For hundreds of years, the Israelites waited for the promised Messiah to come. While they waited, they must have created expectations for what His family lineage would be. As we learned throughout the week, Jesus’ family tree was full of people who no one would have expected. His family tree is a reminder to all of us that God uses everyone. He sees the outcasts and invites them to be a part of His family. He offers freedom from sin to those who feel they are too far gone and uses them in mighty ways. Still today, God continues to work through unexpected people.
When explaining that God always uses unexpected people, the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you” (verse 26). He continued, several verses down, “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” (verse 28). God uses people who are considered unimportant to the world in order to display His power. That is why Paul concluded, “As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God” (verse 29). When God works through and uses unexpected and seemingly “unimportant” people, no one can doubt that He is the one who has been working. Additionally, no one can brag or boast in front of God about their accomplishments and what He has done through Him.
God works through anyone, especially the unexpected, overlooked, and forgotten. As He does these things, His power is on full display. This means that God is working through you and the people you do not expect Him to work through. Praise God that His power is on display, especially through our weaknesses.
Who do you know who needs the hope of Christ whom you have written off? Reach out to them today and invite them to one of our weekend services with you. You never know the impact your invitation may have or how God is working in their lives even when you cannot see it.
1This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.
2 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
4 I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. 5 Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. 6 This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. 7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. 12 Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.”
13 Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. 16 (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) 17 For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.
18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 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. 28 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. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
