How many times have you heard a sermon or read a book telling you God uses ordinary people? The idea is to motivate you because they say God can use you, too. After all, you’re an ordinary person, right?
You come away feeling pumped up. You’re ready to go on the next missions trip. Or you’ll give until it hurts the next time the offering plate comes around.
What if I said that at best this motivational teaching is misguided.
I’ve come to the conclusion God doesn’t use ordinary people. Think this through with me for a few minutes.
Look at the people featured in Scripture. People like Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon. And on it goes through the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jonah, and others. Then in the New Testament we see men like Peter, John and Paul. Were these ordinary men? I think not. Moses and paul in particular were brilliant, highly educated men.
Perhaps it could be argued that God took ordinary people and made something extraordinary out of them. Maybe. But if God chose them–as He did–to do His bidding, were they really ordinary? He apparently didn’t think so.
No, these men didn’t all start out great. Yes, they became that way because of what the Lord did for and through them. There was indeed a growing experience for all of them.
And so it is for each of us. That brings me around to my next point.
If you’re a born again believer in Jesus Christ, God chose you from before the world began. What’s ordinary about that? See the first few verses of Ephesians chapter 1 for confirmation.
We’ve been set apart from the rest of the world, or sanctified, as the Scriptures call it. But let’s be careful here. Being sanctified doesn’t make us better than others. I’m not out to build your ego with what I’m trying to convey.
When I was a young man, I mistakenly believe Christians were superior. I soon found out there are a lot of fantastic people living in the world around us. Sadly, many of them show us up as Christians when it comes to their outward virtues and zeal for causes.
Someone has sed that unregenerate man is not nothing. Think of the beautiful music, art and architecture, just to name a few things, which man has devised through the centuries. Lots and lots of people are smarter and wealthier than you and me, and it will ever be thus.
You and I are sanctified, not superior.
This does mean we’re different though. A crucial element that sets us apart is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. What’s ordinary about that?
1 Corinthians 2:16 says,
16. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Unbelievers don’t have God’s Holy Spirit, no matter how righteously they behave.
God’s precious Holy Spirit has given us gifts. Do you know what yours are? Are you using them? And are you using them for His glory?
They’re not meant to be squandered on the world. Unfortunately, many churches don’t explore and cultivate those gifts.
Ephesians 4:11-12 says,
11. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Do you still feel ordinary? If you think you are, God doesn’t want to leave you that way.
Even if the rest of the world sees you as ordinary, you can do works for the Lord which will count for eternity in His sight. What’s ordinary about that?
Just remember, He’s the potter, and you and I are His clay.
You don’t have to build big church empires, as some believe you have to do to be great. But you do have to reckon yourself as set apart by and for our Lord. You’re not ordinary to Him. So why keep thinking you’re ordinary?
You and I each belong to God. We are bought with a price. What’s ordinary about that?
We do ourselves and our Lord a disservice by not yielding to His guidance and then acknowledging our rightful place as sanctified members of His family.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us,
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.