Feel Weak? You Are Useful to God!

Feel Weak?  You Are Useful to God!                                               By Kelly Durant   5-19-13

1 Corinthians 1:26-28

²⁶ For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:²⁷ But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;²⁸ And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

2. How many of you have known of disabled people serving in The Salvation Army? I have! All people in life need to be used by God, we are inherently born this way! Everyone wants God to work through them! And He will if we step out by faith!

You have seen this video of the man with no arms and legs, Nick Vujicic, right? Imagine, with his condition, he does great things and is an inspirational speaker! Most people imagine that someone in his condition would never leave home! But he is full of life and inspired, happy and used by God, speaking in public places and travelling. What an amazing man of God used by God despite no arms and legs!

3. One of the first things I noticed and liked about The Salvation Army when I first got involved was that they had a variety of strange characters (even bearded ones, elderly ones) serving in disasters. Then, after visiting their churches, I saw many characters on fire for God out of rehab. No matter the age or health problems, people were serving others and each one was happy to help. I love seeing others get a second chance, how about you?

For example, with Hurricane Rita while in Lake Charles, right after serving in Katrina, I met a man that had metal rods in his entire back because all of the cartilage of his spine had degenerated. He walked rather straight like this (rigid). He had been through a rehab for heavily using cocaine and he said to not be depressed he would find ways to volunteer his time. In disaster service you can find people with all kinds of personal problems, but they are made happy while serving others, making new friends, and hearing about the gospel. God will use anyone willing, no impediments matter!

4. The way to be happy is to make someone else happy! You have heard that simple formula, right? But do you know what makes people happiest? It is to find out that no matter how ugly they may look, no matter how bad their physical problems, weaknesses, or handicaps, there is a God of love that loves them and can still use them despite their conditions and faults! No one wants to feel like life is over, that brings on mortal depression! 

I have always believed that God is a God who cares for the weakest of the weak, and in the world there are a lot of hurting and weak people! We are here as representatives of Jesus to help heal and give meaning and purpose to the lives of everyone we meet. That is what the kingdom of God is about! In the Salvation Army we, and it should be this way with any Christian, carry out activities in which everyone is valued and included with no discrimination of any kind. We must fight to maintain this standard!

5. But for work in society, you are discriminated against considering your past training, capacity, and education amongst other factors. We are an Army but of volunteers and we are made up of wounded healers; But the military Armies of the world, only accept young fit men and women to serve. These requirements exclude about 80% of the population! However, God’s word makes it clear He rejects no one, rather he specializes in the rejects!

When you look at the population at large in the U.S., the majority of the people are either weak, older, or disabled. Even worse they are often depressed and spiritually incapable, or unwilling to do anything for anyone else due to embarrassment, or impediments, from allergies or whatever, not to mention laziness or selfishness. In this country currently about 50% of the people get government support for being either retired or incapacitated somehow. That is a lot when you think about it!

So when we read… 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;…what can we conclude? 

6. That God needs on this earth a people group, an organization, a movement, (or a kingdom of God as Jesus frames it) that is made up of anyone who (whosoever will theology) will …may serve! And if you are not in such good shape mentally or physically, be happy and encouraged! God specifically wants you to serve and be of value! God loves and uses misfits!

When we consider the foolish things or people of the world, not many people here are scholars that can discuss the pious platitudes of philosophy or theology, so it is a comfort that God is not concerned about our education level, or even our physical condition, he just loves us and wants us to be useful and active for Him. In the end we are taking in breath from day to day to serve in the mission to win souls to Jesus, otherwise our lives are just wasted by not preparing for eternity. 

7. How can we not be proud of the Salvation Army for being willing to work with the lowest of the low, the homeless, the addicts, and the ones with HIV? In other countries our line of service includes taking into refuge homes orphans and prostitutes. Your upper class suburban churches do not make these types of people their specialty! But Christians should focus on the despised and the weak, which is where God’s blessings are at!

My wife and I visited several of the rich mega churches in Atlanta and some boldly proclaim they are called to reach the rich middle upper class baby boomers. Hispanics, blacks, and poor (sinners) seemed to not even be in their radar! What a poor and ignorant vision! Ultra-rich churches intimidate the weak and poor! When something is so big you lose the sense of family, I think it is time to break it down into more manageable groups as Moses did in Joshua 14:4-6. Delegation and division allows more attention to each one.

So when we read in 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: Can we not conclude that some Christians do not have the right focus since they are targeting the opposite people of the verses we are studying today? Is the exclusivity to one group the non-discriminatory attitude a Christian should have?  Obviously not! Too many people live in a comfort zone that has them stagnant being ineffective!

8. There is a serious problem within Christianity, too few Christians are actually reading the Bible and obeying what it says, to seek out the low base things of the world and then empowering them to serve in God’s Kingdom.

Three out of every four Americans see poverty as a big issue but Christians interviewed only showed 1 out of 2 believing it concerned them. However, about 83% of evangelical Christians claimed to be involved in helping the poor. What is wrong is that 2 in 3 Christians believe the government should take care of the poor, not them! (See Barna Research Group) But God called us to care for the widows & poor, and even give them a place to serve: The low are the despised, the rejected, the weak, these are the ones God can use! 

For the most part we can be proud of our churches as everyone who comes here regularly does what they are capable of doing, here or in the community, teaching, cooking, and sorting donated food for the poor, visiting the rest homes as well. But we have a long way to go yet to get the local community to do that as well! This community is a challenge, what can we do to get them more involved? Volunteers are always too few! 

I have often wondered; what do disabled or retired people do all day? Wal-Mart’s are full night and day, but in the daytime most beaches or parks are only full of tourists, so what is going on with people everywhere? Where are they all day?

9. You may know a few people who have government support, so tell me what do they do all day? God wants to use them for something good but I have a feeling many people are just deaf to this calling. They have ‘ears to hear’ but they do not hear how God loves them and wants them busy with things that make their lives and the world better. Those indifferent are wasting their time giving them a meaningless life. We must invite them to serve for the fact that God uses the weak. 

We should warn those who waste their time all day. Our society and Christian heritage was built with an attitude and spirit of great sacrifice but more and more people are failing to maintain the volunteer spirit of sacrifice and pureness having a love for God and a love for their neighbor in the community as they should. Being unproductive in the work of God is a sin, especially when you know you should be doing good, and you are not doing it.

Consider these verses that are basic warnings to the people (even Christians) that are excusing their selves for not giving their time in something for God because they think they are too busy or too old, too sick or too handicapped, or living in denial that they are just plain rebellious, selfish, and lazy. Not even pandemics should stop our service to God!

1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. I Tim 5: 12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. 13. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.  Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

10. Never think there is nothing for you to do for God! Invite your friends! Do you realize how many people have started coming to church because they first volunteered? I think I told you I came to know the Salvation Army by volunteering for disaster service. 

But people in these past few decades have become self-complacent, people with nothing to do are not giving their time for something noble. This is a sad new cultural trend! It is up to us to be salt and light and to teach others to serve God, and God wants those who are weak to serve despite anything.

Here is a truth: you cannot make yourself any better without first investing in someone else.   

In the end, everyone you know that is weak, everyone that seems not-so-pretty, to be of the nature most people would think they are nobodies, these are the very people God wants and uses! God specializes in using the low, the base, the ugly, the despised, and the not-so-bright. So, if you think you are not worth much, cheer up, you are very wrong, you are one of God’s chosen! Pray now to ask God how to serve Him. Then speak up and let’s get started!