A perfect God really can use imperfect people

God can use almost anything or anyone to bring about his purposes, explains Gary Gibbs

Recently I was lecturing at Regents Theological College on a module is called ‘Apologetics and Evangelism’.

As I’m sure you know, ‘apologetics’ doesn’t mean we are saying sorry for following Jesus, but is actually concerned with us being able to give good reasons for our faith when challenged by non-believers.

I was just about to begin another lecture when one of our students, who is a youth pastor, asked if he could share something. He told us that a 16-year-old was on the Youth Alpha course being run at his church and had been given an old copy of ‘The Big Welcome’ evangelistic booklet, which has since been updated and totally redesigned.

He read it, was convicted by the Lord and ended up praying a prayer of commitment on the back page. The teenager had texted the youth pastor to let him know that he was now a follower of Jesus!

I was delighted at what had happened, but to be honest I was simultaneously gobsmacked. The old booklet had a cheesy design which I don’t think would appeal to a young person in 2023. Added to this, I wrote it mostly aiming at adults, not trendy young things! (By the way, the all-new version is professionally designed and has sold more than 40,000 copies!)

Here’s what I learned (again!): God can use almost anything or anyone to bring about his purposes.

In the Old Testament, he uses a people who are often disobedient, kings who raise up Baal worship and Ashtoreth poles. Individuals like Samson who were a little inconsistent in their walk with God (to say the least!) are still used as instruments for his glory. Even a pagan king such as Cyrus, king of Persia, is a key player in setting Israel free from exile.

In the New Testament there is a young boy with a packed lunch who, because he offers it to Jesus, becomes used for the most miraculous mass picnic imaginable!

There is a woman in Samaria who has had a colourful past but is the means through which large numbers of people come to believe in Jesus. There is a fisherman called Simon Peter who often misunderstands what is happening or loses his courage and yet becomes one of the great leaders of the church.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

So, how about you and me? None of us has our act totally together. Each of us is a work in progress and to some extent we will continue to be until that day when we meet Jesus face to face.

Of course, this shouldn’t be an excuse for us to remain in a spiritual or moral neutral gear. Rather, like the Apostle, we should be saying, “…one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13,14).

A perfect God uses imperfect people for his glory. When it comes to faith sharing, you don’t need to have all the answers or to be an eloquent speaker.

Rather, in our weakness and feelings of impotence, God pours out his Spirit on us and puts words in our mouths which often are just the right gospel for the person we are engaging.

The enemy of your soul will try to convince you that you are not holy enough, mature enough or gifted enough to share the message of God’s love and forgiveness with others.

The truth is that when we place ourselves at God’s disposal, he takes us with all our sense of inadequacy, and we become his ambassadors “as though God was making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Let’s ask the Lord to use us, weak as we are!

This article first appeared in the May 2023 edition of Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.

Enjoy this article? Don’t forget to share