This document summarizes key points from 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 about how God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. It notes that God seldom uses the extremely wise, intelligent, powerful, or privileged, but rather ordinary people who the world sees as foolish or weak. Two examples are then provided from John 1 of how ordinary acts led to extraordinary results. First, the unnamed disciples of John the Baptist simply followed Jesus after John pointed him out. Second, Andrew and Philip invited others like Simon Peter and Nathanael to meet Jesus, leading them to become believers and witnesses of Jesus' power. The document encourages readers to do ordinary acts like preach, seek, follow, and invite others to experience Jesus for themselves.

1. Come
See
Jesus at

3. Intro: God uses ordinary
people, doing ordinary
things, to accomplish his
extraordinary purpose.

4. • 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (The NET Bible)
18 For the message about the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the
power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will
destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I
will thwart the cleverness of the
intelligent.”

5. • 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the
expert in the Mosaic law? Where is the
debater of this age? Has God not made
the wisdom of the world foolish? 21 For
since in the wisdom of God the world by
its wisdom did not know God, God was
pleased to save those who believe by the
foolishness of preaching.

6. • 22 For Jews demand miraculous signs
and Greeks ask for wisdom, 23 but we
preach about a crucified Christ, a
stumbling block to Jews and
foolishness to Gentiles. 24 But to those
who are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ is the power of God and the
wisdom of God.

7. • 25 For the
foolishness of
God is wiser than
human wisdom,
and the
weakness of God
is stronger than
human strength.

8. • 26 Think about the circumstances of your
call, brothers and sisters. Not many were
wise by human standards, not many were
powerful, not many were born to a
privileged position.

9. • 27 But God
chose what
the world
thinks
foolish to
shame the
wise, and
God chose
what the
world thinks
weak to
shame the
strong.

10. • 28 God chose what is low and despised in
the world, what is regarded as nothing, to
set aside what is regarded as something,
29 so that no one can boast in his
presence.

11. • 30 He is the reason you have a
relationship with Christ Jesus, who
became for us wisdom from God, and
righteousness and sanctification and
redemption, 31 so that, as it is written,
“Let the one who boasts, boast in the
Lord.”

12. What do we learn from the 1
Corinthians 1:18-31?
• God seldom uses extraordinary people.
– Seldom uses the extremely wise
– Seldom uses the extremely intelligent
– Seldom uses experts (Mosaic Law)
– Seldom uses the great debaters (Philosopher)
• Most of us are not:
– Wise by human standards
– Powerful (physically or financially)
– Born of privilege
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic
law? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the
wisdom of the world foolish?
26 Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters.
Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful,
not many were born to a privileged position.

13. What do we learn from the 1
Corinthians 1:18-31?
• The world:
– Thinks we are foolish
– Thinks we are weak
– Thinks we are low
– Despises us
– Regards us as nothing.
• But, God uses foolish things (us and preaching)
to confound and set aside what the world
regards as something.
• Why? so no one can boast in his presence.
27 But God chose what the world
thinks foolish to shame the wise, and
God chose what the world thinks weak
to shame the strong. 28 God chose
what is low and despised in the world,
what is regarded as nothing, to set
aside what is regarded as something,
29 so that no one can boast in his presence. 30 He is the reason you have a
relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and
righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let
the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

14. So, God uses ordinary
people, doing ordinary
things, to accomplish his
extraordinary purpose.

15. • What are the ordinary things we can do to
accomplish God’s extraordinary purpose?
• Let us look at an example in the Gospel of
John to see ordinary people doing
ordinary things, and bringing about God’s
extraordinary purpose.

16. • John 1:35-51 (The NET Bible)
35 Again the next day John was standing
there with two of his disciples. 36 Gazing
at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look,
the Lamb of God!” 37 When John’s two
disciples heard him say this, they followed
Jesus.

17. • 38 Jesus turned around and saw them
following and said to them, “What do you
want?” So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which
is translated Teacher), “where are you
staying?” 39 Jesus answered, “Come and
you will see.” So they came and saw
where he was staying, and they stayed
with him that day. Now it was about four
o’clock in the afternoon.

18. God Uses Ordinary People
• The Two extraordinary People
– Jesus
– John the Baptist
• John was extraordinary
• John was ordinary
• The ordinary People
– The unnamed seekers (two disciples)
He was the prophet sent to tell about
the coming Messiah.
He had extraordinary talents.
He did not meet the world’s views of
extraordinary:
Not wealthy
Not a scholar
Not well dressed
His job was to point to Jesus
Why were they attracted to him?
They are unnamed
They are simply two of many of John’s
disciples
They are seekers

19. They do the ordinary: Seek,
preach, invite and follow.
• Preach: John the Baptist does the actions
of an ordinary preacher.
• Seek and follow: The Disciples followed
the teacher
– They followed John
– They followed Jesus
• Invite: Jesus invited them over to his place
He pointed to Jesus
36 Gazing at Jesus as he
walked by, he said, “Look,
the Lamb of God!”35 Again the next day John was
standing there with two of his disciples.
37 When John’s two disciples
heard him say this, they followed
Jesus.
38 Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, “What do
you want?” So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher), “where
are you staying?” 39 Jesus answered, “Come and you will see.” So they came
and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day.

20. The disciple does the ordinary – he
invites family
• Andrew invites a family member to visit Jesus
– The disciple is given a name
– He seeks out his brother
– He tells him his conclusion about Jesus
– He invites his brother to find out for himself.
• Andrews ordinary actions have extraordinary
results. Andrew and Peter become
extraordinary.
• We ought to invite our family.
40 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of
the two disciples who heard what John said and
followed Jesus. 41 He first found his own brother
Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!”
(which is translated Christ). 42 Andrew brought Simon
to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the
son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is
translated Peter).

21. The disciple does the ordinary – He
invites a friend
• Jesus invites Philip
• Philip invites Nathanael
– He finds and tells him his opinion of Jesus
– He listens to Nathanael’s skepticism
– He challenges him to find out for himself
• An ordinary act of inviting friends can have
extraordinary results.
• We ought to invite a friend
43 On the next day Jesus wanted to
set out for Galilee. He found Philip
and said to him, “Follow me.” 44
(Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the
town of Andrew and Peter.)
45 Philip found Nathanael and
told him, “We have found the
one Moses wrote about in the
law, and the prophets also
wrote about – Jesus of
Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael replied, “Can
anything good come out of
Nazareth?” Philip replied, “Come and
see.”

22. Philip’s ordinary act (an invitation)
accomplished Christ’s extraordinary
purpose
• Nathanael experiences the omniscience of
Jesus.
• Nathanael becomes a believer.
• Jesus promises Nathenael he will witness
the extraordinary.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming
toward him and exclaimed, “Look, a
true Israelite in whom there is no
deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him,
“How do you know me?” Jesus
replied, “Before Philip called you,
when you were under the fig tree, I
saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you
are the Son of God; you are the king of
Israel!”
50 Jesus said to him, “Because I told you that I saw you under
the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than
these.” 51 He continued, “I tell all of you the solemn truth – you
will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and
descending on the Son of Man.”

23. The story Alexander Whyte and a
salesman named Rigby

24. While doing ordinary things God will use us
to fulfill his extraordinary purpose
Let’s invite
Come See
Jesus at
to