Automatic Transcript Generated:
Speaker 1
So Bob is asking, does God use non believers to accomplish his plans?
Speaker 2
I would say absolutely. I mean, throughout the Bible, we see that. I mean, there are so many things.
Speaker 3
I mean, one of the best examples I think of is just how I mean, and God would always glow about it, right. Where he would use, like, nebuchadnezzar to carry out his plans and then later some cyrus. Cyrus, yes.
Speaker 2
Yeah. Who was exactly. And you see, and God calls him by name in the book of Isaiah.
Speaker 3
And he calls them my chosen one. Right. Or my anointed one.
Speaker 2
My anointed one. That’s right. Yeah. That was exactly where I was thinking of going with that, too. Isaiah 44 and 40 45 and Isaiah 44 28. God says, who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd, he shall perform all my pleasure, saying, Jerusalem you shall build, and the temple your foundation should be laid. Cyrus was from the Medo Persian empire. He was not a believer. He was not an Israelite. He didn’t even know who God was. But God called him by name before, like 100 years before he was born. So can God use non believers to accomplish his work? Absolutely. And we see that like you’re saying nebuchadnezzar. You see that the Shunamite woman who built the little room on her roof for Elisha, essentially, she wasn’t an Israelite, she was from Shunnam. And we see that throughout. Yeah, so many people. And I think about that. I was actually thinking about that in my own life. There’s professors and teachers who helped me in my walk, and they were not believers at all. But I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for these people. So can God use non believers? Absolutely, but definitely.
Speaker 2
Should we just believe anything anybody says? No. We have to still live according to God’s word, because, as it says in Isaiah 820, to the lawn, to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, is because there’s no light in them. So let what you hear from people who are non believers, see if it falls within God’s word. If it’s in alignment with God’s word, it’s probably good advice. If it’s not in alignment with God’s word, thank them for their input, but go with what God says. Yes. And what about today? I do believe yes. God uses non believers even today. Absolutely. Thank you, Bob Clayton, for that. I don’t know if there’s anything I’m just trying to think of some non believers who are doing some I mean, even Gandhi, he was not a believer. He was Hindi, but he demonstrated Christ in so many beautiful ways. It was sad because he’s like, these Christians don’t act like they’re Christ, and so he didn’t ever join. I think that really was what kept him from being open to the religion of Christianity. Was there’s so many Christians who didn’t demonstrate the proper, the character of God.
Speaker 3
And our producer has a great point about Luke 1940. And this is where people are praising Jesus and Pharisees like, you got to quiet these people down. And Jesus says back to them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And a lot of people think, oh, it’s just talking about rocks. But no stones was actually a reference there to Gentiles. And Jesus said, I will use Gentiles to praise God if you Jews, don’t do your part. And actually that’s what ended up happening with the Christian church, where then it becomes predominantly of the Gentiles.
Speaker 2
Absolutely. And that kind of reminds me of a verse in the Old Testament. I’m trying to think where it is. I thought it was Zechariah. There’s a song of it in Handles Messiah. It’s basically, he shall speak peace unto the heathen. And basically God’s calling the non believers just as much as he’s calling believer people who were born in the church as much as people that were not that don’t know God. God calls everybody, and I think he can use anybody as long as they’re open to his spirit.
Speaker 3
And actually, what you just said relates to what Bob Clayton asked for. Clarification says, what about today? Can God use non believers today? Which yeah, we just said it spot on, right? Yeah. God continues to use anybody. Basically, what we see happening in the Bible can still happen today. God can still use people, just as he used any pagan king. He could use an atheist ruler. He could use anybody in any position to accomplish his plans. And that’s what’s just so miraculous about God, how he can accomplish his will and at the same time even give us free will. It’s pretty mind boggling.
Speaker 1
I think also the verse that all things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. And I see that kind of playing into this as well, that God even uses non believers in our life to if we are called according to his purpose, he will even all things. That means that the influence even of non believers can still help us to better know God’s purpose.
