No Little People: Sixteen Sermons for the Twentieth Century

by Francis A. Schaeffer

Most Christians take an honest look at themselves and conclude that their limited talents, energy, and knowledge mean that they don't amount to much. Francis A. Schaeffer says that the biblical emphasis is quite different. With God there are no little people This book contains sixteen sermons that explore the weakness and significance of humanity in relationship to the infinite and personal God. Each was preached by Schaeffer at L' Abri Fellowship in Switzerland to the community that gathered there to work, learn, and worship together. The focus of this collection is the lasting truth of the Bible, the faithfulness of God, the sufficiency of the work of Christ, and the reality of God's Spirit in history. The sermons represent a variety of styles-- some are topical, some expound Old Testament passages, and still others delve into New Testament texts. No Little People includes theological sermons and messages that focus specifically on daily life and Christian practice. Each sermon is a single unit, and all are valuable for family devotions or other group study and worship. Readers will be encouraged by the value that God places on each person made in His image.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Spirituality, Philosophy

271 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Francis August Schaeffer was an American Evangelical Christian theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He is most famous for his writings and his establishment of the L'Abri community in Switzerland. Opposed to theological modernism, Schaeffer promoted a more historic Protestant faith and a presuppositional approach to Christian apologetics which he believed would answer the questions of the age.

Wife: Edith Schaeffer
children: Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

Reviews

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of 16 sermons by Schaeffer outlines how God uses and directs finite human beings for his infinite and holy good. Some sermons were just ok, being convoluted in certain parts. But the majority were really good.

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very worth reading. Schaeffer has added the desire to be "God's stick" to my vocabulary--like the rod of Moses, just an ordinary stick but, when consecrated to God, miraculous. Through the chapter on the weakness of God's servants, he challenged both my idealism and cynicism: Have I ever even prayed for those people in leadership who've disappointed me? There's also the chapter on "The Lord's Work in the Lord's Way," kind of a catch-phrase at my old church but for lots of reasons deeply meaningful to me.

Each chapter is a stand-alone message, compiled together, not building on each other, meant to be read on its own.

[Kyle H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has 16 different sermons/lectures written by Francis Schaeffer. There is a ton of wisdom and insights in these sermons, each one is unique. I particularly liked how he taught on the Old Testament and how it’s relevant for today. This is a great introductory book to Schaeffer and some of his ideas.

[Wagner Floriani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these essays are simply incredible. Some are quite, meh. “The Lord’s Work in the Lord’s Way” should be required reading for anyone in ministry, and deserves to be revisited often!

[Katelyn Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

In summary, I have greatly enjoyed this book and view it as a resource for anyone looking to grow their faith who has some background in Scripture (as it doesn't give context to every Scriptural passage and would be harder for new believers). Schaeffer is one of the most balanced Christian writers I have read, and I look forward to reading the rest of his books over the next few years.

While I've included some of the most impactful things from this book below, the two items that hit the hardest were "Christians must also be careful not to throw away large portions of their lives" and "We all tend to live 'ash heap lives'; we spend most of our time and money for things that will end up in the city dump....We are often told, 'You can't take it with you.' But that is not true. You can take it with you-if you are a Christian. The question is, Will we?" Reflecting continuously in such a busy fast-paced world is so difficult, but I believe that is why we are called to live in the presence of God and to pray without ceasing.

Below are some more items that specifically spoke to me in this book:
"We should consciously take the lowest place unless the Lord Himself extrudes us into great one."
"If God does not literally have a hand, then why does the Scripture use this expression?"
"We should ask ourselves from time to time, 'Whose feet am I washing?'"
"No Christian will lose his salvation in this judgment, but whatever he has done for himself (including seeking power and the praise of men) will be lost."
"A Christian is not supposed to need an escape."
"Surely if twentieth-century man were going to vote on the way he would like a messiah to appear, he would want Him loaded down with money bags from Heaven"
"If Jesus had not died, everything would have collapsed."
"It is curious that we can do things in Christ's name while pushing Him off the stage."

[Russell Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant little read.

I must admit I have a soft spot for Schaefer’s writing. I find it profound and deeply spiritual. This collection of sermons is no different. Excellent and timeless devotional material.

[Rod Innis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly great book. I am quite certain that I read this book back in the 1970s when it first came out but it still is relevant to 2020. I highly recommend it.

[Barb Terpstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book! I feel like I practically highlighted the entire book. Here are some teasers: On servanthood

First, we should seek the lowest place because there it is easier to be quiet before the face of the Lord. I did not say easy; in no place, no matter how small or humble, is it easy to be quiet before God. But it is certainly easier in some places than in others. And the little places, where I can more easily be close to God, should be my preference . . . Quietness and peace before God are more important than any influence a position may seem to give, for we must stay in step with God to have the power of the Holy Spirit".

