The Difference of One

Good afternoon, everyone! Certainly good to see you all. Thank you for hosting us here in Chicago. What a wonderful place for us to be able to visit. Thank you for allowing us to visit with you this afternoon and serve you. We have quite an ABC class this year. We have, well, depending which semester you're at, 42-41 students. Most of them were singing in the chorale this afternoon.

A very talented class, indeed. But, in fact, there are several that you saw up here on the stage who had no chorale experience in the past at all. So it's pretty amazing when you set your mind to it and have a director like Mr. Shoemaker that can put those things together, how it can sound very, very beautiful.

And so thank you for allowing us to come this afternoon and be a part of services this afternoon. I know talking with a number of you before services, you were asking about ABC itself. We have ABC students that come to ABC right out of high school. We have a number of students that come in between their college years. There are also students that finish their college degree and then come to ABC. We even have students that basically finish their working careers and then retire and come to ABC. So I guess no matter where you are in life, you're welcome at ABC. So we hope that many of you could be inspired to take the time and visit us at ABC.

Take that nine months or so out of life and dedicate it to digging into your Bible, getting a better grasp on God's Word. And certainly that's one thing that we promote at Ambassador Bible Center is we try to give the students an opportunity to really gain insight to what life is all about. What is our purpose? Why has God called us? What is God all about? Who is God? And oftentimes, some of those difficult questions in life, we don't really dig into what is life all about.

And at ABC, we certainly give the students an opportunity to dig into the Bible, learn God's way, learn who God is, learn about their purpose and what their destiny is all about. And so if you've ever thought about it, you're in a position where you can do that, or maybe you just need to do that.

Maybe you need to take that opportunity to set some time aside and really dig into the Word of God. And so now might be just that time. We're just wrapping up this school year. In fact, we've got, believe it or not, students, we've got one month of class left. Just one month and we'll be wrapping things up at Ambassador Bible Center. In fact, over Memorial Day weekend is when graduation is this year, so we're just a month away from graduation. Now, if you just want a flavor for what ABC is all about, we have our continuing education classes that will be going on.

We'll be having those at Cincinnati the third week in June this year. You may have heard some announcements about that. If you haven't heard about it, you can check out the website. You can either go to abc.ucg.org or just go on the ucg.org website and check out the continuing education classes. I know some of you have been to those classes. How many of you have been to the continuing education classes?

Alright, we've got a few of you, maybe not that willing to raise your hands, but there you are. We will have those classes once again. They're a week of classes that will be taking place this year. That third week of June, just after the time most schools get out, we'll have that time.

What we do is we feature a little flavor of quite a few of the different classes. So I'll be taking a number of hours to go over the Epistles of Paul. We'll also have some of the writings this year. We'll also have some of the minor prophets, major prophets as well, some of the Epistles, general Epistles as well. So you'll get a little flavor of what ABC is all about during that week-long of classes.

So we hope you'll take the time to check us out and maybe come visit us at the home offices where those classes take place during that third week in June. You're going to get a flavor for what ABC is like and you can meet some of the different instructors that serve Ambassador Bible Center as well.

So we look forward to seeing you at that time. I'd also like to bring greetings from the Home Office staff as well as our brethren there in Cincinnati. I have the wonderful honor to be able to serve as pastor for the AM and the PM congregations that meet at the Home Office.

We have a little over 300 brethren or so that meet in the Cincinnati East area. And so we bring greetings from Cincinnati. It's been an exciting time at the Home Office. There's always something going on, it seems like. And so here we are just after the Holy Days and it's kind of like hitting the ground running. ABC students have just returned from their spring break and so we jumped right into classes this last week.

Also at the Home Office, a number of the men have gone out to the various areas and helped with speaking opportunities over the spring Holy Days, or at least here in the northern hemisphere, the spring Holy Days. Just getting back from that as well. We've got coming up next week, Beyond Today recording week, which is always a busy time at the Home Office. So lots going on.

We're just on the cusp of the general conference of elders that is going to be coming up at the end of next week. And so elders from all over the world will be gathering in Cincinnati to meet. We'll be also selecting council members that will serve on the Council of Elders for the coming number of years. So there's plenty of things going on at the Home Office.

One of the things that a number of people were asking about were no longer on WGN America. Beyond Today has now shifted to the Ion Network. I'm not sure if Chicago had a hand in that at all. Maybe not, but I know Beyond Today wasn't on in Chicago. As strange as that seems, WGN America didn't allow us to have the broadcast on in Chicago.

