Matthew 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
This passage of scripture clearly shows that God is able to use ordinary people who are willing to submit to His wise leadership, and who are willing to obey implicitly all of His commands. We observe in the passage that the fishermen whom Christ called left their nets immediately to follow where He would lead the way. Now, its not to say that God cannot use people who are well educated, for it is a fact that those who have a greater knowledge and understanding of both spiritual and temporal things are also used in mighty ways to carry the good news of salvation to those in the higher echelons of society. Paul was well educated in temporal and spiritual lines, and as a result he bore faithful witness before king Agrippa and Festus, just to name a few.
However, it is also true that the highly educated are sometimes filled with pride in their accomplishments, and because of this they are unprepared to yield that ready and willing obedience to every command of God as the ordinary person might do. The scribes and the pharisees of Christ's day were instructed in the prominent schools of the day, and took great pride in their so-called knowledge of the scriptures, for on several occasions they tried in vain to entrap Jesus with cunning words and questions, but in every instance they were utterly rebuffed with the simple truths and knowledge with which He spoke. Let's read:
Matthew 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
The disciples whom Christ chose came from every walk of life, for Luke was a doctor, and Matthew was a tax agent, while Peter, James, and John were fishermen. But the one thing they all had in common, with the exception of Judas, was the disposition to obey all that Christ commanded them, and because they were humble enough to learn true wisdom from Him, the knowledge of God overflowed into their own personal lives and affected their testimony in such positive ways that those who listened to their preaching could not help but acknowledge that they must have been with Jesus. Let's read:
Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. 14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
In our day God still uses ordinary people who are willing to do His bidding, and like the disciples in Christ's day, all it takes is a humble heart and a teachable spirit so that He could guide us with wisdom and discretion in all things. Furthermore, all Christians everywhere should endeavor to have some kind of ministry by which fallen humanity might be uplifted and God be glorified. We should not conclude that on account of a lack of education, or because of our low social standing that we are incapable of doing much good, for God is willing and able to strengthen and instruct the weakest of His saints, so that we can be used to do the most amount of good by His grace.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that reiterates this very point, and it is the will of God that we surrender our all to Him today, so that He may use us in the building up of His kingdom upon the earth. Let's read:
Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
May we be used by God today to bring blessings of truth and salvation to someone in need. God bless!