It is hard to believe, but one man determined how we as
Americans pronounce and spell words. When we began as a new
and independent nation, Noah Webster thought is was only right
that we stop be a copy of the English, and develop our own original
ways of spelling words. Andrew Jackson said, "It is a mighty poor
mind that can't think of more than one way to spell a word." This
was no joke, but was taken seriously by our forefathers, and this
nation began with an unbelievable variety of words spellings. It
was a sort of creative phonetics in which each writer sounded out
the word, and used the letters that best suited his pronunciation.
One could find general spelled jinerll, and February as febrewarie.
Webster said that we need some rules for unity, and to inspire
pride in our own national language. In 1803 he gave up journalism
and teaching, and he shut himself away from the world for 3 years.
He then published a dictionary that had 5 thousand words that had
never been in any dictionary. Then he spent the next 20 years
laboring on his larger work An American Dictionary Of The
English Language. He published it in 1828, and it is the
grandfather of all American dictionaries.
If you wonder why you write theater rather than theatre, it is
because of Webster. He threw out most of our old endings, and he
made words like honor just end in or rather in our. The point is,
one man determined to make the American language unique, and
distinct from old English, accomplished that goal, and now for over
150 years millions of people speak and write in conformity to this
one man's choice. Words are now called right or wrong because of
this one man's decision as to how they should be spelled.
True stories of one man crusaders to change the lives of millions
are a fascinating part of history. If you read the history of Alaska,
you will discover that one Presbyterian missionary by the name of
Sheldon Jackson made Alaska what it is. He built schools and
churches all over Alaska. He single handedly hounded the U. S.
Congress until they passed bills to fund education for the natives.
Congress appointed him U. S. Commissioner of Education for
Alaska. He became a one man army to save Alaskans from the
suffering due to ignorance. There were fleets of exploiters who
recklessly slaughtered their game, and many Eskimos were dying.
Jackson took it upon himself to raise money from the churches in
the United States.
Jackson brought 16 reindeer from Liberia, and by this move he
made the Eskimos self-supporting, and sure of food. It was so
successful that congress gave him money to get more, and the whole
history of the Eskimos was changed and made secure. We can't list
the many other things this one man did for a people he dearly loved,
but he proves again that one man is enough to make a world
changing difference.
One woman is also enough, as we see in the case of our text. It is
amazing that in a male dominated world, like the New Testament
times, that a woman should be revealed to be the most successful
witness Jesus ever had in His lifetime. We have no record of
anyone, not even any of the 12, or even of all of them put together,
ever becoming such fruitful witnesses for Christ, as we see in this
woman at the well. Not only is she a woman, which was two strikes
against her already, but she was something less than honorable.
She was the kind of woman who would be read about more in a
Hollywood gossip column than in the society page of the temple
news letter. She had been with 5 husbands, and was then living
with a man she was not married to.
This woman was no quitter, that is for sure, but none the less she
was not the kind of woman you would like to be the chairperson of
your evangelism committee. Jesus did not, of course, make her
anything. He just convinced her that He was the Messiah, and she
went back to town and became a powerful witness. So much so that
we read in verse 39, "Many Samaritans from that city believed in
Him because of the woman's testimony." We do not know how
many this many was, but Jesus in verse 35 said to His disciples, as
the crowd came out of the city to see for themselves, "I tell you, lift
up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest."
You get a picture of a vast crowd of people coming with their white
robes flowing like grain in the wind, and Jesus says that they are
ripe for harvest.
Verse 41 says that many more believed in Him because of His
word. The woman's testimony got them there, but their personal
contact with Jesus convinced them He was the Savior of the world.
Do you know of any other witness for Christ in His earthly ministry
that had such an impact on people. One woman changed the
history of her people, and she brought them into the kingdom of
God. They were outcasts in Israel, but in the kingdom of God they
were in on the ground floor because of one woman. It was not
because of the 12 who were more concerned about lunch that lost
Samaritans, but because of one very lost Samaritan woman who
was found by Christ, and who was a motivator of others. She was
only one, but one was enough.
Jesus never left the one for a crowd. He did not say to
Nicodemus, who came alone at night, "Join the crowd in the
morning, and I'll answer your questions with the group." He never
said to Zaccheus, "Come down and join the crowd." Jesus, instead,
said, "Come down, for I am going to your house to deal with you
one on one." Jesus left the crowd for the one, but never the one for
the crowd. By His life and teaching Jesus made it clear that one is
enough. He said the good shepherd will leave the 99, and go out
after the one. One is of enough value to take risks for, and to put
forth great effort to save.
Sometimes our biggest problem is that we think too big. We
want to save the world, and this is very noble, but it is an ineffective
goal. We need to narrow our scope, and devote our lives and
resources to reaching just the one. If you have two tennis balls
coming at you, and you try to get both, you usually miss both. You
need to concentrate on the one. If several ducks or pheasants fly up
in front of you, and you try to shoot them all, you will likely get
none of them. You need to focus on just one. This is true in the
world of evangelism as well.