Now is it available now in Chicago on Ion? I think on some of the cable networks, satellite networks, it is available. We had a number of people calling, which was kind of encouraging. They said, where are you? They had been used to seeing us on WGN America in their area, and then were calling the Home Office saying, what happened to you? In fact, a couple of people had emailed and said, we're not sure we trust the people that took your place on WGN America.

Actually, that was kind of encouraging to hear that, because it took a little bit for people to call the Home Office, because we don't actually receive the calls for the responses, let's say for the offers that we have on Beyond Today. So if they'd like to order a booklet, they have to call our answering service. That's not the Home Office. We have an answering service that they call to request the free offers. So what they had to do in order to contact us to find out where we went, they had to call the answering service, which means they had to have already written down that number somewhere, and then call them and ask specifically, how do I get a hold of the people at Beyond Today?

So then they called the answering service, they received the office number in Cincinnati, then they had to call the office and ask where he went to. So they had to jump through a few hoops, and there were an amazing number of phone calls, messages, and emails that came in, which might seem like a bad thing, but it actually was a very good thing. So then we could give them instructions on where they could actually find us and keep tuning in. So that was actually an encouraging development since we have changed networks.

So now we are on the Ion Network, and we were doing both for just a little bit, and now we're just strictly on the Ion Network. And the results in the last several weeks have been very, very encouraging. We've had some of the best responded to programs just in the last few weeks. Of course, some of those programs are focusing on what we call our distinctives.

Those are the doctrines, I guess you could say, that offset us from the rest of the religious world. So the last few weeks we were focusing on Easter, and that definitely offsets us entirely from the world out there. So we've had a number of programs on whether or not Easter is what we should be celebrating. We had a program on three days and three nights and how it just doesn't add up. And so those programs have been very encouraging, and the number of people that have been responding. Mr. Petty's program last week on the Rapture was also another one of those distinctives that had quite a number of responses as well.

So it's been really encouraging to see the responses that have come in, even though we've switched networks and have a new audience that is out there, as well as those that switched networks right with us and are continuing to watch. I know perhaps a number of you became a part of God's way by watching the program. That's also been encouraging. We had a baptism just two weeks ago in Cincinnati of a lady who watched the Beyond Today television program, got on the web and just went crazy checking us out and looking into what the Bible really teaches and God certainly directed her to come to the truth.

So that's been just a very encouraging thing to see how people have been responding, not only to the telecast, but to the website. We've had an amazing number of people that have come in touch with the church through the website. So God could use so many different ways to motivate people to come to the truth.

As He opens our minds, boy, He can do amazing things. So it's really encouraging to do that. And of course, here we are at a time of the year that sometimes can be a little challenging, maybe for all of us. We've come through the days of Unleavened Bread. Here we are, the first Sabbath after the days of Unleavened Bread. And it's maybe time to catch our breath just a little bit. Maybe perhaps think about where we've been, where we're going. Maybe sometimes we might even feel just a little bit down. We made it through the Holy Days, we made it through Passover. And have you ever felt that way? Like, wow!

Maybe even a little bit discouraging. We hear all this beautiful music today, and it certainly lifts us up. But I know sometimes I've even felt, here's a whole group of God's people around us, and maybe I felt, maybe you felt this way, felt a little lost, maybe Sometimes. Have you ever been in a big crowd and felt like, well, I just doesn't feel like I fit in sometimes?

Have you ever felt that way? Maybe I'm that square peg that just doesn't fit in that round hole. Even though there's all these people around me, it feels like maybe I just don't quite fit in. Or maybe you're just the opposite. Maybe you're the kind of people that is well established. You feel very comfortable in this big group of people, and it's easy for you to reach out.

It's easy to feel included. So, depending which side of the spectrum you're on, whether you're perhaps that one that maybe feels, maybe just a little bit different, or maybe you're that one who feels very established, very comfortable.

Whichever side of the spectrum you're on, I think coming through the Days of Unleavened Bread bring us to maybe coming to a conclusion of a couple of things. You know, does it always take an entire chorale to inspire us for special music? Now, sometimes it just might be that lone voice. It might be just that soloist that can really encourage us and uplift us.

But does it always take a big group in order to accomplish something? Does it always take an entire congregation to do the work of God? Or perhaps at times it just takes one. Is it possible that one, that just you could make a new song?

