The Difference of One

Okay, now that we have everyone's attention. All right. We have some similarities between Dallas and Cincinnati. Sometimes we have our challenges with sound systems. It's kind of like computers. When they work, it is great, and it is such a blessing. But sometimes they just have a mind of their own, it seems. But it is good to be together. Good to be together on God's Sabbath and share some beautiful songs together. I hadn't heard the last one we sang for quite a while, so I appreciate that. It's wonderful to have so many songs in our hymnals, and sometimes they're overlooked.

But it is good to be together. The other day I was talking to one of our members in Cincinnati, and it kind of turned to a little bit of a serious topic for a moment, because this individual had felt kind of left out, kind of wondered why God had called her, and wondering if there was really a reason. And as we were talking, one of the things that she said really struck me. She had said to me, you know, I don't know that it really makes any difference.

And I said, well, what do you mean? She said, sometimes I don't know why God called me, and I don't know that I can make any difference whatsoever. So I began to think about that, as I tried to encourage her a little bit. And it certainly does raise the question, really, for all of us, does just one person make that much of a difference?

I mean, can I make any difference in God's Church, or in this world at all? Because sometimes it can all seem kind of overwhelming. And so as just one individual, is it really possible to make a difference? And really, when you think about it, what is God's perspective on just me?

I mean, I'm just one individual. Can it be that I could be someone that makes a difference? I know oftentimes you'll think, well, maybe the home office can make a difference, because they're the home office, or they can do it. If we get into that mindset, well, someone else might be able to. But in the world that we live in, we live in this computerized world that oftentimes we feel like a number. We're just one of who knows how many.

And even within our congregation, sometimes it can feel that way. We've got a number of people, and with all the people that are here, is it possible that just one can make that difference? Well, when you look at God's Word, the answer is a resounding, yes.

Yes! It just takes one. It just takes one. And a number of years ago, our Council of Elders made it very obvious in a statement that they put together to reverberate God's Word to make sure we all really understood the vision of God's Church.

In fact, we have a vision statement that was put together over six years ago by the Council of Elders that's based on Scripture. And you may be familiar with the vision statement of the United Church of God. And it says this. It says, We are a church led by God's Holy Spirit.

We're joined and we're knit together by what every member supplies, with all doing their share and growing in love to fulfill God's great purpose for humanity and to bring many children to glory. And I think that is a fantastic statement when you consider the depth of what that particular passage is saying. Now, that wasn't something that the Council came up with. That's something that God came up with. It's based on Ephesians 4, verse 16. That's Scripture telling us that. And when you look through the Bible, there are many examples that were given over and over and over again to verify God's intent for each and every one of us.

That each and every one of us have a vital part to blame. That in our calling, God chose us and brought us together and gave each of us an opportunity to serve and to give and to contribute. And it's not just about a television program. It's not just about a magazine. It's not just about the home office. But it's about all of us as a part of the body of Christ contributing to what God has in mind for the church as a whole. And Scripture verifies this time after time after time.

We could go to a number of various stories that bear this out. We could go to one individual who made all the difference. Where would we be without an Abraham? Where would we be without a Moses? Where would Israel be without a Caleb? All of those stories make this very point, I think.

And maybe in a way that sometimes we think, yeah, but I'm not a Caleb. Or I'm not a Moses. I'm just me. And yet that's not the vision that God wants us to have. He wants to recognize the fact that each of us are vital in the contributions that we can make and that we should make to the health of the body of the church. We each have a responsibility. There's a wonderful story that you may be familiar with that's found over in 2 Kings.

2 Kings 22 tells a story about a little boy who became king. His name is Josiah. And after his father, who was one of the most evil kings, Josiah becomes king. His grandfather was horrendous. Fifty-five years, his grandfather Manasseh reigned. And probably the most evil individual that ruled Israel. And yet, Ammon comes along afterward. His father, he was also an individual who was just horrible.

He was assassinated after just two years, and little Josiah becomes king. After kings that desecrated the temple, after kings that taught evil, human sacrifice, here comes Josiah, just a little boy. What could a little boy do? Well, with counselors that instructed him and he listened to, after a few years, he began to make a monumental difference.

In fact, if you'll turn with me to 2 Kings 23, we'll pick up the story there. A number of years have gone by. Josiah's been king about ten years. Yet, here he is, still a teenager. Still a teenager? Could a teenager change the direction of God's people after decade, after decade, after 50 years, and even more than that, could just a boy change the direction of Israel? Well, let's notice what happens. Josiah led the people at this time to repair the temple. And as they were going about repairing the temple, there was an interesting discovery that was made.

