Those of us in the Free Grace movement tend to come from small churches and work in little ministries, with few resources, and even less (worldly) prestige. And that can be discouraging, especially when we look at the big ministries churches and their cool, cutting edge, and expensive buildings and activities and programs (as recommended by the highest paid church growth consultants).

Aren’t you tempted to think your effectiveness is limited because your resources are limited?

If so, think about what Paul had to minister with:

• The spoken word (e.g., Acts 17:2, 3, 17, 22, 23).
• Handwritten letters (Gal 6:11)—with no postal service.
• Word-of-mouth advertisements (Acts 13:49).

That isn’t much.

When a young minister starts a new work with what Paul had, people will say, “He started from nothing.”

Well, Paul started with nothing,
continued with nothing,
and ended with nothing.

And yet, God used him to build the Body of Christ around Europe, changing human history. More than that, Paul’s ministry even effected eternity.

If Paul had “nothing,” that’s a great reminder of how much God can do with nothing. As someone once said, Jesus + nothing = everything.