Acts 4:13 "Common Men." on this week's Word of Grace Devotional with Pastor Joe Marquez.

The Word of Grace Devotion for The Week of June 4, 2016
Common Men
Acts 4:13- “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
Beloved, when the Lord raises up a man to become a deacon or an elder or a pastor, the Lord does not consider the man’s human achievements but rather his spiritual devotion. The Lord does not hold in account how many degrees the man may or may not possess but how many hours they have spent with Jesus.
When Jesus choose twelve disciples to come alongside of Him, he choose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. He does the same thing today when He chooses men to be elders and deacons and pastors.
Beloved, if you desire to be used greatly by the Lord, the one determining factor, the one sole criterion that determines your usefulness is whether or not you have been with Jesus. Peter and John were “uneducated, common men,” but it was “recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
God chooses men that may be weak in the world’s eyes to bring glory to Himself. 1 Corinthians 1: 26-27 explains this, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27Instead, 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.”
Beloved, God chooses ordinary men to do extraordinary things for the kingdom of God. Therefore we all qualify to be used greatly in service to the Lord. So, how can we be of service to the Lord?
I pray that you will have blessed week. Please keep the Guanajuato team in your prayers! I love you and I will be praying for you!
 
In Jesus Name-
Pastor Joe
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