An amazing difference. Is it possible? Is it possible for you to be the one, perhaps to make a difference on your job? Is it possible that you could be the one right here in Chicago to make a difference? Or does it take just the ministry to make a difference, or just those that are ordained to make a difference? Is it possible to be that one that can make a difference in someone else's life? In this world it's kind of hard sometimes to really get a handle on that, because it's easy to think that, well, I'm just a number in that whole big scheme of things. I'm just a name in some computer somewhere that really doesn't matter. I'm just that one little bit in this giant conglomeration of megabytes that, I'm not sure it really is that significant a difference. Maybe I'm just that one in a crowd that oftentimes seem to just get lost. But is that the way God wants us to think? I don't think God wants us to think that way. I think God wants us, more importantly, to focus on the fact that there is a difference of one, that just one can make a difference. There's an interesting story back in the Old Testament. As God's people were, well, it's kind of an unleavened bread kind of a story, since we've come through the days of unleavened bread. We remember the Israelites who came out of Egypt during that time. They marched through the wilderness. They came to the Promised Land. And what were they supposed to do? We kind of remember that story. You look over in Numbers, Chapter 14. We remember that story of the twelve spies.

The twelve spies were sent into the Promised Land, into the land of Canaan. And we remember how they came back. If you remember how they came back after spying out the Promised Land, they had to report back. They had to report to give about what they found in the Promised Land. So sending those twelve spies into the Promised Land, they came back to Moses, they came back to the people, and they said what? Well, they said it's an amazing land. It's a beautiful land. It's overflowing with milk and honey. It's a tremendous land. But did they immediately just march in and take that land? Well, they came back with a bad report.

A bad report. Two of them came back, though, with a report of faith. If you remember that, their names were Joshua, was one, and Caleb. Joshua and Caleb. And in Numbers, Chapter 14, notice how God looked at Caleb specifically. Numbers, Chapter 14, verse 24. God says something about Caleb. He says, My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him, and has followed me fully, I'll bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. God promised Caleb something different than those other ten spies and their families who brought a bad report. Caleb's different spirit caught God's attention, I guess you could say, and it was different. And in fact, it offseted the fact that the spirit of God sent him from everyone else, except for Joshua. It did offset him. Because Joshua and those ten, if we turn back just a little bit to Chapter 13, look at Chapter 13, where can we pick it up? Verse 27. 13, 27 here, Numbers, Numbers 13, 27. Here as those spies come back, they said, We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. They had this gigantic fruit that they gave amazing. Nevertheless, what they said, verse 28, the people who dwell in the land are strong. The cities are fortified, very large. Moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Now, who are those people?

Giants. They had the Giants, and they didn't play baseball or football. They were not those Giants. They were big guys. The big guys. It says the Amalekites dwell in the land of the South, the Hittites, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Canaanites. There's too many.

There's too many. And oftentimes, we have a tendency to have that kind of perspective.

Because, as they saw what this land was like, what did they rely on? They relied on their vision. They relied on what they saw. They didn't connect what they saw to the promises that God gave them. God told them He was going to be with them. What was the proof? What was the proof? When God said, I'm going to bring you into this wonderful land. Well, as they marched out of Egypt, some amazing things happened along the way, didn't it? Awesome things happened! They had a pillar of cloud that led them by day, a pillar of fire by night. There was food that God provided for miraculous food. Could they count on God providing miracles as they came into this land? Could they have the trust and the faith that they needed in God because of what He'd already proven to them? Well, He could have.

And yet, in so many ways, it's almost like what's happening around us today. Do you ever feel like you're facing the giants? We're faced with many enemies around. We have many of the theites around us. They're not the Jebusites or the Canaanites or the Amorites.

But in our own ways, we've got a lot of different heights that we face. We face the giants of sickness. We face the giants of challenges in our families, challenges in unemployment, challenges in our relationship, challenges in families that are trying to be torn apart.

We face those giants. And yet, what kind of vision do we have? What kinds of eyes do we see our situations with? When you look at the way that Caleb looked at that situation, when he faced the giants, look what he said down in verse 30 here in Numbers 13. Even though they came back with the report of the challenges that they were facing, Caleb said in verse 30, let's go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it. That was Caleb's perspective. The other ten, the rest of Israel focused on what they couldn't do. But Caleb, I guess in a way you could say he had a faithful vision. He saw what God would do. It wasn't what he was well able to do. It wasn't what the people were well able to do. He saw what God would do, what God had already promised to do. He was ready to act in faith. He knew God had promised them the land. He knew that if he acted by faith, that God would wholeheartedly keep his commitments. Caleb was willing and able to take a stand. And I think it's such an encouraging thing for us because we face these similar kinds of giants in our lives today. And it just takes one to stand up and be an instrument in the hands of a powerful God. Does it take a whole committee? Sometimes it doesn't take a whole congregation. It doesn't take a whole group. An individual can be used by God to give support, to give encouragement, to give hope. And it can be you. It can be you. Do we sometimes find ourselves selling ourselves short? It's not you. Do we sometimes find ourselves selling ourselves short? We shouldn't. Didn't God take a pretty average people and expect miraculous things out of them? God can take our very average abilities and use us to affect the lives of others and immeasurize them.