Mr. Vincent was a wealthy retired planter in Dublin, Ireland.
He went to hear the great D. L. Moody, and he received Jesus
Christ as his Savior. He had a friend by the name of Edward
Studd, and he invited him to come to hear Moody. That is all we
know about Mr. Vincent. He was a new Christian who invited one
friend to hear Moody. That is not much of biography is it? Wrong!
His concern for this one man changed the history of millions.
Edward Studd came to Christ because of his friends persuasion,
and though he only lived 2 years after his conversion he touched the
life of his son Charles Studd. Charles became one of the great
cricket players of all time in England.
Charles had all the glory and fame of a celebrity. He was not an
active Christian, but he lived for the pleasures of the world. But
when his brother nearly died he was made to realize the vanity of
worldly pleasure. He was revived in his faith, and in his desire to
bring others to Christ. He had great opportunity, for he was
popular with everyone because of his skill in cricket. His friends
were willing to listen to his testimony and respond. He wrote, "I
cannot tell you what joy it gave me to bring the first soul to the
Lord Jesus Christ. I have tasted almost all the pleasures that this
world can give...but I can tell you that those pleasures were as
nothing compared to the joy that the saving of that one soul gave
me."
He decided to give up his fame and devote his life to preaching
the Gospel. As the leading cricket player in England, his fame
opened up doors, and he got good press. Thousands of students
flocked to hear him. One of them was F. B. Meyer who was so
turned on for Christ that he became one of the great preachers of
English history. I have read many of his books that have touched
millions. He was just one who was touched by C. T. Studd, and we
could follow that road to see where his influence went, but we need
to press on, for there is no end to the possible detours.
Studd inherited a fortune from his father, but he gave it all
away. He gave the money that enables D. L. Moody to start the
Moody Bible Institute. He gave to help George Muller in his
famous orphanage work, and to General Booth to strengthen his
Salvation Army. His gifts alone changed the history of millions. He
went off to China where he again reached thousands, bad health
brought him back to England where he was still popular, and
revival broke out in the universities where he spoke. The Student
Volunteer Movement was started, which has had world wide
impact ever since. Great movements were everywhere around him,
but he still focused on the need for one on one, and the idea of each
one reach one. He said, "I'd sooner save one soul than be Queen
Victoria." Nobody else can be the Queen, but everybody else can be
one who reaches one for Christ.
C. T. Studd went on to become one of the most famous and
successful missionaries in China, in India, and in Africa. There will
be a multitude out of many nations singing the praise of Christ for
all eternity because of this one man. And remember where it all
began. Mr. Vincent had one friend he wanted to see saved, and by
his efforts to touch this one man he changed time and eternity for
multiplied millions.
Does it make any difference if we reach only one person? Satan
deceives us, and he makes us think it is no big deal. The world will
not be changed by one person. What difference does it make if you
and I help one person to come to Christ? It seems so insignificant,
and so we neglect the most important goal of our lives. We hope
that some day we will be able to do something big for God, but we
see nothing big in trying to touch one person. The fact is, there is
probably nothing we can do more important than reaching that one
person for Christ.
One of the greatest evangelists in the history of England and
America was Gypsy Smith. He may never have been a part of
Christian history had a working man neighbor not helped his father
become a Christian. We do not even know this man's name, but
had he not sought to win this one neighbor, tens of thousands of
names now in the Lamb's book of life may never have been touched
for Christ. One is enough to motivate us if we see the importance of
one. But since one is the smallest number we are psychologically
brain washed into to thinking that one is not enough, and it is not a
worthy goal.
A young boy asked his father, "What is a millionaire?" The
father said, "Well, its somebody who has a million dollars." The
little guy thought for a moment, and then said proudly, "Well, I'm a
oneaire." He may have been proud of his one dollar, but being a
oneaire does not impress us. In some circles even one million is a
basis for pity. In our materialistic culture it is almost an
embarrassment to admit that you only have one car, or one house,
or one of anything. One is just not an impressive number in a
world where abundance of possessions is the measure of success.
But Christians so easily take their eyes off Jesus and His love for the
individual. They let the culture be their value guide, and the result
is that even the best of Christians fail to feel the real value of one.
When Robert Moffat, the Scottish missionary to South Africa,
came back to England to recruit helpers he was greeted by a cold
British winter. Only a small group braved the elements to come to
church, and he was disturbed that most of them were old ladies. All
the young people were safely sheltered in their homes while the old
ladies were risking their lives to go hear a missionary. Dr. Moffat
was discouraged, and who wouldn't be? There was no one there to
go to the mission field, and so it was a total flop. That is except for
the fact that there was a small boy there who was pumping the
bellows for the organ. He was so touched by the call to missions
that he went on to school, and he got a degree in medicine.
