The Kind Of People God Uses

THE KIND OF PEOPLE GOD USES

Luke 6:12-16

(Antioch Baptist Church: Sunday, January 4th, 2026)

Throughout History, ordinary people have been called by God to do extraordinary things. For example, Moses was tending sheep on the backside of the desert when God appeared to him in a burning bush and called him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. David was a humble and faithful young shepherd, but God used him to defeat the giant Goliath. Nehemiah was a mere cupbearer for the king of Persia, but God chose to use him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. God put Esther in a position where she could be instrumental in saving the Jews from annihilation.

The Bible contains countless examples of God using ordinary people to accomplish great things for Him. With that being said, there will be times when we are tempted to think that our own labor for the Lord is in vain. Furthermore, we have a great Adversary who would have us to believe that God would never use someone like us to do great things for Him.

It is important for you to disregard your own insecurities and reject the deceptive schemes of Satan and instead look to God’s Word for proof that God is powerful enough to use ordinary people for His glory. God is not only able to do this; it is part of His divine plan.

The Twelve men that Jesus chose to be His Disciples serve as one of the greatest examples that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. Our selected text chronicles their selection and call to service. The Gospels, the Book of Acts, and the Epistles give us much information about their lives with Jesus and their service to Him.

When considering the biographies of the Apostles it is fascinating to see how different they were from one another. Those men had different personalities, different occupations, different views, and different backgrounds. Levi was a publican. He worked for the Roman Government as a tax collector. In contrast to Levi was Simon Zelotes (zi-LOH-teez). He was a Jewish patriot, who was willing to give his life to free Israel from the oppression of Rome. Peter, James, John, and Andrew were all fishermen.

Though there were many differences among those men, one of the things they had in common was the fact that they were just ordinary people. Regardless, they were men that Jesus would use to do some amazing things. As we examine their stories we find some important information concerning “The Kind Of People God Uses"; that is the subject we will consider today.

Considering the fact that God created the Heavens and the Earth, it should not surprise us at all that He has the power to use ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. The Lord used Twelve ordinary men for His glory and their story shows us that:

GOD USES PEOPLE WHO ARE INCONSPICUOUS

"Inconspicuous" refers to “something or someone who does not attract attention”. Someone who is inconspicuous is one who doesn't stand out in a crowd. We generally think of the Lord's Disciples with great reverence. As a result of their service to Christ and their willingness to be martyrs for His cause we are inclined to put them on a high pedestal. Statues that portray their likenesses, famous paintings depict their actions, classic books chronicle their lives, churches and cathedrals bear their names, but the Bible shows us that they were common everyday people.

Among the group that Jesus chose none are said to have possessed any great talents. None were men of great influence or power. None of them stood out from the crowd. However, Jesus saw something in each of them. He knew that He could use them to accomplish a specific and special task.

In time, people would marvel at the actions of the men that Jesus chose. In Acts chapter four Peter and John were summoned to stand before the members of the Sanhedrin and make a defense of their service to the Lord. Upon hearing their message, the members of the Sanhedrin were astonished at their knowledge and boldness. (“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” - Acts 4:13).

God is still using ordinary people to accomplish great things for His glory today. This is not to say that God cannot use prominent people; He certainly did so in the Bible: Abraham was very wealthy, Solomon possessed great wisdom, King David was very powerful, and Paul was highly educated. However, in most cases God chose to use ordinary people. Paul spoke to this reality in 1 Corinthians 1:26-28: “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong”