In the late 1800’s, Edward Kimball, a Sunday school teacher, had a passion to win all of the young boys in his Sunday School class to the Lord. One of the boys he shared the gospel with, and who was saved, was a young man who later became one of America’s greatest evangelists: D.L. Moody.
After evangelizing America, D. L. Moody started on England. There in England F. B. Meyer heard his message. One of the illustrations that Moody used, about his Sunday School teacher Edward Kimball, stirred two of Meyer’s Sunday School teachers. One of the Sunday school teachers came to him and said, "Brother Meyer, the illustration that that preacher gave in our church the other day stirred my girls so much that there has been a lot of weeping, confession and testimony. We are sure that the Holy Spirit has come among us; and we have had an experience in our class that you won’t believe!"
F. B. Meyer was so affected by the testimony of that teacher and those girls that he got off by himself, and soon it began to grip him in the same manner. His ministry began to open up and spread, and as it did, he was invited to come to America.
Meyer was invited to Furman University to preach. One young fellow in the student body had decided to quit the ministry and go back to a secular job. But the message by F. B. Meyer was given with such fervor and flame that the young fellow stepped out, came forward and renewed his vow to his calling. He became the great R. G. Lee.
Then F. B. Meyer went on to preach at another location. In that service, a young fellow caught fire and began to evangelize. His meetings spread out all over the areas of New England and the mid-Atlantic coast, until they were bulging at the seams. J. Wilbur Chapman, set on fire of God through the preaching of F. B. Meyer, began to stir up the whole northeastern coast.
Then, because of Chapman’s preaching, he was invited to speak at a certain place. His ministry was changing, and he needed someone to move in on those citywide crusades that he was holding. Someone said, "The man you want is the young convert, Billy Sunday."
Billy Sunday, influenced by J. Wilbur Chapman and working in Chapman’s evangelistic association, went to Charlotte, North Carolina to preach a series of meetings. There, a group of laymen were so inspired and so stirred, that they organized a committee to invite an evangelist back. Mordecai Ham was invited the next time to preach in Charlotte. During that series of meetings, a young boy sitting in the choir loft one night was saved, whose name was Billy Graham.
How important is one individual in the kingdom of God? How important is one Sunday School teacher in the kingdom of God? God had a purpose for Edward Kimball. God wanted to touch many lives through one man, one Sunday School teacher, who had a passion for God and a passion for lost souls.
You, my dear friend, are important to God. He has a reason for you being on the planet Earth. He has a purpose for your life that has everything to do with the kingdom of God.
"You say your life is your own. But can you dare to ignore the chance that you are taking part in a gigantic drama under the orders of a divine Producer? Your cue may not come till the end of the play--it may be totally unimportant, a mere walking-on part, but upon it may hang the issues of the play if you do not give the cue to another player. The whole edifice may crumple. You as you,may not matter to anyone in the world, but you as a person in a particular place may matter unimaginably." Quote: from Agatha Christie)
Kenny
