Matthew 13:57
"And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house."
One of the few places where Jesus' ministry had no effect was in his home city. This is truly sad in that they watched him grow up. They knew something was different about Jesus. They knew that He was not like every other child. His demeanor was different from those with whom He grew up. His desires were different from those with whom He grew up. His life's ambitions were different than any other child that had grown up in that city.
Yet, when Jesus came to His own city He could do no miracles. What a waste of their own! You would think if any city would want to see the miracles of Jesus, it would be His own city. You would think if any city would want to hear Jesus teach and preach that it would be His own city. Yet, they were offended that He would come and teach them. They were offended that He would come back to His own city and attempt to do mighty works. What could have been did not happen because their pride and unbelief kept them from honoring the One who had grown up in their presence. They wasted the very power that could have helped them.
Sadly, this happens throughout churches on a regular basis. Inside of every church are people whom God could use to help that church, but because everyone knows them and what "they have done" their wisdom that God has given them is wasted. The works they could do in that church will never be done because "we know them and they are not capable of doing such works." Sadly, God places people in our lives and church who could help us, but because they are our own, we waste the talents and wisdom they have that could help us. We must be very careful that we are not guilty of wasting the wisdom and works of those in our own presence.
Pastor, instead of looking to the outside to hire someone for your staff, why don't you look from your own. Oftentimes pastors will go to Bible colleges to look for someone to hire when they have someone in their own church who could do the work. Before you ever go to the outside to hire someone, you would be wise to look among your own. Yes, you may know the weaknesses of those in your church, but those on the outside have weaknesses you don't know. At least you know what weaknesses you will have to work with if you would hire your own. Don't waste the talent and wisdom God has placed in your own congregation just because you know them.
Moreover, Christians must not waste the wisdom and works of their own because someone has grown up in the church. I often see young people who have grown up in a church never gain respect of the elderly because they knew them when they were younger. It is truly sad that many have to leave their home church to be used because they will never be accepted by their own. When your own preaches to you, let their wisdom help you. When your own can help you with church growth, don't waste the knowledge they have learned. Don't be so filled with pride about your own knowledge that you waste the knowledge of those in your own church.
I'm very honored to be able to go back to my home area and hold revival meetings. Many good people who saw me as a young teenage boy will come and let God do a work in their heart. They have not wasted their own. Don't you be guilty of wasting your own. If God has put His hand upon someone in your church, don't let your pride and unbelief cause their power to help be wasted. May it never be said of that, "...A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house."