On where we are each day:

Each Christian is to be a rod of God in the place of God for him. We must remember throughout our lives that in God's sight there are no little people and no little places. Only one thing is important: to be consecrated persons in God's place for us at each moment.

On God and life:

Many feel that the Bible should portray a romantic view of life, but the Bible is actually the most realistic book in the world. It does not glibly say, "God's in His heaven--all's right with the world!" It faces the world's dilemmas squarely. Yet, unlike modern realism which ends in despair, it has answers for the dilemmas. And, unlike modern romanticism, it's answers are not optimism without a sufficient base, not hope hung in a vacuum. So we should say at once to twentieth-century people: the Bible is a tough-fibered book.

And finally, on Christ:

In rality there is only one center, not only as a doctrine, but in practice--Christ and the Trinity. What does the God who is there have to say about Himself? As soon as we answer this question and live on the basis of it, everything fits into place, like a nicely ordered closet or a beautiful piece of music by Bach, in which every voice has it's place.

This really is a beautiful, concisely written book. I loved it!

[Bob Ladwig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first essay for which the book receives its name is simply excellent, it highlights the dignity of man and the Christian call to not only see his own life as important but the life of EVERY person around them as important.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

While some of his references are outdated, expressing the time in which he lived, there is much in this book that is timeless. "No little people, no little places...to be wholly committed to God in the place where God wants him- this is the creature glorified."

[Side Gate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. This book discusses the value that God has for all people and how he can use any one for His purposes through His strength.

[Micah Lugg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Senior Seminar class at TMC.

[Michael Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

"No Little People" by Francis Schaeffer is a fantastic read and compilation of sermons focusing on the Christian believer's importance to God , no matter how known or little known we are to the world. Around 280 pages, some of the many great points and topics covered include:

- Much can come from little if the little is consecrated to God.

- Size does not always equal success.

- 2 reasons why we should not seek a large place when God wants us to be in a small place for however long.

- Reasons why utopianism doesn't work.

- Biblical reasons to consider when evaluating leaders and servants in the Bible.

- Proper Christian mentality to have when called to a leadership position.

- Futility of trying to do God's work in the flesh.

- Walk in humility and seek God's approval instead of people's approval.

- We can get more done by waiting on God and working in His power and timing.

- Futility of living a life of constant busyness full of noise and distractions (one of my personal favorite points made).

- Whether known or unknown in our ministry for God, there will be people thankful that we lived (while I am not personally familiar with Schaeffer as opposed to other Christian writers, I am certainly glad he lived and wrote this book!).

- Things to learn from the boldness of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Very thoughtful and full of great biblical insights, much practical wisdom, includes a very helpful general scripture index. This book was a joy to read and will be read again. Highly recommended!

I was given a review copy by Crossway in exchange for a fair review and appreciate the opportunity.

[Mike E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The article/sermonette (chapter 1) is 5 stars, “No Little People, No Little Places.”

Quotes:

We all tend to emphasize big works and big places, but all such emphasis is of the flesh. (30)

The word “minister” is not a title of power, but a designation of servanthood. (31)

The basic relationship between Christians is not that of elder and people, or pastor and people, but that of brothers and sisters in Christ. This denotes that there is one Father in the family and that his offspring are equal. (32)

“For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 14:11, KJV). Then Schaeffer comments:

Jesus commands Christians to seek consciously the lowest room. All of us — pastors, teachers, professional religious workers and non-professionals included — are tempted to say, “I will take the larger place because it will give me more influence for Jesus Christ.” Individual Christians and Christian organizations fall prey to the temptation of rationalizing this way as we build bigger and bigger empires. But according to the Scripture this is backwards: we should consciously take the lowest place unless the Lord Himself extrudes us into a greater one. (34)

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of sixteen Schaeffer sermons, the most famous probably being "The Lord's Work, in the Lord's Way," which is a reflection on Pentecost and the power of the Holy Spirit. To be honest, I struggled to read these as sermons, because as sermons they're not very good. Schaeffer was preaching at the L'Abri chapel, where the audience was not exactly a typical congregation and the concerns were not usually those shared by Joe in the pews. But even then, a sermon still needs to take a text of Scripture and expound it. But there is a very little of that in these addresses. A few did focus on a portion of the Bible in what I might call "Reflections on Revelation 4" or "Thoughts on the Life of Jesus."

Despite this, Schaeffer is always interesting, always insightful, always challenging--even if he's not really preaching. Some may be tempted to dismiss him as merely a product of the evangelical fights of the later twentieth century. But that would be a grave mistake. Critical distance trivializes weak writers and universalizes strong ones. Here is plenty of evidence that Schaeffer is in the (much much smaller) latter group.