He spent the rest of his life ministering to the unreached tribes of
Africa. His name was David Livingston. Only one little boy, and
that was all the fruit there was for Moffat, but that one little boy he
touched made an impact on Africa beyond anything he could ever
dream. Never say only one with a tone of pessimism, for so often in
history one is enough. In the light of what God has done in history
through one person time and time again, it should be considered
swearing for a Christian to ever say in an negative way-only one.
Billy Graham preached a sermon titled All It Takes Is One, back
in 1976. In it he traces God's plan through the ages, and he
demonstrates that for God one is always enough. One righteous
man by the name of Noah was all he needed to save the human race.
One righteous man by the name of Abraham was all he needed to
start a new nation, and a special people. All he needed was one
righteous man by the name of Moses to lead His people out of
Egypt. On and on the record goes through the terrible time of the
Judges. One Gideon, or one Deborah was all God needed to save
His people. Right down to that single seed of Abraham-that One of
all ones; that single son of David by which God saved the world, the
Lord Jesus Christ-one has been enough.
G. K. Chesterton, that one in million authors, wrote a poem in
which he expressed the mind of the many single heroes of history.
Though giant reign put out the sun,
Here stand I for a sign.
Though Earth be filled with waters dark,
My cup is filled with wine.
Tell to the trembling priests
Under the deluge rod, that here
One Nameless, tattered, broken man
Stood up and drank to God.
This poem fits Martin Luther perfectly, for he stood alone against
the majority for the cause of Christ, and he changed all of history
by doing so. Somebody years ago wrote, "I asked why doesn't
somebody do something? Then I realized I was somebody."
Everybody is somebody because they are one, and one is enough to
make a world of difference.
God, of course, is One. The essence of Jewish theology is Deut.
6:4, "Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." The essence
of Christian theology is that there is one mediator between God and
man, the man Christ Jesus. There is only one way to God, and He
is that one way. One way is enough, for it is a way that is open to
all. One is enough is a very accurate theological statement. One is
enough to hurt the whole of mankind, or one is enough to heal the
whole of mankind. Paul in Rom. 5:19 sums up his whole argument,
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by
one man's obedience many will be made righteous." All it takes is
one to lose or save a world. One is enough to open the door of
heaven or hell. It is true that John Quincy Adams and Rutherford B. Hayes
both became president of the United States by one vote. But it is
also true that one vote gave Adolf Hitler leadership of the Nazi
party in 1923. One is enough for great good or great evil. One
traitor by the name of Judas blots the family of the Apostles. One
log can create a massive log jam, and one uncooperative spirit can
hold up the flow of the Spirit in the life of a church. One is a
powerful number for both the kingdom of darkness and the
kingdom of light.
The king of France sent 6 coffee plants to Brazil, but only one of
them survived the violent storm. But from that one single plant
came the vast coffee plantations that fill half the coffee cups of the
world. Cups of blessings overflow in this world as well because one
is enough. Channing Pollock in his book One Man Power develops
the theme that everything of importance in the world was begun by
one man, or by one woman. Trace every victory over evil in this life
back to its beginning, and you will discover one man or one woman
who was the key to that victory.
In Acts 8 Philip is having a revival in Samaria, but God calls him
to leave the crowds and go to the desert to share the Gospel with
one Ethiopian Eunuch. Only one foreigner, and yet God calls him
away from the crowds for that one guy. He responds to the Gospel,
and he goes back to Ethiopia, and the church there to this day
traces its origin back to this one man. God did not save a group of
Ethiopians, but only one, for one was enough to change the history
of that land.
I trust you get the point, for there is not two or three points, for
this is a one point message, for one is enough. The call of God to
you and to me is not to change the world, or to change our country,
or state, or city. The call of God is to reach one. Not only is this a
worthy goal, and one you are more likely to achieve, it is by means
of reaching one that you are most likely to change the world.
One can blow it;
One can bless it.
One can make or
One can mess it.
One has power-one has might;
One can turn the dark to light.
One is more than a part.
One is a whole.
One can heal your aching heart;
One can even save your soul.
One is all we are for sure,
And being one can seem so tough,
But in this truth we have a cure,
One is enough.
Author unknown
"O for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemer's praise,"
we sing, but the fact is, God only gave us one tongue because one is
enough. The sins of men are so varied and multiplied, but we have
only one Savior, and one mediator between God and man, because
one is enough. There were 12 Apostles, but God chose Paul to be
the Apostle to the Gentiles. The Gentile world was far more vast
and varied than the Jewish world, but God chose only one, because
one was enough. Paul recognized this in his own life when he said,
"This one thing I do." We would all be better Christians, and we
would all accomplish more for the glory of Christ if we would learn
to focus on one thing, and recognize this basic truth that one is
enough.
