Extraordinary Missions Through Ordinary Means

Bible Passage: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Mark 4:30-32, Exodus 3:1-4

Today we start with a question.

Do you believe that you and your way of life is important for the mission?

Did you know is the US there is about 1 evangelical pastor for every 48,000 Americans

In South Carolina there is 1 evangelical pastor for about every 2000 people.

What does this mean? it is not the extraordinary lives but ordinary lives of people that God has chosen to use to reach the world for Christ.

Think about. In the us there is only one gospel preaching pastor for every 48,000 people. How could it not be the every ordinary life as the means to reach people for his kingdom instead of just the Sunday morning pastor.

If I’m honest I think there are many in church today that believe that their life is so ordinary and the mission so extraordinary that they don’t see themselves as being able to have a meaningful impact. In fact, in some ways many have been inadvertently trained to think this way by the way we have taken evangelism out the hands of God’s people and placed the the event or service.

So many believe The best they can hope to do is invite someone to an event.

But what if I told you that your ordinary life was exactly what God has designed to do his extraordinary work? Do you believe that?

Scripture teaches that your ordinary life, leveraged for the kingdom, is enough to impact eternity is extraordinary ways.

1. God Chooses the Unlikely

1 Corinthians 1:26–29 CSB

Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one may boast in his presence.

The first thing we see here is Paul addressing the everyday ordinary Christian.

Brothers and Sisters consider you calling.

Calling = to urgently invite someone to accept responsibility for a particular task.

Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 423.

So Paul says brothers and sisters urgently consider the invitation that you have been given to join God in His work. But as you consider this calling lets take stock of the people he has called including yourself.

not many are wise

Not many are powerful

Not many are in positions of great influence.

Do you see this now? The bulk of the mission is not intended to be done by the super talented, the super smart, or the people with a large platform. This isn’t what God chose. God has chosen everyday ordinary people to do extraordinary work.

So when we as the everyday ordinary believer accept the extraordinary call of God and take on the responsibility that God has given us, God moves. He moves based on his power not in the limitations of our abilities or lack of. You don’t need to be someone special in order to have an impact on this world for Christ.

Why?

2. God is glorified when His power is on display not ours.

1 Corinthians 1:27–28 CSB

Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something,

A pencil is one of the simplest, cheapest tools in a classroom. It isn't flashy, expensive, or impressive. Yet in the hands of a skilled writer, a simple pencil can compose a symphony, write a love letter, or change history.

The pencil doesn't boast about what it can do because its power doesn't come from itself—it comes from the hand holding it.

Likewise, God often chooses ordinary, overlooked people. The disciples were fishermen, a tax collector, and common laborers. Dwight L. Moody was a shoe salesman before becoming a great evangelist. God delights in taking simple instruments and accomplishing extraordinary things through them so that the glory belongs to Him alone.

"God is not looking for the most impressive pencil in the box. He's looking for the one willing to be held in His hand."

That’s you and me. Many people will never encounter what it feels like to be used by the master, to experience what it is like to live out thier true purpose in this world because they are too afraid to fail. They are to afraid to take a risk on God, But here is the thing....God doesn’t fail. I

Even in your sincere attempts that seem like a disaster to you... God did not fail

When you choose to be used it is not your abilities or reputation that is on the line it is God’s and he doesn’t fail. God is not seeking to show your talent to the world but his Glory and God doesn’t fail.

For this reason

3. God uses ordinary people in ordinary places, doing ordinary things

Moses was watching sheep after running from a crime.

Gideon was working grain while hiding from the enemy.

Amos was tending fig trees, doing what his family had probably done for generations.

Elisha was farming. - plowing a field probably only thinking about making a living.

Peter was fishing with no expectation of on that day anything would be different

Mathew was most likely doing paperwork going over the books at the tax collectors office.

Your burning bush, your call to obedience, often comes in the middle of a work day in an ordinary place, while your doing ordinary things.

Everyday we are task to take the ordinary places that God has placed us in and then allow God through our simple obedience to make wherever we are become holy ground, separated unto him. Changing the ordinary, the mundane, the simple into the extraordinary.

You see, God did not call them because they were great. They are seen as great because they were imperfect but willing. You see God’s assignment for your life will most likely be given when you just show up and do what you do know to do . However big or small that may seem to you and the world.

In God’s eyes the ones that work in the checkout line at home depot or the person that brings people thier bagels and coffee, or the stay at home mom at the park who sees the burden faces of other moms but has heart that is ready to serve and share Christ at a moments notice is of more impact in this world than the polished preacher that has a huge audience but has forgotten his mission, or the CEO that makes millions yet is to busy to see God in the everyday.

Many people are waiting for something bigger but God says today is your day to serve me

If you wait to start serving God until your older, bigger, better , richer or wiser you will always find enough fault in yourself to cripple your ministry here on earth. The accuser, the enemy will see to that.

No God uses people not because of who they are but because of who he is.

For this reason Church family we have nothing but bright days ahead at cooper river because I’m not the smartest, I’m not the brightest and neither are you but we have a God that loves to take our simple ordinary church and use it like its the most amazing tool in the world. That is our God!

And just like that when God’s people just show up in life to be used in whatever task God has called them too. And we allow God to have our hearts. His power shows up and boom just like that the ordinary becomes the extraordinary.

Your job become the greatest mission field on earth. Your neighborhood becomes a place of opportunity. Your church becomes a training ground and a strategic team. Yes Church 70 people can be used to transform a community if we will just stop hiding behind our fears of not being good enough and begin to take shelter in the promises of God.

If you want to be used, God will use you. If you want to make an impact God will see to it. You just need to be that pencil that God will use to write the story of salvation on the heart of those you come into contact with.

Who’s your one church family. How is God going to use you to be the pencil that helps write the story of salvation in a persons life....

We live in exciting days, with exciting opportunities.