And impact them in powerful ways. Powerful ways. Remember in the New Testament, they were kind of like us at that crucifixion. Everybody ran from Christ. Everybody departed.

And yet, not long after that, you might just write down Acts 17, with the power of God's spirit. They took that message and they traveled and they preached and they taught and they impacted the world. And in Acts 17 it says some very average people with a mighty God.

It says they turned the world upside down. Oh yeah, but that was them. That's not us.

We're not able to do that. Wait a second, those are the same ones that ran away. Those are the same people that deserted Christ. And yet, with eyes of faith and with the power of God's Holy Spirit, every average person can do powerful spiritual things. So how can I make a difference? Have we thought about that? Have we thought about how can I really be one to make that kind of a difference? If you think of people in the Bible that did that, and we looked at Caleb here, another amazing example that comes to my mind is the example of King Josiah over in 2 Kings 22. Here's the boy king. Josiah becomes king at age 8. A mere child cannot serve God. A child can make a difference? Is that possible? Is that possible? I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

Is that possible for a child? Here he is, 8 years old. The kingdom before this, well, he had every opportunity. Everything was perfect for him when he took over, wasn't it? Well, you read through 2 Kings 22. He won't take time to do that. What was his father like?

Oh, he gave him the best opportunities for success, didn't he? No, he didn't. Aemon was one of the worst kings in Israel. Only served a couple years before the people said enough of this. Let's get rid of this guy. What about his grandfather before him? Let Israel, 55 years, one of the worst. One of the worst menes, one of the worst kings of all time. They desecrated the temple. They murdered people. They disobeyed God. They set up idols. They followed every other means other than the true God. They even sacrificed children. Life was cheap. And yet, one began to make a difference. When the book of the law was read to Josiah by the time he was 18, he tore his robes out of conviction and repentance for the sins of Judah. You read these passages. We see some amazing things.

Look at chapter 23. Flip over a chapter. Look at verse 3. After hearing God's law, after it had been disavowed for years for more than a jubilee, we find Josiah doing something different. Second Kings 23. Look at verse 3. The king stood, this is Josiah, by a pillar made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies, his statutes with all his heart, with all his soul, and to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. The effect and all the people took a stand for the covenant. The results? Look down to verse 25. Down in verse 25. Now before him, this is Josiah, there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might according to all the law of Moses, nor after him did any arise like him. Can one make a difference? Or he certainly did. In fact, it took one to help him make a difference. It took one. Look back just a little bit back to chapter 22. Notice there was one that was not a difference. It was a difference. It was a difference.

Who helped him? 2 Kings 22 verse 8. 2 Kings 22 verse 8. Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. Hilkiah didn't bury that book. He gave it to Shaphan, and he read it. Interesting. Hilkiah the high priest did something with it. He took it. He didn't go to the king, but he took it to the king's scribe. He took it to Shaphan. Now what is Shaphan going to do with that? He could have buried it. He could have hidden it. But instead, verse 9, Shaphan the scribe went to the king, brought the king the word, saying, Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, have delivered it to the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the Lord. Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. That began the ball rolling. They could have done something else. They could have ignored it. They could have hidden it. They could have thought, well, it might be like Amen. It might be like Manasseh.

But they stood up, and they made a difference.

Could I be the one to make a difference? Could you be the one? Well, those are guys in the Bible. They're amazing. They had special influence from God. No wonder they did that. I don't know if I could do that. I think it's here for a reason to help us to see one makes a difference. In fact, as I was thinking about that, I heard about something called the butterfly effect. I don't know if you've ever heard of the butterfly effect. All the way back in 1963, there was a man named Edward Lorenz. Edward Lorenz got together with a whole bunch of other scientists, and they specifically were meteorologists. They were weather guys.

They were really into the weather. Back in 1963, Edward Lorenz stood before the New York Academy of Sciences, and he had this hypothesis. This hypothesis was involved in what they came to call the chaos theory. Now it has a fancy name. 50 years later, they call it the law of sensitive dependency on initial condition. We all are very, very familiar with that. The law of sensitive dependency on initial condition. What in the world is that all about?

It's interesting that theory foretends that the tiniest change in an initial condition has an effect. It has an effect. So a tiny change can make a difference, is what his theory was all about. And so when he presented that in 1963, all the meteorologists said, wow, that is amazing! What an awesome discovery you've made! No, that didn't happen actually.

