God Loves To Use Ordinary People - Part 2 - Pursuing Intimacy With God

God Loves To Use Ordinary People In His Work

In Part 1 of “God Loves To Use Ordinary People” we looked at various examples of how God used ordinary people. There are many examples of ordinary people in the Bible that God used greatly. And there are many more examples since then.

We are another example of how God uses ordinary people in His work and mission. Nancy and I are ordinary people. Long before we followed God’s call to be missionaries, we surrendered everything to Him. Our hearts, our lives, our marriage, our family, our finances… Everything.

We made a covenant with God in which He could do whatever He wanted in our lives. And He could send us anywhere He wanted. As a result we have seen God do amazing things. Far more than we could ever imagine or think.

God Loves To Use Ordinary People

God’s Call Did Not Come Right Away

Nancy and I both repented, received Christ as our Lord and Savior, and committed our lives to Him in 1985. We were blessed to have a great pastor and church, and good teachers and friends to help us to grow in our walk with Jesus. It was a church that had a heart for God’s kingdom work and mission to share the Gospel, reach lost people, and make disciples.

In 1995 I prayed that God would let me serve Him full time. He had planted a desire in my heart. At the time I had a business. So what happened after that ? Absolutely nothing. I heard nothing in my prayer time about it. And nothing in our life or circumstances happened to show us that God was moving in that direction.

God Loves To Use Ordinary People

God Prepares His Servants Before Calling Them

So I continued to serve in our church, and work in my business. And I continued to seek God. In the mean time we also experienced various difficult circumstances in our lives. These included various years of financial difficulties. And family difficulties. And other difficult circumstances. Circumstances that would test our faith and our loyalty and devotion to God.

These circumstances and difficulties changed us and our hearts. You do not go through difficulties and come out the same, if you walk with God in them.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined (“planned from the beginning”) to become conformed to the image of His Son“. – Romans 8:28-29

God’s Call To Be Self Funded Missionaries

God’s call to be full time self funded missionaries did not come until 2005. Starting early in 2004 God had been speaking in my heart about serving Him. He was promising to bless my business and then some day we would sell it and use our own funds to serve Him full time.

The 2 years prior to that had been the most difficult years in my business. As a result of 9/11 in 2001, our economy and my business went way down. And so did our finances. Fortunately we had gotten out of debt right before all of the difficulties. We got down to $500 in the bank, which is not much with 3 teenagers in the house and college coming up in a couple of years.

But God always does what He promises, and sure enough 2004 and 2005 were great years in my business. But for a year and a half we had no idea what God was calling us to do. I had an idea, but when God finally clearly revealed His will, it was nothing close to what I thought it would be.

God called us to be self funded missionaries to Brazil during a mission trip to Sao Paulo my oldest son John and I were on in 2005. We sold my business, our house, and everything else and moved to Sao Paulo Brazil in 2006.

God Loves To Use Ordinary People In His Work

We have seen God touch and save & transform tens of thousands of lives in many different countries. And we are in awe of what God has done. God loves to use ordinary people in His work and mission. And He always does what He says and promises. In fact, Gods promises are actually guarantees.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20

God Loves To Use Ordinary People, For His Glory

Ephesians 3:20 has been one of the verses that has been our motto in our missions ministry. It is actually a promise and a great truth. God used this and other verses to tell us ahead of time that He was going to greatly use us for His mission work.

God loves to use ordinary people in His work to do extraordinary things. Because everyone knows that it was God that did the great work, not the people He uses. And God receives all of the glory and honor and praise, which He alone is worthy to receive.

“but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong. And the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. By His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:27-30

God Loves To Use Ordinary People

Can God use you to do great things ? Absolutely. If you are willing to sacrifice yourself, and be fully committed & surrendered to Him.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. And he will do even greater things than these…” – John 14:12-13

“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” – John 15:8

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Pursuing Intimacy With God is committed to helping you with the most important thing in your life… your intimacy with God , your fellowship with Him, and your partnership with God in His Kingdom work & mission.

There is much more information on Intimacy With God, Prayer, Praise & Worship, Hearing God’s Voice,… and hundreds of great Biblical truths and promises in the Pursuing Intimacy With God Bible studies.

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