Speaker 3
Yeah. And it’s not always for good. Bob asked, as long as they’re open to His Holy Spirit, suggesting, must God still have control or influence over a person through the Holy Spirit to accomplish his will? And the answer is no, because sometimes God might want to use let someone carry out their sinfulness to put in check somebody else’s sinfulness or demonstrate what’s going on. So, for example, like King Nibu Knezer, he was wanting to conquer the world. He had a giant ego. But God said, you know what the Hebrews, the Jewish people have forsaken me? They need to learn a lesson. They need to be humbled a bit. And so God withdrew and let nebuchadnezzar carry out his ways. But God would criticize that Babylon, you went too far, you were too wicked, and then would later punish them for that.
Speaker 2
That’s very true.
Speaker 3
So it’s very complicated how God works, but sometimes it is just letting people be themselves and he could still use that for his better. Good.
Speaker 2
Yeah. And actually, it’s funny what you just said reminded me of a verse in Proverbs, chapter 21, verse one. It says, the King’s heart is in the hand of the Lord. Like the rivers of water, he turns it wherever he wishes. And so God definitely can move anyone’s heart the way he wants it to go, believer or non believer. And we saw that, like we said in the life of Nebuchadnezzar, nebuchadnezzar was like in his bed one night, just kind of like, wonder what’s going to happen in the future? And God gives him this dream and because of that, it allowed Daniel to come before him and for him to say, like, wow, this Daniel is something special, and promoted Daniel in the King of Babylon. And then Daniel in turn gets his three friends, hannah and I, Azari, Michel, to also be put in positions of authority and power. And so God used that non believer to promote his people in this heathen nation. Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t really under the influence of the Holy Spirit, but he was being directed by God in the way God knew his best. But can unbelievers still be open to a hot spirit?
Speaker 2
They can, but just God can still do what he’s going to do because.
Speaker 3
Of God and take the Pharaoh where it tells us that God hardened his heart. And it wasn’t that God was sealing his heart and that I’m going to make him this way. But God knew that the more his spirit pressed on Pharaoh’s heart, the more God showed him evidence of God’s power, that the more Pharaoh would resist God and the more hard headed he’d become and actually the less influence God would have with his spirit, with Pharaoh. But God knew that was going to happen and used it to then do his glorious works and do the things he did.
Speaker 2
That’s very true. And Bob put another comment there that says the Magi found baby Messiah, which, yeah, they were not believers, but they studied the Old Testament prophecies. If you know about in the is it numbers? I want to say 25. It’s basically where it says the Star of David out of the Star of David. And so when they saw that, they knew what it meant, which is just awesome. They were not Israelites, they didn’t know, but they understood the prophecies and they were like, there’s something to this.
Speaker 3
And the Jews completely missed it. God’s own people completely missed the prophecy and it took non Jews to read the signs of the time.
Speaker 2
Yeah, it’s crazy. It kind of breaks my heart sometimes because I see like, people out of the church to me seem closer to God, or more Godly sometimes, than people inside of a church. And that just kills me. But I think that’s very true. And I think that goes back to something that is written in the Book of Acts, Chapter 29. And it says, Let me just read it really quick and then I’ll stop talking because we could just go on and on forever.
Speaker 3
Great topic.
Speaker 2
Acts, chapter 17. And I think it’s verse 29. My apologies. Acts 17 and verse 20. Actually, in verse 26, it says and he, being God, has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwelling. So God is the one who made everybody. And we need to remember that, like, everybody is made in the image of God. And so in verse 26, so that they should seek the Lord in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though he be not far from each one of us. And so God is near to everybody. He just wants us to search after Him. And God is, I believe, pleading with every heart in some way. And I do think that some people are open to God who just don’t even know what they’re feeling or looking for, but they know there’s something out there. And I’ve seen that many times where people have been searching for God or searching for something, and when God appears, they’re like, this is it. This fills the emptiness in my heart that I’ve longed for for a long time.
Speaker 2
So does God still work through non believers? Yes. And ultimately, I believe, just like nebuchadnezzar it’s to bring them to Him, because that is his goal. Because God says, I’m not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So God is continually trying to work through everybody to bring them to Him, to salvation.
Speaker 3
Amen. Yes.
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In His Service
BibleAsk Team
