When I
was involved in campus ministry, our organization had a particular strategy for
reaching the university for Christ. We
were to concentrate our efforts on impacting the “movers and shakers” on
campus. So we went to the sororities and
fraternities, the student government and the athletic teams to present the good
news of Jesus. The idea was that if we
could influence the influencers we could see the whole college community
impacted by the claims of Christ. This
seemed like a very logical approach to making an impression. There was only one problem with this plan. It’s not the way God does things.
God
always choose the least likely people to join His Kingdom. He uses the downtrodden underdogs, the
overlooked, the under-appreciated, and the last ones chosen for the team:
Remember,
dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or
powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world
considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose
things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things
despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring
to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever
boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29, NLT)
The motto
of our church is “no perfect people allowed.” I love this because it means
everyone, no matter how much they have messed up in life, is welcome. Also, it means that I fit right in. My former pastor Stan Coleman’s definition of
the church is, “a colossal collection of 21st-century sinners gathered together
to experience grace and to broker the good news of the past into the present.”
When I
was in campus ministry at Indiana State University, we had a student everyone
referred to as Weird Harold (after a character in the Fat Albert cartoon series which was popular at the time). Harold was a talented art major, who like
many creative types lived in a world of his own. In no way did he fit the mold of the “movers
and shakers” that our ministry was supposed to be targeting. Nonetheless, Pete, one of the student leaders
in our organization, took Harold under his wing. He became a regular at our campus Christian
meeting and became the most dedicated and enthusiastic Christ follower on
campus.
I got to
know Harold better when I started mentoring his girlfriend and later wife,
Brenda. Brenda was one of the shyest
people I have ever met. It was a great
challenge to get her to answer the most basic questions I would ask her. Yet Brenda, through Harold’s encouragement,
was also a devoted Christ follower. As a
couple, Harold and Brenda definitely did not qualify as being, “wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or
wealthy.” (1
Corinthians 1:26, NLT)
However,
Harold and Brenda’s love for God was contagious. Whenever we had new students come to our
fellowship or training meetings, I would ask them, “who invited you?” Nine times out of ten, the answer was Harold
and/or Brenda. Naturally, the people
they invited were not the fraternity presidents, student government leaders or
star athletes. They were other students
whom the majority might think were uncool but who longed for the love and
acceptance that Jesus offers.
Since
Harold cared very little about what people thought about him, he was willing to
do almost anything to help spread the good news of Jesus Christ. One time our group was sponsoring a special
event on campus to present the claims of Christ to the campus community. Harold got a refrigerator box and painted it
in bright colors with large lettering advertising the meeting. Harold went to the busiest pedestrian
intersection on campus, got in the box and walked up and down the sidewalks
inviting everyone he met to the meetings.
I have a photo of Harold in the box in my scrapbook, as a reminder to me
that, “God chose things despised by
the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing
what the world considers important.” (1 Corinthians 1:28, NLT)
I spent a
lot of years going to church with people who mostly looked like me, had the
same educational background and had the same socio-economic status. When I started attending South Palm Church, I
had an eye opening experience. The first
small group I attended was all women who were very different from me. The leader of the group in whose house we met
at rode a Harley. She was the first woman
I ever met who was a biker. One of the
other women in the group was a single mom who was struggling to make ends
meet. Another woman’s boyfriend was
currently in prison. None of these women
had advanced degrees or came from the safe suburban environment I had grown up in. My view of those Jesus includes in His body,
the church, became experientially much broader.
It is so
easy to bring our preconceptions and prejudices into the church. Even though we know we are saved by grace, in
practice we seem to think people need to clean up their acts before we can
invite them into the church. Since I
call myself a recovering Pharisee, I easily fall into this way of thinking:
Later,
Matthew invited Jesus and His disciples to his home as dinner guests, along
with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this,
they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
When Jesus heard this, He said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people
do.” Then He added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want
you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who
think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Matthew
9:10-13)
It
took me a long time, even though I grew up in the church, to come to point
where I trusted Jesus as my Savior. I
just did not think I was a sinner (big mistake). But the unlikely people, the people whose
wrongdoings have become obvious to themselves and everyone else, these are the
people Jesus seeks out.
Learning the Lesson:
I love James Washington’s take on
unlikely sheep:
If you
step back and look at the big picture of the Bible, it becomes obvious that God
uses people in the strangest ways to carry out his will. Maybe I should say He
uses strange people to do so. After all, just like now, it's the people, the
men and women of the Bible, who are given spiritual fortitude to exercise
heavenly strength here on earth. Moses was a murderer; Paul killed a few Jesus
lovers in his day; Rahab was a whore; and Jacob was full of shortcomings, just
to name a few.[1]
Read the following passage and answer
the questions below:
God
wasn’t attracted to you and didn’t choose you because you were big and
important—the fact is, there was almost nothing to you. He did it out of sheer
love, keeping the promise He made to your ancestors. God stepped in and
mightily bought you back out of that world of slavery, freed you from the iron
grip of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know this: God, your God, is God indeed, a God
you can depend upon. He keeps His covenant of loyal love with those who love Him
and observe His commandments for a thousand generations. (Deuteronomy 7:7 -9, MSG)
- v What is
the world’s criteria for success? Does
God take any of our notions about success into consideration when He chooses to
use someone?
- v What does
determine who God chooses to use?
- v Based on
God’s criteria, why do you think He chose you?
- v In light
of all the Scriptures mentioned in this section, do you think God is able to
use you to accomplish His work today?
Is there anyone in your circle of
influence that when you look at them you think: “God could never use them?” Next time you see that person, say to
yourself: “Since I think they will never be used by God, that means they are
probably an “unlikely sheep” who God will use in amazing ways so that He alone
receives the glory.
[1] Washington, J. A. (2017, Feb. 26). The least likely are
often called to do God’s bidding. Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved from https://www.phillytrib.com/religion/the-least-likely-are-often-called-to-do-god-s/article_468c9f74-4183-5020-8ac0-411bf837d15e.html
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