A modern example

The following article was written by Pastor Joe Focht and exhibits how Holy Spirit many times produces what some referred to as a spiritual domino effect, wherein God causes a major effect in the life of person “Z” who God utilizes to do a major work, yet even prior to this person’s birth God utilized many people starting with person “A”, who affects person “B”, who affects person “C”, and so on in a step-by-step process, each person being vital in the chain that ends up affecting the life of person “Z”, who accomplishes a major work for the Lord.  How powerful is our God!

Edward Kimball had a burden for one of his Sunday school students to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. He went to see him at the shoe store where he worked and led him to Christ in the shoe store. His name? Dwight L. Moody.

That young man, Dwight L. Moody, went on to become an evangelist whose ministry rocked two continents. While preaching in the British Isles, Moody spoke in a small chapel pastored by Federick Brotherton Meyer.

In his sermon Moody told an emotionally charged story of a Sunday School teacher he knew who personally went to every student in his class and won them to Christ. The message changed Pastor Meyer’s entire ministry, inspiring him to become an evangelist. Over the years, Meyer came to America several times to preach. Once in Northfield, Massachusetts a confused young preacher sitting in the back row heard Pastor Frederick Brotherton Meyer say, “If you are not willing to give everything to God, are you willing to be made willing?” That remark led J. Wilbur Chapman to accept the call of God on his life.

Chapman went on to become one of the most effective evangelists of his time. A volunteer helped set up J. Wilbur Chapman’s crusades and learned to preach by watching him. His name: Billy Sunday. Sunday eventually took over Chapman’s ministry, becoming one of the most effective evangelists of the 20th century. In the great arenas of the nation, Billy Sunday’s preaching turned thousands to Christ.

Inspired by a 1924 Billy Sunday crusade in Charlotte, NC, a committee of Christians committed themselves to reaching that city for Christ. They invite Mordecai Ham to hold a series of evangelistic meetings in 1932.

A lanky 16-year-old sat in the huge crowd one evening. Spellbound by the message of the white-haired preacher, Mordecai Ham seemed to be shouting and waving his long finger directly at him. Night after night the youth attended and finally went forward and gave his life to Christ. That teenager’s name: Billy Graham.

Graham has doubtlessly communicated the gospel of Jesus Christ to more people than anyone else in the history of the world. Yet, remember how this sequence of events started: a nobody named Edward Kimball, concerned for one of his students visited him at his shoe store. In doing that Kimball changed the world! Millions upon millions have been affected by his decision to go to that shoe store and millions more will continue to feel the impact.  Written By Pastor Joe Focht