It's a very, very interesting thing. It's a very interesting thing. It's a very interesting thing, actually. They laughed him off the stage. They laughed him off the stage because his theory was that a seagull flapping its wings in South America could change the direction of a tornado in Texas. Almost sounds like a little bit of a forest, doesn't it? So they didn't buy it at all. But that was his idea, and that's kind of the way that he presented it. Is it possible that just a small change in an initial condition could affect the path of weather? Well, as he continued to develop this theory and this kind of a chain of events, that if this one thing happened, a whole series of chains of events could happen, kind of like you probably heard of the domino effect, could make a difference somewhere else in the world. And so in later speeches, instead of using a seagull, Edward Lorenz started to go more a little poetic. And so he used the idea of a butterfly. So a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could change the outcome of a tornado in Texas. And the idea is if the butterfly hadn't flown in the direction it did or when it did, it might just change the entire effect, the entire system. And so here we are some 50 years later, and the majority of meteorologists believe this hypothesis to be true, that small things can have big results. Now, I'm not a meteorologist. I don't know if this is true or not. I don't think it matters one way or another. But I think the idea behind it is true, that small things can have huge results. Imagine that small things can have huge results. And so what if I just change my attitude just a little bit? Will that change the outcome in my circumstances?

Would that change the circumstances for someone else? If there's just one act of generosity, does that have an impact on someone else's life? Absolutely. Absolutely it does. So, in a way, what Dr. Lorenz work seems to point, if we think of it in a spiritual sense, one person can make a difference. If some butterfly can affect a tornado, can one person have a positive impact on someone else and others? What would that outcome be with just the smallest change? How much difference can one make, let's say, in the Chicago congregation? What would just the smallest little difference make? What would just the difference of a change of attitude? If I did what was best, would it change my perspective? Would it change my attitude? Would it change, then, my actions? I think it was true for Caleb. I think it was true for Josiah. I think it was true for Shafan. I think it's true today. If it's true for a butterfly, I think it's true for us as well. We, each individually, can make a difference by our willingness to allow God's Spirit to work in us and through us.

Can you think of the list of things that bring this point home when you consider the great characters of the Bible? Think about Unleavened Bread. You probably heard a story, read a story about Moses during the days of Unleavened Bread. We all know Moses. God called him because he was the best. Right? No. He said, God, you've got to give me somebody that can talk, because I've got this stutter. I've got this problem. There's no way I can go. Moses stuttered, didn't he? So God said, no problem. We've got Aaron for you. Now get to work. But I'm just a teenager. What was David when God began to work with him?

David was a teenager. Jacob was a liar. John ate locusts. Abraham was old. Naomi was old.

Was a widow. Martha worried about everything. Elijah was down and depressed at times. Now, if you still got an excuse, there's always Lazarus. He was dead. He was dead. And yet, God could still use him powerfully after he resurrected him. So can I have that kind of an attitude? Can we catch the vision that God's given to us? That each one of us are personally called to make a difference. We can make a difference, not only in the work of God, but on a personal level. Yes, I can send my offering in. It makes a difference. We print booklets. We have a website. We have magazines. We have a telecat. But we can make a difference here. We can make a difference in our families. We can make a difference on our job. We can make a difference even at the grocery store. We can make a difference. Are we willing to be like a Josiah or like an Isaiah? Remember Isaiah said, I'm a man of perverse lips. I've got a bad mouth on me. God sent an angel. It really opened his mind to the truth. And those unclean lips, when God said, who's going to go? What did Isaiah say after that? You look up Isaiah 6, maybe read that story. He said, here I am. Send me. You see, in a way, God's called us, I think, in a similar fashion. That you don't have to be somebody, especially the way the world thinks. We don't have to be somebody for God to use us in powerful ways. Probably, as you're sitting there, you probably think of that maybe most famous man in the Bible that God used in a powerful way. Just one man! Ebed Melch probably came to your mind. Okay, maybe he didn't. Look over at Jeremiah Chapter 38, verse 2. What would have happened if this man, Ebed Melch, had just stood by and done nothing? This is the story of Jeremiah. The story of Jeremiah. And without Ebed Melch, what would have happened? Let's think about that for just a moment. Jeremiah Chapter 38, verse 2 is where we can find his story. Actually, it's kind of hidden in the story of Jeremiah, but we're going to dig it out just a little bit. Here's Jeremiah prophesying, he says, Thus says the Lord those who stay in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, by pestilence, those who go out to the Calvians shall live. Thus says the Lord, this city shall be handed over to the army and the king of Babylon, I end be taken. And everyone said, Yippee! Let's get out of here. No, they didn't say that. Verse 4, The officials of the city said to the king, Jeremiah, this man ought to be put to death because he's discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city and all the people by speaking such words. So what happens? Verse 5, Kings Zedekiah said, All right, he's in your hands. The king's powerless against you. I'm a wimp. I don't want to stand up against you. I don't think this is necessarily the best thing, but okay, whatever you got to do, go do it. So what did they do? What did they do? What did the people do? What did his officials do? They took Jeremiah, says in verse 6, and they threw him into the cistern of Melchiah, the king's son, which is in the court. There wasn't any water in the cistern, but only mud. And Jeremiah sank into the mud. Well, what's going to happen to Jeremiah? He's going to die.