They found the book of the law. And in finding the book of the law, it began to make a difference. They read this book of the law to this teenage king. And it's interesting what began to happen. 2 Kings 23, notice verse 3. After reading the scriptures to the king, God began to lead him. And in verse 3 it says, the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart, with all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book.

And it says, all the people took a stand for the covenant. So he decides to follow. And the story really is a miraculous one. Things began to change. And in fact, you get down to the end of the chapter. If you skip down to verse 25, notice the monumental change here. It says, now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his might, according to all the law of Moses.

Nor after him did any arise like him. Wow, there were some great kings that would have been included in that. Even King David would have been one that went before him. But it says, in this way, there was no one like Josiah. But it wasn't just Josiah that made the difference. Because we could say, well, I'll never be king. How could I ever make an impact like a king could make? But it took more than just this one king. If we skip back just a little bit to get the backstory, a couple of interesting things happened before this. If you go back to chapter 22, chapter 22 is where some of this story really begins. As this reconstruction of the temple is happening, they found this book of the law. What had happened for 50 plus years before this? Well, evil had rained. There was the evil Manasseh. There was the evil Ammon. And as the story goes, they find this book of the law. What would be the healthiest thing to do if you find this book of the law that says, you've been doing all of these things wrong. Your king has been evil, and you shouldn't be doing these things. Probably the natural tendency would be to, well, we better bury this book because I don't want the king to cut off my head because they've been doing everything wrong up to this point. But that's not what happened. We look at verse 8, chapter 22 of 2 Kings. It says, Hilkiah, who was the high priest, said to Shaphan the scribe. Here's what he says, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. Now what's going to happen?

We found the book. We found God's instructions to us. It says, Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan the scribe, and he read it. Uh-oh, we're in trouble. We haven't been doing these things. Now what happens? He took, in a sense, his life in his own hands.

Shaphan, it says in verse 9, he went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, have delivered it into the hands of those who do the work, and oversee the house of the Lord. Or in other words, the reconstruction process is going well. Oh, and by the way, something strange happened as we're remodeling the temple. Verse 10, Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book, and Shaphan read it before the king.

You see, that's the back story to Josiah being the man who changed, changed the course of history, the one who changed from the desecration of the temple to one who there was no other king like him. It took this one, well actually, two individuals, one Hilkiah to find the book, go to the scribe and say, hey, look what we found. Then it took Shaphan, this one individual, to take his life into his own hands and go before the king, and not only tell him, hey, we found this book, but what else did he do?

He read it to him. He read him the book of the law. He took a risk, and he stood for the truth. And I think it tells us an amazing story. It took that one individual to change the course of history, to change the course of Josiah's rulership. It took that one individual, and what a great reminder for each of us. As just one, we've been called into God's church for a purpose, for a reason. And maybe that's a good question we can ask ourselves. What is it then I, as one individual can do, what is it that God's prepared us for? What contribution can we make to the vision of the church? What part can I play as a part of the body of Christ? Why has God called me? Because we're told he has called us for a purpose, for a reason. That, well, if Ephesians 4 is true, if Ephesians 4 is true, that we are called to make a difference in the church, that I am called to do my share, to do my part, what is that part? Well, Shaphan's part was to read that book. He could have shied away. He could have said, no, he might kill me if I do this. He could have come up with every excuse not to, well, I'm just one guy, what difference can a lowly scribe make? But it made all the difference in the world. And the point becomes, then, if the body is joined and knit together by what every one of us supplies, if I don't do my part, what does that mean? It means the church isn't going to be right. The body is not going to function the way that God intends. The church won't be right unless every one of us do the part that we've been called to do.

So what part has God called you to do? What is it that God's prepared you your lifetime in order to do? And I think with that perspective, we recognize it's not just about a Caleb. It's not just about a Shaphan or a Healkiah or a Caleb. It's about you and me. Each one of us have been called to impact the lives of others today, right now. And then, of course, later on, after Christ returns as well.

And so I think the story begins to tell us, with God's help, we can't sell ourselves short. We can't sell ourselves short. There's a powerful impact that each one of us have individuals. When we combine that together, join and knit together, we each have a vital part to supply. It reminds me of a story I heard about a man named Edward Lorenz. You may have never heard of Edward Lorenz, but he stood before the New York Academy of Sciences more than 50 years ago.

