunction with the countless types of ministry mentioned just a moment ago, there is an exponential number of ministry opportunities in this world, and YOU are uniquely and ideally suited to own some of them!

There are things you can do that I can’t, or there are things you’re willing to do that I’m not, and vice versa. That means that somewhere, there’s a ministry role to fill that is waiting expectantly for you to grab hold of it! There’s a place for you to be plugged in…to maximize all of your gifts, talents, and interests! I’m talking about a unique spot in this world that you can slide into and it will be your perfect storm for you to find fulfillment in glorifying Christ, for you to be excited about what you do, to do more than you thought you could, and to reach your God-given potential!

As this world changes, and as the pace of change quickens, recognize that you might be the only person in the world to have the idea you’re having about new ways to reach people for God. Seize that idea! Make it happen as if other souls depend on it, because that just might be the case. The whole reason I’m writing this blog is to give you the push you need to move forward with that idea.

Billy Graham glorified God in amazing ways, and he was the right person at the right time, but the world has changed. His ministry was incredible, but it probably wouldn’t work as well if someone tried it today. Since the old things may not work as well as they used to, it’s time to take new ideas, encourage them, develop them, and dedicate them to God. Believe me, He’ll do the rest, as long as you follow His leading.

It’s time to step out in faith. Dare to do great things!