Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

Amos 7:14-15

 Amos was not anyone special. He lived in a small town of Judah, south of Bethlehem. He was a herdsman and a gatherer of figs.

The nation of Israel was divided into two sections: Judah in the south and Israel (the northern ten tribes) in the north. The kings and priests of the North did not want their people worshipping in Jerusalem, as they might try to reunite the country, so they made a worship center in Bethel. However, this was a place of idolatry. It was false worship.

God was going to send the Assyrians to Israel to destroy the people for their idolatry and sinful behavior, but before He would send the Assyrians, he gave the nation time to repent. He sent Amos. Amos travelled from Judah to Bethel and told King Jeroboam and his priest Amaziah what God was going to do if they did not repent. They rejected Amos, and Amaziah told Amos to go back to Judah and prophesy there. All that Amos had warned of came true.

Other common people God used:

•  Elisha was plowing a field when God called him (1 Kings 19:19).
•  Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen. (Matthew 4:18-22) Instead of calling from the elite and learned of Jerusalem, Jesus called upon hard working common people to be His disciples.
• John Carey was mending shoes before he became the “Father of Modern Missions.”
•  God has called several hundred out of our church to serve Him as pastors, missionaries, teachers, ministers of music, etc. Most of them came from the “common people.”

God does not just call people into full time service. Every Christian is called to do his/her part. We are laborers together with God (1 Corinthians 6:9). We are all to seek the salvation of the lost and the growth of fellow Christians. The following command from Jesus is for all of us. You and I can reach people in Tucson and through our giving those around the world. God might call some of you into full time service, but in the meantime, let’s be hardworking common people that God can use.



 Mark 16:15 - And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

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