It's all over. It's all over unless somebody steps in. Somebody steps in. And so that happens through Ebed Melch. Verse 7, Ebed Melch, the Ethiopian. You know, we might even think, well, because of my race or my heritage or because of my upbringing or because my family's dysfunctional or because of... fill in the blank. I'm powerless to do anything. Nope.

Nope. Here's Ebed Melch, the Ethiopian, a eunuch in the king's house. We could say he's kind of a nobody. He's on the bottom of the scale. He's not of the king's family. He's not an official. He's a servant. He's just a servant. So he hears, verse 7, that they put Jeremiah into the cistern. The king happened to be sitting at the Benjamin Gate. Ebed Melch left the king's house, purposefully chose to leave the king's house, and spoke to the king. Verse 9, here he says, My Lord King, these men have acted wickedly in all they did to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern to die there of hunger, for there's no bread left in the city. As a result, verse 10, Then the king commanded Ebed Melch the Ethiopian. Take three men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah up from the cistern before he dies. So he does, verse 11. He took the men with him, went to the house of the king to a wardrobe of the storehouse, took their old rags, worn out clothes, which he let down the Jeremiah and the cistern by ropes. So they pull him out. Verse 13, They drew Jeremiah up by the ropes and pulled him out of the cistern. Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. So here's not this mighty man, but this servant. Just a servant.

And maybe this seems pretty insignificant. But what would have happened if this butterfly didn't flap its wings? Well, it would have changed everything. He chose to make a difference.

He was willing to put his life on the line, willing to stand up and make a difference.

He went to the king and pled for Jeremiah's life. It was obvious that he cared. And so is it possible that we could do the same thing? Now, Jeremiah might not be in the well in our lives, but if we can focus on others. You see, all too often I think this life causes us to look at ourselves. We focus on ourselves. We think of our problems. We think of our challenges. We think of our difficulties. And we wish that others would help us and serve us and pay attention to us. We might have had reasons that they should. I'm sure Ebed Melik could have done that. He could have said, things are deteriorating. I'm out of here. I've got to save my own life. I've got to watch out for myself in this situation. And like us, we have to fight that tendency just to think it's about me. Because it shouldn't feel that way. We shouldn't feel like, well, I'm only whatever it might be. If somebody told me one time, if you ever feel like you're too little to make a difference, you've never been bitten by a mosquito. That one mosquito can really hurt. Can we make it different?

I think God keeps telling us, it takes one. It takes one, and a whole domino effect can result because of that. Because of that very thing. And I say, well, I'm just a girl, I'm just a woman, or I'm just a wife, or I'm a senior. Can one make a difference? Over in the book of Luke, the very beginning of chapter 8. Luke chapter 8 verse 1. Now you would think one of the most difficult challenges, especially in New Testament times, would have been to be a woman. You're probably all familiar with the old Jewish prayer that they prayed at this time. Do you know what Jewish men would pray to God? They would pray and thank God that they were not made a woman. Jewish men would pray that. Thank you God for not making me a woman. Can you imagine that? This was a pretty rough time to be a woman. And yet, these people here in Luke chapter 8 didn't use that as an excuse. They didn't use society and society's perspectives and influence as an excuse. Let's notice that. Luke chapter 8 verse 1. Now it came to pass afterwards that he went through every city and village, this is talking about Christ, preaching and bringing the good news, the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, and the twelve were with him. So you've got the disciples in Christ preaching and teaching. Verse 2. Certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, here they are. Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons. Verse 3. Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod Stewart, and Susanna, and many others who provided for him from their substance, from their resources, in other words. So here's an example in the New Testament, first century, where women were hardly even to be seen, let alone make a difference in the preaching of the Gospel. Here's an example of women who made a difference in the work of God. It was by their means. I mean, this is how the church was funded in those early years. These were women whose families were well off because it took money to fund. How did they eat? How did they have something? How did they function? Well, here are women who by their means, by their husband's means, dedicated their lives to make a difference. And it all started with one. All started with one. Sometimes we think, well, maybe today it's different, but it's not really any difference. You think about the ones throughout history. 1654 in England, they got rid of the king, and Oliver Cromwell took over because of one vote. One vote. One vote, a couple years before that, in Parliament caused Charles I to be executed. A few years after that, 1776, that year, Ring a Bell, in America. One vote made the difference between our language being English or German. One vote, 1776. 1845, there was one vote that brought Texas into the Union. Come up to more recent history, 1923. He didn't take it by power, but he was voted into office, voted into control by one vote. Everyone knows his name. It wasn't here. It was in Germany.

