An Excellent Encourager // Little People Used by a Big God, Part 5

It's a harsh, cruel world out there, isn't it? And sometimes it seems that we live in a world devoid of encouragement. Some days, it feels as though all the encouragers that God ever created, have been wiped off the face of the earth. Completely extinct. And then you meet one. Wow! Thank God for the encouragers in this world. Amen?

We've been looking this week at being a little person used by a big God, and in particular, I have been sharing some stories about some little people, who God has been using so mightily, in my life.

A young man called Joseph in Africa, Max who works in the studio here with me, my wife, a silent servant. It's amazing how we suffer from superstar syndrome. We see all these larger than life media personalities, people who aren't really people, they're brands, and think, 'I can never be like that. I can't have significance like that', when all along, God has a crazy plan.

He's looking for little people, little people like you and me, who He can use in the lives of others. I'd like to finish up this week as we look at significance by talking about a man in my life called 'Ton', as he likes to call himself. He is a few years my junior, but he is the most excellent encourager you will ever meet.

Tony is this tall, gangly, curly redheaded guy and he himself would say, 'I'm no oil painting'. He's kind of right, he should be in radio with me. He's a Queenslander, that's a little bit like being a Yorkshire man in the U.K. or a Texan in the U.S., right? Queenslanders are kind of special, something different and wonderful about them. And he runs an advertising and design company. They do the most amazing, creative work.

I met Tony when he was really, really down. He'd done some free concept work for a particular ministry who were doing a media campaign and they took some of that and then didn't use his company any more. God had really laid something on his heart at the time to support a media ministry, and one thing led to another and now he supports our ministry. Now he's on our board and he has this passion and fire for what we do.

His creative company helps us with brochures and newsletters and just stuff that a ministry like this has to do. And as I said, they do the most wonderful creative work. We have recently put a website together, called www.whosjesus.com. They did all the printing and promotional stuff for that and it's just stunning. You know, the work they do is just wonderful.

Now this guy was full of disappointment because he thought God was leading him down one path and that fell over, when all along God was getting him ready to work with us, to be with us. And in the middle of this disappointment, God was getting things ready for him to not only be a ministry supporter of Christianityworks, but also a personal friend and supporter to me.

We live in a world where very few people encourage one another. Encouragers are like dinosaurs, they seem to be almost extinct, in the work place, where people give you the credit when credit is due.

I was talking to a young man by the name of Mike and he is the assistant manager of a large organisation, well known and they just opened a large new iconic store in the middle of a large city and the regional manager visited and gave the credit to the store manager. The store manager, in reality didn't really do much. He left it all to his assistant manager, Mike. But the store manager never passed the credit on. The store manager never said to the regional manager, 'You know, this guy, Mike, has done such a good job we could never have done it without him'. Not so much as a 'thank you'! No, 'I could have never done it without you, Mike'.

Have you ever noticed that? Sometimes it feels like we live in a world devoid of encouragement. Like you have been wiped off the face of the earth. And then God goes along and gives me Tony.

Now Tony is a visionary guy. Tony lifts my gaze. I think big, this guy thinks huge. And in a ministry, when you are working day to day and you're managing the detail and the nitty gritty, sometimes you loose your strategic vision.

Well, I organise to have coffee with Tony once every three, or four or five weeks and this man is so passionate for God. He focuses me, he lifts my gaze, he lifts my focus up to remember what God has really called us to do. So he doesn't just help the ministry, he encourages and builds me up. I don't know if you have ever thought about it, but being a person who does radio, who lives in a studio and does programs, you don't exactly have a million people around you.

Not that I get lonely, but it is naturally a lonely way of working. Now fortunately for me, I am cut out to do that. But it is so wonderful to have Ton in my life, to get me over a cup of coffee and give me a shake and encourage me and bless me with his stories and pray for me and support me.

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