And as he stood before them, he delivered an interesting hypothesis. And as he delivered this hypothesis, it actually got him laughed off the stage by other scientists and meteorologists that had gathered there. What he talked about at that time was a hypothesis that is now called the law of sensitive dependency on initial condition. Okay, be sure and write that down. We'll have a test afterwards. The law of sensitive dependency on initial condition. Now it's sometimes called the chaos theory.

And what he talked about back in 1963 was that the tiniest changes in the atmosphere could have an impact on weather conditions. Actually, it could impact or tornado or delay a thunderstorm or maybe even accelerate some occurrence in a totally different location. In fact, he said something to the effect that a seagull flapping its wings in one area could change the course of weather forever. Of course, they laughed him off the stage way back at that time. But the idea was the flapping of the wings of this bird could change the initial conditions in this system that could cause a chain of events to happen that could impact huge massive storms or hurricanes or even tornadoes similar to what sometimes is called the domino effect.

And so after discussions with other scientists, it later became known as the butterfly effect. You ever heard of the butterfly effect? The butterfly effect. So later presentations that Dr. Lorenz did, he stated it a little bit differently. He got rid of the seagull and now he used a butterfly. He said a butterfly beating its wings in Brazil could affect the outcome of a tornado right here in Texas. And that began to stick. He began to say if that butterfly hadn't flapped its wings, maybe that trajectory of that tornado might have been a little bit different.

And so now here we are today, all these decades later, and Dr. Lorenz's hypothesis, overall it's mainly accepted by meteorologists today. Because I don't think there's any doubt. Small things, small changes, can have big results. Huge results. Now think of that in a different way, not meteorologically. But think about that in terms of our attitude. If we change our attitude just a little bit, could a minor change in my attitude and my perspective lead to an entirely different perspective and outcome?

You see, I think it can. We've all heard about just one small act of kindness. Can one small little act of kindness change the course of someone else's life? Impact them? You see, I think Dr. Lorenz's scientific work really brings across a biblical principle that one person can make a difference.

If a butterfly can impact the course of a tornado, can one of us, can one individual make a positive difference in the outcome of someone else's life? In their own life, for that matter. Or thinking of it a different way. Is it possible that I can help fulfill the vision of God's Church? You see, I think the answer is absolutely. What difference would it make if I made even just the smallest changes, a slight change in my perspective, a slight change in my outlook, a slight change in the way that I give or I serve.

And I think what happens is what's true for a butterfly, what was true for Shaphan, what was true for Hilkiah, what was true for Josiah, still works today. It still works today. You can make a difference by your willingness to adopt a slightly different attitude. And we're not talking about huge monstrous changes that sometimes seem so overwhelming that I just can't take it on. But when we talk about a little thing, just a little difference. Can I catch that vision of the Church? And personally then, be the beginning of a light to this world. Not only a light through the work of God, but a light on a personal level.

A light with my neighbors, a light with my coworkers, a light in my family, a light to the brethren. Couldn't we all be like a famous individual in the Bible? We've all heard of Eben Melech, haven't we? Okay, maybe we haven't heard of Eben Melech. Who in the world is Eben Melech? Well, he's just a guy. He was just a guy that changed the course of history. Interesting example found in Jeremiah 38. If you'd like to turn there, I think he's the epitome of this concept of just one individual making all the difference. Jeremiah 38. Notice verse 2.

It's the story of Jeremiah the prophet. Where would Jeremiah be without the Ethiopian Eben Melech? Let's notice the story. We find the country is falling apart. Jeremiah has been prophesying about this. And he gives the message in verse 2 of Jeremiah 38, that those who stay in the city shall die by the sword, by famine, by pestilence. And of course, that message didn't go over well with the king.

As he pronounces they're going down and Babylon is going to take them over, and they'll be taken into captivity. The rulers didn't like it. So what did they say? Verse 4. It says, The officials said to the king, Jeremiah, this man ought to be put to death because of he's discouraging the soldiers and the welfare of their people to their harm.

So what does King Zedekiah do? Verse 5. Zedekiah says, He's yours. He's in your hands. The king's powerless against you. So he washes his hands. And what did they do to Jeremiah? They took him and threw him into the cistern of Melchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting him down by ropes. There he was, no water in the cistern, but only mud.

And Jeremiah sank in the mud. Well, he's going to die. Jeremiah's life is over. Well, if it weren't for one, if it weren't for just one individual. Look at verse 7. That one individual was Eben Melech, the Ethiopian. He was a eunuch in the king's house. He heard they put Jeremiah into the cistern.