Adolf Hitler took control of the Nazi party by one vote. By one vote. What would have happened in America in 1941? There was a vote in Congress about the Selective Service, the draft, just before World War II. They almost did away with the Selective Service. What would have happened in World War II?

Could have been a little bit different. But one vote, 1941, kept the Selective Service in America.

Can we make a difference? Can we make a difference? Sometimes we think it's got to be these awesome, amazing, obvious ways. That's not true. That's not true. Even the smallest things by just one of us can bring huge results. One of my favorite examples is over in Acts 9, starting in verse 36.

Acts 9, verse 36. Here we have some insight into an individual. I suppose we could just say, here's an everyday ordinary church member. Can we say that? I think we probably could say that. This everyday ordinary church member's name was Tabitha. Tabitha. Acts 9, verse 36, begins like this. It says, now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas.

That sounds kind of weird. In Greek it means gazelle, gazelle or gizelle. Beautiful name. So here's this lady Gizelle, Tabitha. She was devoted to good works in Acts of Charity, verse 37.

Acts 9, verse 37. But it happened in those days she became sick, she died, and when they washed her they laid her in an upper room. And since Lidda, which was the city, was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there. They sent two men to him imploring him not to delay in coming to them. So Tabitha dies, we got to tell Peter, have them come. So Peter goes, verse 39, comes to them, brought him to the upper room. All the widows stood by him weeping. So not only were they sad, but what did they do? They were weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. So they were exhibiting all these wonderful homemade items that she had sewn. Can you imagine what that discussion must have been like? Oh, she made you something? Well, she made me something. Look at what she made me. Oh, I didn't know that. Look at this. She made this for me. And so they were sharing their Tabitha stories, their Giselle stories. They were sharing with each other. I suppose, in a way, at this, we might call it a visitation today, just before the funeral here, they're all talking about this wonderful lady. What happens, Peter, put them all outside. Verse 40, knelt down, he prayed. He says, Tabitha, arise. She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand. Verse 41, and when he called the saints and the widows, he presented her alive. He presented her alive, and it became known throughout Japa, and many believed the Lord. I think a couple of amazing lessons here. It certainly shows that we need to serve each other. We need to help each other. We need to be an example for one another. But I think, for today, we can think about one person. Yeah, me. Just a regular, hardly ordinary, in most situations, church member. That made a difference. Someone who saw a need. Here's Tabitha. Saw a need. You know, do you think it was just because she liked to sew? She made this stuff? Or do you think they needed some of these things? Do you think they needed these clothes?

I think there was probably... it wasn't just that, well, I got nothing better to do, so I'm going to sew this thing and stick you with it. You go, oh great, I can't even re-gift this. It's so weird.

Yeah, I don't think that's the case at all. I don't think that's the case. I think these were wonderful quality items that were needed. She saw this. These people probably couldn't afford to go buy these things. And so, because she was so talented in this way, she saw that need. She put her talents to youth, and because she gave it to them, she impacted their lives.

I think the story tells us, don't underestimate yourself. You know, with God's Holy Spirit, can we make a difference in the lives of others? Can we make a difference in the lives of others right here in Chicago? Absolutely we can. In fact, the Bible shows over and over lists of people who make a difference in others' lives. You might look at the end of the book of Romans sometimes. Romans 16 through the end. It's pretty amazing. Here's a whole list of people that made a difference in others' lives. And we can do the same. We can do the same. In fact, there's an interesting little poem about each of us making a difference. There's a poet named Paul Gilbert wrote a little poem, and he wrote, you are writing a gospel, a chapter each day. You are. You're writing a gospel, a chapter each day by the deeds you do, by the words you say.

Men read what you write, whether faithless or true.

Who? Say, what is the gospel according to you? What is the gospel according to Tabitha?

