In a world with a population of seven billion people, it is easy to feel insignificant and powerless to make an impact. The following story tells of how Billy Graham came to faith and the chain of events that led up to his powerful conversion.
The story goes that in the 1800’s Sunday School teacher, Edward Kimball, shakily visited the shoe store where one of his teenage class members worked for the purpose of sharing the gospel with him. This particular lad was a concern to Kimball because he felt that the young man had a “dark” personality. To Kimball’s great surprise the boy responded well and gave his life to Jesus. Kimball had no way of knowing how his simple act of faith would impact the world, as this young man would come to be one of the greatest evangelists in history, Dwight L. Moody.
Later, while listening to Moody preach at a meeting in London, Reverend F.B. Meyer “caught fire” for the Lord and resolved to stop preaching dry, intellectual sermons and to preach Jesus with conviction. Wilbur Chapman was saved and became an evangelist after listening to one of Meyer’s passionate sermons. During one of Chapman’s evangelistic meetings Billy Sunday, who was a professional baseball player, got saved and became a very well-known preacher. After one of Sunday’s gospel campaigns in Charlotte North Carolina several men who had been converted, began a group that was named after Sunday and immediately began praying for another move of the Holy Spirit in their community. Consequently. they issued an invitation to preach to a minister named Mordecai Hamm who held a revival meeting in North Carolina in 1934.
A young Billy Graham reluctantly attended the meeting and after hearing the gospel message accepted Christ. Untold thousands around the world have come to faith through Billy Graham’s many crusades and the ministry he founded. Since I have been doing missions work in India, I have become keenly aware of the lasting impression God made on that country through this man's efforts. I have even made the acquaintance of an Indian Christian who is named after Billy Graham because his father accepted Christ at one of Graham’s meetings.
It is not God’s plan for every Christian to become a world-famous evangelist, but it is his will for every Christian to reach out to others with the gospel. When a single individual prays, contributes financially or personally engages in missions work there is no way for that person to know how many times over God may multiply their efforts. This coming November a friend and I will be visiting India to hold two workshops on evangelism and discipleship for members of the Naga tribes. We expect to have 100 graduate students in one workshop and 50 pastors
in another. There is no way to calculate the exponential effect of equipping these faithful souls to be able to share their faith in a nation that is populated by a billion Hindus.
Scripture tells us that the angels rejoice when a single soul is saved. God has given every believer the task and the ability to do great things.
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