The king happened to be sitting at the gate. So Eben Melech left the king's house, spoke to the king. Now here's a heathen. Here's a slave. Here's a man with basically zero understanding, putting his life on the line and speaking to the king. So in verse 9, he says, My Lord, king, these men have acted wickedly. They did to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern to die there of hunger.

There's no bread left in the city. Here's a man that took a stand before the king. What does the king do? Well, the king says, okay, Eben Melech, you do what you want. He says, take men with you, pull them out. So what does Eben Melech do? Verse 11. He took the men with him, went to the house of the king to a wardrobe of the storehouse, took old rags, worn out clothes, and let them down to Jeremiah and the cistern by the ropes. Then the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.

And so what did they do? Verse 13. They drew Jeremiah up by the ropes, pulled him out of the cistern, and then Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. Now you might say, wow, that's pretty insignificant. But this man, this nobody, this just one guy, decided to make all the difference. He was willing to take his life, his safety, and put it on the line.

And it made all the difference. It made the difference not only in Jeremiah's life, but what about the nation of Judah, pleading for Jeremiah's life when no one else would? What would have happened to the rest of the prophecies? What would have happened to Jeremiah if this hadn't taken place? And I think it's a great reminder for all of us. As we go about our daily lives, you know, can we be that shining light to help shine that light of God's way? Can we come to the rescue? Okay, maybe they're not in the cistern, but boy, we run into people that are down in the dumps.

We run into people that are discouraged. Can we help come to the rescue in those cases? I mean, we've... sometimes we think, well, you know, we focus so much on ourselves and our problems and our challenges. Sometimes we don't notice the struggles of others around us. Maybe we even wish somebody else would jump in there and help and serve. Don't sell yourself short. We have to fight that tendency to look to others or turn inward. And oftentimes we think, well, yeah, but I'm only just this one person. Or you fill in the blank, I'm only whatever it is. I'm too old, or I'm too young, or I don't have any strength of my own.

But that's where this phrase I used to hear a lot when we lived in Minnesota comes into play. You know what they used to say in Minnesota about that? They used to say, he who feels he's too small to make a difference never met a mosquito.

Isn't that the way that it is?

Because God's called every one of us to be a vital part of the body. That each of us joined and knit together have such an important part to play. I mean, you might say, well, I'm only a woman?

But wait a second.

Where would our Savior have been without women?

Wow, there's powerful passages throughout the New Testament that speak to that very thing. You want to look at one for just a quick moment? Turn over to Luke 8, right at the very beginning of that chapter.

It just jumps out at you so clearly that without the ladies, it would have been an entirely different story for our Savior Jesus Christ. It would have been an entirely different story for the New Testament church without these individuals standing strong for God's way. And yet, imagine just a woman! Especially this day and age. What were women considered? Back in Jewish society at this time?

Wow, they're barely above a Gentile. They're barely above the scum. They should maybe be seen but not heard. That was generally the outlook then in society. And yet here, Luke 8, here we see Christ, it says, going through the cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the gospel, the good news of the kingdom of God. It says, yes, the twelve were with Him. But was it all about the twelve? Was it all about the disciples, the apostles, the ones that they would become? Well, no, it says in verse 2, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits, infirmities. And here we have a listing of those individuals. Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out. Well, if it wasn't bad enough being a woman, she had been possessed by demons. And that wasn't the only one. Here we have verse 3, Joanna, the wife of Herod, Stuart, Chooza, and Susanna, and many others.

And it wasn't that they were just hanging around. It wasn't that they were just following along. They were a vital part of the preaching of the gospel. It wasn't the speaking of the words part that they were doing. But notice what they did do. There was a part for them to play. They had a vital part in what we would call the body.

