By Steven Norris
How much of an impact can one life make? I wondered that as I prepared to step into the pulpit this past Sunday. I was preaching on Jesus calling the first disciples. That was a “rag-tag” group if ever there was one — fishermen, tax collectors, revolutionaries, doubters, and double-crossers.
Yet, Jesus invested in them and used them to completely change the course of human history. If you had asked their parents or neighbors, my hunch is that these were just ordinary young men who did not stand out from their peers. God, however, chose to use them for extraordinary things as they responded to Jesus’ invitation: “Come, follow me.”
It reminds me of a story about a shoe salesman by the name of Edward Kimble. In addition to selling shoes, he was a Sunday school teacher and knew that he had a responsibility to share the gospel with others. Though he was reluctant to do it, he mustered up the nerve to share his faith with a co-worker named Dwight. Dwight received the message gladly and put his faith in Jesus that very day.
Dwight L. Moody went on to become one of the great evangelists of the 19th Century, preaching around the world. Through Moody’s ministry, a pastor named Frederick Meyer felt deeply stirred and went into a national preaching ministry. Through Meyer’s ministry, a college student name Wilbur Chapman came to faith in Christ and would go on to become an evangelist himself.
Chapman recruited baseball player, Billy Sunday, who also went on to become an evangelist. On one occasion, Sunday was unable to fulfill a request to preach at an event in Charlotte, NC. Therefore, he sent his friend, a relatively unknown evangelist by the name of Mordecai Ham to speak in his place. On the final night of the event, a young farm boy responded to the call and gave his life to Christ. His name was William “Billy” Graham.
Kimble reached Moody, who inspired Meyer, who reached Chapman, who empowered Sunday, who connected Ham, who was the instrument God used to reach Billy Graham. Only God knows how many people have been reached by the ministries of these six evangelists. A simple shoe salesman who shared his faith with a co-worker provided the nudge of faithfulness the Spirit needed to get the snowball rolling.
I closed out the service on Sunday with a question for our congregation: Who is your one? Who is the one person that God is calling you to invest in, pray for, and seek to reach for Christ? Who knows — that person may go on to become the next great evangelist. Then again, they may become a Christlike teacher, government official, or physician. Their faith may lead them to great scientific discoveries or help them be a leader in their local church. They may become a model of Christ as a stay-at-home mom or dad. The final outcome isn’t exactly our responsibility. We are called to be faithful in living our life as a testimony to the God we follow.
So, who is your one?