A Chance to Change the World
And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
—Mark 1:17
Steve Jobs, the iconic founder of Apple Computers, invited John Scully, then president of Pepsi, to join Apple as the CEO of the young computer company. After pursuing Scully for several months, and being turned down often, Jobs finally pitched the position in this way: “Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to come with me and change the world?”
Missionary Highlight
Gemma Mastromarino
Gemma Mastromarino
Please pray for Miss. Gemma Mastromarino. Gemma is ministering to Romanian women and children.
Romania is home to almost twenty-two million souls. Evangelicals make up little more than five percent of the total population. Romania is home to some unreached people groups, for example the Romanies (i.e, gypsies).
I believe the hearts of the Romanian people are more open to the gospel than the hearts of any other European peoples.
Over the summer Gemma has worked in camps. The Lord is using Gemma; we praise Him for that.
Missionary Quote
“It is the whole business of the whole church to preach the whole gospel to the whole world.”
—Charles H. Spurgeon
Jobs offered to John Scully the chance to make a difference with his career. Maybe Scully did not fully understand Apple Computer and what it would become, but he did make the decision to get involved. Steve Jobs was the founder of the company but he was offering to Scully the chance to be the boss. Jobs believed that Scully could do an amazing work with Apple Computer.
If a leader that you believed in and respected came to you and said they thought you were uniquely qualified to do a job for them, would you turn them down? What if they not only offering you a job that you are skilled at doing, but it was also something you have a passion for. Something you would do whether you were paid to do it or not. How would you react to their offer?
God does have a job for you and I to do. He has equipped us. He has given us His Holy Spirit to indwell us and to guide us. He has given us skills and talents. On top of all these things God offers to empower us with the resources necessary to accomplish the task that He has called you to do.
When Jesus called the disciples to follow Him they did not know what to do or how to do it. They were a band of men from different backgrounds and personalities. Yet, Jesus chose each one because every one of them had a skill that was useful in the kingdom of God.
Notice in Mark 1:17 that Jesus did not call them because they already knew what to do either. He called them and said that if they would follow then He would make them into fishers of men. They did not know how to do that yet. They only knew how to catch fish using a boat and a net. But through spending time with the Lord they learned how to catch men using the Holy Spirit and a message.
God offers each one of us an opportunity to stop selling sugared water, or trading our hours for dollars, for a chance to join Him and change the world. Will you allow Him to make you into a fisher of men?
Missionary Humor
“An American missionary couple to Africa brought African national pastors to a conference in the States. During the afternoon break, the African pastors wanted to walk around the city. Concerned they would get lost, the missionaries wrote their phone number on a slip of paper, handed it to one of the pastors, and instructed the men to call them if they needed help.
About an hour later, the missionary’s phone rang, and one of the pastors was on the other end. “We’re lost,” He confessed. “Lay the phone down and walk to the nearest street corner,” the missionary instructed. “When you get there, look for the street signs, and come back and tell me what they say.”
The missionary waited on the phone while the national pastor followed his directive. A few minutes later, the pastor returned. “I’m near the corner of ‘Walk’ and ‘Don’t Walk.'”
(Stewarding Life, Paul Chappel, pages. 124-125)