End of verse 3, it says, they provided for them, provided for Jesus Christ Himself, and for the disciples, out of their resources. If you look up that word for resources, out of their substance, out of their own means. These were women of substance. These were women, some feel, some of the scholars feel, that they were women of means, that they had money, that they could fund the preaching of the gospel. People had to eat. People had to be provided for. And this gives us a little glimpse into how the church could function because of these ladies who helped and served, and gave of their own means. These were women of means who dedicated their lives to making the difference. They were the butterflies that were flapping to change the course of history. And they did that very thing. And this same aspect of individuals making a difference is a record that goes throughout the New Testament, over and over and over again. In fact, if we fast forward to Acts 9, the New Testament church has begun. There's the amazing example of one named Tabitha. Or today, maybe a little less, I guess, a name that may be not taken so well today, one named Dorcas. Yes, I might put her down with that name, but it literally means a gazelle. Gazelle in English, you might say. Beautiful lady who found her place. Just one person, one woman who found her place in the body and was able to fulfill the vision for God's church and to function in the way that God had helped her. Here's Tabitha, Dorcas, it says in verse 36, Acts 9, she was devoted to good works and acts of charity. She didn't look at herself as, well, I'm only a woman, I'm only one person, what can I do? No, she recognized she could do something. She ends up dying, and here we are at the visitation, I suppose we'd call it today. It says, they took her, took him to the room upstairs. Peter goes in, verse 39. They go to the visitation, it says, All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

Peter put all of them outside, he knelt down and prayed. And ultimately, Tabitha, Dorcas, is resurrected back to physical life.

But the real story is the difference she made.

Because it wasn't just the difference in one individual's life that Tabitha made, but it says all of them were weeping. The church was weeping. Here was a lady who dedicated her life to serve people, to serve the brethren. Just what would we call her today? Ordinary church member. An ordinary church member who took it upon herself to meet the needs of others. And she focused on that. People need things. Back in the day, they needed good quality clothing and maybe couldn't afford to purchase it. And she made a difference in the lives of people in Japa. And what a great lesson for each of us. In our own way, with our own talents and the abilities that God has given us, we can make a difference in the lives of others. And so I think the lesson shows us, I need to ask God, what need can I fill? What is it that I can do, God? Point me in the direction where I can be a vital part of the body of Christ. Because you tell us we can make a difference. What is it that I can do? What part can I fill? And you know, if we make that request to God, do you think He's going to answer that prayer? God, what difference can I make? If we ask God to show us a need, to show us a way, I believe He will answer that prayer. Because there are so many needs that are out. Now, I can't fill all the needs. And certainly, the home office can't fill up, but there are needs that you can fill with where you're at. And maybe that also means I need to ask God for the courage to act. If we pray and ask God, if you're like me, you're probably one who needs a little bit of a prod once in a while. You know, God, please help me. Help me to get started. Help me to put that first foot in front of the other ones, so that I can take that first step. Because, you know, they say that that first step is always the most challenging. But sometimes it's just a matter of living our life that really shines that light. Because, you know, you can shine a light where I can't, where a booklet would never go, where a magazine might never reach. You know, if I showed up at your job, what are they going to do? It's like, what's this guy doing here? Get him out of here.

But the way you live your life, the way you do your job, the way you shine the light of God's way, could make all the difference for someone else. You know, you've probably heard that poem that talks about the fact that you are writing a gospel every chapter, every day, by the way you live your life. Do you remember that poem? I don't know what the name of it is, but it talks about the difference we can make. And it concludes by saying, what is the gospel according to you? What's the gospel according to you? And so when we ask God to guide us, to help fill a need, to give us the courage, to give us the wisdom, to know how and why and when and where to shine that light, so we're not intrusive, we're not obnoxious, so that we can have discernment, to know when to be there, when to make it known and when to make ourselves scarce. God can certainly help us and guide us in that way. And so if you turn with me over to Ephesians chapter 4, I think it certainly does answer that question. What difference can I make? Can I really make a difference? Well, in fact, when we read through chapter 4, I think it speaks to something even greater, that not only can I make a difference, it says so much more. Look at the beginning of chapter 4, Ephesians chapter 4.

Paul writes to Ephesus, he says, "'I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.'" So in order to walk worthy of our calling, each and every one of us has been given a task by God. And so no wonder, he says just a little later in verse 15, that we should be speaking the truth in love, that we grow up in all things into him who is the head, to Christ, from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effect of working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

So can I make a difference?

Well, God says, not only can we, we must. We can make a difference every single Sabbath as we come together and strive to be the one to make that positive difference in another's life. I mean, we can be that one to make a difference in the life of a person God may be calling. We can be one to make that difference.

We can be the one to shine that light of God's will in his way. We can make a difference in the preaching of the Gospel by the example that we set, by who we are and what we stand for, how we live our life. And yes, God himself wants us to be that man or that woman that would take up that challenge, take up that call to be the difference in the lives of others.

So let's be ready to be that one, to stand strong, to be the one to take his light into this darkened world, because there is a difference that we can make. And that choice is ours. And what we see through the example throughout God's Word, the fact is, just one can make all the difference.