“You want me to do what?” I mumbled into my phone at Starbucks. I was a little flabbergasted. A person I had never met called me with an out-of-the-blue job offer. This wasn’t a weird robo-call scam. It was legit. For context, a friend had spoken to a friend who decided to give me a call. I sipped on my cinnamon iced coffee while someone asked me to help build a business that creates content for churches. We aren’t just talking about one church. Their vision was seeking to help thousands of ministries all over the world.
“I’m pretty sure you have the wrong guy,” I gulped into the phone. “This sounds difficult. I fear that don’t have the skills or experience to pull this off. Are you aware I’m only 24?” I insisted. This kind guy persisted that they’d love to have me and encouraged me to pray about it for a few days. While praying, I still felt unqualified and unprepared, but I could feel God pushing me forward. Thus, the next day, I typed out an email with the subject line, “I’m in.”
Those two words radically changed my life. Our nonprofit helps thousands of pastors in dozens of countries all over the globe. The radical vision has become a reality. Jesus made it happen. Through His power, we are seeing lives changed from Philadelphia to the Philippines. Every sliver of credit goes to God, because it’d be humanly impossible to pull this off without Him. It wasn’t about worthiness; it was about willingness.
In Mark 3, Jesus made a confusing proposition to a dozen unworthy and unlikely men. “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” (3:13-15). Jesus didn’t just ask them to accept a job offer. He offered them an unpaid job that required demon exorcism! Scary stuff, right? There were hundreds of excuses for the soon-to-be apostles. They were unqualified, uneducated, and unprepared. They were picked last for dodgeball and inevitably had a few disappointing discussions with their dads.
Despite all the valid excuses, they said yes to Jesus. These fishermen, tax collectors, and protesters changed the world. Their obedience two thousand years ago has echoed through human history. They were ordinary, but their impact on the world was extraordinary.
Jesus doesn’t care about your past or prerequisites. He is not looking for the smartest, the strongest, the cutest, or the most charismatic. The Bible is packed full of stories of God using ordinary men and women for extraordinary outcomes. That includes you. Jesus’ invitation is still the same for you today. “Follow me,” he asks. It’s my hope that you reply, “I’m in.”