SS Inside Story: I Want to Serve! Marquan loves Jesus and wants everyone to know about Him. When he was 5, he wanted to learn to read so he could read the Bible for himself. One day he asked his pastor for a job at church. The pastor invited him to tell the children’s story. Marquan did a good job and was invited to speak more often. Then one day the pastor asked him to preach. “Me? I’m only 8 years old,” Marquan said, surprised. “It doesn’t matter how old you are,” the pastor smiled. “God can use anyone if they’re willing.”I’m just a kid, he thought. What would I preach about? Would people even listen to a child? Marquan promised to pray about it. Marquan’s grandmother told him that the prophet Jeremiah had thought he was too young to preach too, but God had told him that he must share the love of God with everyone God sent him to. Marquan decided that God was asking him to preach. His father helped him write his first sermon, and then Marquan memorized it. Marquan felt a little nervous on the day he was to preach. But he remembered God’s words to the prophet Isaiah, “I have put my words in your mouth” (Isaiah 51:16, NIV). Marquan knew that God was with him, and his nervousness went away. People at other churches in his town heard about the boy’s sermon, and they invited him to speak at their churches. Marquan accepted the invitations, for he had promised God that he would do whatever God asked him to do. He prayed that his sermons would be a blessing to everyone who heard them. When Marquan was 12, his pastor offered him a new challenge. “The church is planning a three-week Revelation Seminar, and we would like you to lead it,” the pastor said. Preparing and preaching 21 sermons was a huge commitment for a young boy. But Marquan prayed about it and felt sure that God wanted him to do it. The church held the meetings in a rented hall. On opening night some 250 people came. Many returned each night to hear a young boy preach God’s word. “I’ve learned that if we’re willing, God can use anyone to tell others about Jesus,” Marquan said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are; Jesus just wants you to be willing to tell others about Him.” God has blessed us with truths millions don’t know. It’s our duty to share these truths. We can tell others, we can pray for them, and we can give mission offerings so that those we may never meet will have a chance to hear that Jesus loves us. Marquan Buchanan shares his faith in his hometown in Arkansas, United States. Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: [email protected] website: adventistmission.org
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 06:37:13 +0000
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