You Might Be the Only One

There's a question I think a lot of us quietly ask: God, why don't you do something? 

Why doesn't He fix the brokenness in our world? Why doesn't He send someone to help?
Here's the thing – I believe He already has. He's sending you and me.

That's the heart of what I want to talk about today – following Jesus in service. Not just believing in Him, not just showing up on Sunday, but actually going where He leads and doing what He puts right in front of us.

Faith yields action
In the book of Acts, Peter doesn't sit still. He goes out – traveling to visit and encourage churches, strengthening new believers, following the Spirit's lead wherever it takes him. And because he said yes and went, remarkable things happened. Lives were changed. Communities turned to the Lord. Not because of Peter's power or reputation, but because he made himself available and pointed everyone straight back to Jesus.

That's the model: Say yes. Go. Let God work through you.

God doesn’t need professionals
We sometimes look at Christian service and think, “Well, I'm not a preacher. I'm not a worship leader. I don't have a microphone.” So we convince ourselves that what we can offer doesn't really count.

But there's a woman in Acts named Dorcas who didn't have any of those things. She sewed clothes for people who didn't have them. She showed up, met needs and abounded with “deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did” (Acts 9:36-42). No platform. No title. Just consistent, loving service.

And when she passed away, people wept. They showed the garments she had made. Her life mattered – deeply and widely – because she found joy in doing the thing God gave her to do. Two thousand years later, her name is still honored.

Little is much when God is in it.

Maybe you can fix cars. Fix them for the glory of Jesus. Maybe you can hold a door, make a phone call, send a text, offer a hug. Maybe you can persist in lovingly, kindly sharing the Gospel with a friend or family member who has not yet responded. Do it for the glory of Jesus. That's service. That's following Him.

Don’t try to meet God halfway
A lot of us want to follow Jesus – but with one hand. We'll serve, sure. We'll step out, maybe. But we're going to keep the other hand gripping our safety, our comfort, our backup plan.

Jesus said, “Pick up your cross and follow me.” It takes both hands to carry a cross. We can't hold onto it and our comfort at the same time.

God said to Joshua, “Take courage.” That phrase literally means to pick up our courage with both hands.

So what can that look like practically?

• Pray and then move. Don't just pray about something – get up and do the next thing in front of you. N.T. Wright said it well: “Get on prayerfully doing the present thing and be ready for surprises.”
• Stop waiting for a big opportunity. The Spirit often calls us to do the small, immediate thing. Do it faithfully.
• Let go of the thing you're holding onto. You know what it is. The comfort, the certainty, the what-if safety net. Loosen your grip.
• Act on what you hear. James said it plainly – be a doer of the word, not just a hearer. The blessing comes in the doing.
  
  

Here's what stops me in my tracks sometimes: You (or I) might be the only person who can do for someone else what no one else can do. God wants to move in that person's life – and He wants to do it through you.

Peter went. Dorcas served. Jesus picked up His cross.

Take your courage in both hands. Follow Him. Wherever He leads, whatever He puts in front of you – go.

The Master has promised He'll be with you every step of the way.