[Gene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book again helped me relive some of the feelings and perspectives of my early youth when I was first so interested in the writings of Francis Schaeffer. This particular collection of sermons does a good job of taking Schaeffer's philosophy and theology and tying it to practical Christian living. There is a simplicity and a humility present in these sermons that is very touching, without making the content simplistic. The moral challenges he presents are often very difficult to implement. He is faithful to the Scriptures in his teachings, and does a good job of connecting one passage to another. I liked the way he showed the defiling of the name of God by the Golden Calf incident to be identical to the setting up of worship in the kingdom of Israel by King Jeroboam. It was a good reminder of the danger of holding onto the name of God and emptying it of content, a real temptation to the Church today as it tries to become accommodating to modern culture. I was also pleased to be reminded of his analogy of the universe and the two chairs.

[RaeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Little People is a thought provoking set of essays that every true follower of Jesus should examine. Some of the essays were simply interesting, and others were full of notes from all the incredible statements. I was very encouraged after reading this book, that though I feel alone I am never alone. So many of the things I am going after are flooded in this book. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to go deeper and really examine their faith practice. So much of Jesus' truth is waiting for you in this book. The Holy Spirit really speaks through Schaeffer to look at things we are not looking at today as a church culture. Ironically, the book was written over 30 years ago, but it is as relevant, if not more so, than it was then.

[Ryan Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of sermons. Some are excellent, some are just okay. Overall, though, still a great read.

My favorites were “No Little People, No Little Places,” “The Hand of God,” “The Lord’s Word in the Lord’s Way,” and “Ash Heap Lives.”

Would I recommend? Not as a first book by Schaeffer. I think he was a better writer, thinker, and even exegete (like in his Genesis book) than preacher. Nevertheless, it’s still worth reading if you enjoy his ideas.

[Gavin Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great collection of sermon writings. Not all the sermons in the collection are equal in value so, when recommending the book, I would point people to the the two sermons, "No little People, No little Places" and "The Lord's Work in the Lord's Way." The other sermons are still worth reading, and many have a strong apologetic bent that is helpful in thinking through how the Bible relates to the modern world.

[Scott Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super good read. I really appreciate that Schaeffer's preaching style isn't stagnant, as it shows he's able to adapt to his audience based on location and subject manner.

Top 3 sermons in this book were:
"No Little People, No Little Places"
"The Weakness of God's Servants"
"Ash Heap Lives"

The version I read was the newest 2021 publication by Crossway (which doesn't apparently have a listing here at Goodreads).

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of 16 sermons and talks given to students at L’Abri 50+ years ago. It is as relevant today as it was then. Schaeffer not only has insight into the philosophy of the world but he knows how to encourage the Christian to live the life of faith before a watching world. He shares that everyone in God’s kingdom matters—there truly are no little people. We read this aloud a little at a time but it need not take this long to read.

[Joseph Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schaeffer presents a thesis: “With God, there are no little people and no little places.” He then walks through a bunch of examples from Scripture, concluding with a call to action for Christians to value the right things in life, namely, how they treat other people. It’s thoroughly Schaeffer-esque, written lovingly, clearly, and is a much needed treatise in our current age.

[Pat O'Keeffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were definitely some 5-star worthy essays/sermons in this collection. Overall, challenging and stimulating devotional reading, covering a whole range of Scriptural passages and themes, always richly focused on Christ and landing it in the challenges of contemporary Christianity.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection of sermons from one of the great Christian thinkers of our time.

Stand-out 5 star chapters include;

- The Hand of God
- The weakness of God’s servants
- The Lord’s work in the Lord’s way
- Jesus Only
- Ash Heap Lives

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sermons preached by Francis Schaeffer. Not every sermon was a revelation, but several were quite good, including the first two sermons in the book (the title sermon "No Little People" is one of them), and the last sermon "Ash Heap Lives."

[Josh Broyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly a good read. Again, I️ am a massive Schafer fan and his pieces. There a DOZENS of sermons in this book. It truly does open up the convicting idea that there are in fact no little people.

If you are in ministry, this is a for sure read.

[Mark Roossinck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schaefer was a brilliant man! I always find many gold nuggets and have my heart challenged by his writings. No Little People has accomplished that from start to finish!

[Chris Risley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always encouraging. Each chapter stands alone, some stronger than others.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

No little people, but a very little book. Honestly though, one of the better short reads I've encountered. Was deeply encouraged by it!

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the sermons are worth reading through. Personally, the first 4 are the best and worth the price of the book.