Mark 6
He left there and returned to his hometown. His disciples came along. On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. “We had no idea he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?”
But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “He’s just a carpenter—Mary’s boy. We’ve known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is?” They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further.
Jesus told them, “A prophet has little honor in his hometown, among his relatives, on the streets he played in as a child.” Jesus wasn’t able to do much of anything there—he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, that’s all. He couldn’t get over their stubbornness. He left and made a circuit of the other villages, teaching.
I have noticed in many churches and fellowships how people who are incredibly gifted are not allowed to walk in their giftings because people are blinded by what, who they were or what, who they thought the person was. Ironic to me is that we look outside our local bodies for our “pastoral” leaders and do not allow people in our local bodies to grow into the leaders that God has called them to be. We need to learn to have faith and believe. Let the people that are within your fellowship learn to walk and grow in their gifts and stop ministry outsourcing.
Cool thing about God is that he sees who we will be and puts us in situations to get there and confounds the “wise” in your home churches. Keep your head up, he has called you to something and no man controls your destiny.
You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.