By Scott Kercheville

 

If God really wanted the entire world to accept Jesus Christ, why did Jesus ask smelly fishermen and tax collectors to be his messengers? Why didn't Jesus perform signs before prominent leaders and ask them to spread the gospel? This would give the gospel much more credibility and success among people, right? We have probably struggled with similar questions in our own life. "I  cannot teach the gospel - I am a sinful nobody! Imagine how much the gospel would spread if we could convert well-known leaders and celebrities!"

 

Consider why Christ saves us. Paul says in Ephesians 3:7-13 that he preaches so God can have a people that display God's "manifold wisdom" "to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." Jesus saves sinners to display God's wisdom, love, and power to spiritual beings. This especially includes Satan and his followers. If God saved us to display his glory to spiritual forces of evil, who should God "recruit" to spread the gospel and gain converts?

 

The messengers God chooses has a direct effect on the types of people who receive the gospel. If God chose Tom Hanks to be one of his messengers, he would convert people who liked Tom Hanks. What is the problem with this? This does not display Christ's glory.

 

Satan could merely say, "This only proves how little you are.  People only follow you because they love Tom Hanks! They aren't following you because they love you and believe you are awesome.

 

So why choose sinners like you and me to spread the gospel?  Notice 1st Corinthians 2:1-5, "And I... did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." 

 

Paul did not come as a powerful orator because God simply  wants people to come to Christ because they have faith in the God's power. God desires to convert people who are impressed with him alone so he alone receives glory. True converts obey Christ because they are obsessed with him - not the messenger. This means that you, me, Peter, and Paul are fitting "evangelists" because we are simple, broken people who have been saved and want to help others find the Savior. We are living examples of how Christ's love changes people's hearts and lives. Selecting weak messengers magnifies God alone. Paul said it this way: "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us" (2 Cor. 5:20). Let God use you - the unimpressive "clay jar" - to spread Christ's gospel. For further reading, see 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and 2 Corinthians 4:1-11.