It was love and service, filling knees, utilizing her God-given talents, finding what those God-given talents are and impacting the lives of others in a powerful, even though it was a small little thing.

What ended up happening? All of Japa heard about this. All of Japa was impacted, it seems, by those little actions. So what can we do? What can we do to help be pointed in that kind of a positive direction? Well, I think in one way, we could be like a Tabitha. We could ask God to show us a need that we can fill. God, what is it that I can do? How can I fill a need to serve you and serve your people? We pray and ask God that. Do you think that's the kind of prayer that God loves to hear? Do you think God would answer that prayer? Or it might be just surprising, the needs that suddenly jump out and become more obvious. You might become more aware and maybe ask God, help me to have eyes of faith like Caleb had so I can see the reality behind what the cloud might be, behind what seems to get in the way in life. Ask God to help me to see through that cloud, to see through the giants that seem to surround us, to see the need so that I can fulfill those, to help shine the truth in people's lives. Now, yeah, we're not going to be able to fill all the needs, but we can ask God to specifically show us the needs that we can fill, that we can do something about, the things that we can address with our abilities, with our resources, because even someone with pretty seemingly not much means was able to do powerful things. And with our resources, we can ask God to show us needs that can be filled. I think one of the other things we can ask God about is in some of these stories, it took courage. It took, we said, it took some guts for a chiffan to stand up, for a jusiah to go against history, for David to stand up against the jus- for most of us, doesn't it kind of take that? I don't know if you're like me.

I need a prod. I need a little bit of a push. I need some courage to stand up, stand strong, to step out and actually start. Sometimes that's the hardest part, to get started.

But I think that's what God wants. And maybe that first step, just like one standing strong, maybe that first step might just be the most challenging. But once we get into the swing of things, I think it begins to flow. And so we can ask God, give me the courage that it takes to get started, to get started, to get beyond that first obstacle and really go for it, and really go for it. We could ask God to do that. I think another aspect we can certainly petition God for is for wisdom in serving others. Because we can try to be that light, and we can step out in faith. But if our light isn't the nice kind of warmth that people would like to bask themselves in, because they appreciate it, sometimes we can be intrusive. Sometimes, let me serve you.

I remember the story about a boy scout. There was a widow standing on the corner, and he grabbed that widow's arm. He said, here, let me help you. And the light changed, and he takes her right across the street, and he said, thank you, ma'am. I'm going to earn my new ribbon for my boy scout honors. He said, what are you... the little widow said, what are you talking about? I just got done crossing the street. All right, you know, I think you're serving, but if we're not serving in the way somebody wants, needs to be served, we can be intrusive. We can be obnoxious, and so we can ask God to give us the discernment we need, give us the wisdom that we need, to do what's best, to fill a need that truly needs to be filled. Maybe a need that we've heard about, maybe a need that someone has expressed to us, so we could certainly ask God to show us and to help us and give us that guidance and helping serving.

And of course, if you're like me, we can also pray and ask God to help us stay committed.

Help us stay committed. The last thing most of us need is to get started, and then somewhere along the line, just drop the ball. You know, we certainly don't want to do that. We don't want to begin to start sailing that beautiful ship of service and then bale overboard at some point. I definitely don't want to. So we can ask God to help us to have the strength to stay committed, to continue to serve, to continue to be that individual that makes a difference. There's a passage in Ephesians chapter 4 that I think is so encouraging, that helps us to have those kinds of eyes to see and to serve. Ephesians chapter 4, right at the very beginning of that chapter.

Here in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1, it seems we have kind of an unleavened bread kind of perspective. At the end of the days of unleavened bread, we're back out here. We're back at it. We're back continuing to strive to put to use all the wonderful aspects of the sacrifice of Christ and the opportunity He's given us to come out of sin. And now we want to keep on moving forward. And so here in Ephesians 4 we have that kind of a perspective. Verse 1 says, I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, this is Paul speaking, I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling in which you were called. So through Jesus Christ, through His Holy Spirit, we can walk worthy. How do we do that? Verse 2, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. In fact, He talks about the ones. There is one body, there is one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. But to each one, to each one, every one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

And I think by extension we can realize one makes an amazing difference. You can be the one to make a difference. Every Sabbath you can be the one to make a difference. Every opportunity we can strive to be the one to live by the grace of God, to put the gifts, the talents, abilities that He's given us into practice. No matter where we are on the spectrum, young or old, we can do this because one can make a powerful difference. So as we put all of these things together, we will make a difference because we have been given the Spirit of God. And so let's make sure that the difference is one.