2000 years ago, our world was turned upside down by 1 man … Jesus Christ, the Messiah. One man claiming to be God in flesh created a wave of disruption that challenged the very core of human authority. Of course, we know that Jesus was ultimately crucified for this bold stance, but we also know that He rose again and conquered death.
I was thinking today about how powerful we are as individuals. Our tendency is to rely on church organizations to bring revival. We neglectfully put this responsibility in the hands of the pastor’s, Sunday school teachers, and other church officials to do the job. However, Jesus was stirring my heart today to consider some different options. What could He do with just one soul? I imagined a couple different scenario’s I’d like to share with you.
Imagine a devout Catholic woman … wise in her years. She’s painstakingly wrestled with the downfalls of life and yet remains faithful to her duties as a wife, as a mother, as a Christian, and as a member of her congregation. She has known God’s grace and mercy and she has seen His wrath and yet there she stands, a pillar to her family and friends. She does so with an air of humility that leaves you walking away knowing … there’s something different about her. Inside her, a spark was ignited long ago. That spark has grown from a small light to a raging flame inside her as she watches the world around her cave to the realities of a sinful world. In the privacy of her prayer closet, she has a burden so deep for her lost family members. A burden for those around her. A burden for the dry bones that sit in the seats next to her at church. A burden for the souls that just go through the motions.
What if God decided that the power of that one praying soul was enough to pour out His Holy Spirit on the entire Catholic congregation the next time she was in church?
Imagine a young man having found himself down a path of destruction and rebellion where his spiritual education has been gained by experimenting with drugs and spiritual demons. He wrestles with depression and no matter what his best intentions are, he can’t seem to let go of the kingdom that Satan has allowed him to create. Despite what most people believe, it isn’t simply because of the ‘high’ that his flesh gets. See, in his world, he has seen the hypocrisy that exists everywhere. He’s listened as so-called ‘good’ teachers speak of things that shouldn’t be spoken to students. His education of rehabilitation was how to beat the system and continue in drugs. He’s seen through the lies of government authorities and witnessed firsthand the abuse of power. He sees authority as nothing more than a good show of lies. In his world, he doesn’t have to put on a show. In his world, he doesn’t have to pretend to be good because in his kingdom, they all know that they aren’t. Instead of fighting to put on a show, they fight to simply survive.
In his world, he sees real men and women struggling. Struggling with the same things he does … fighting against injustice. Why bother fighting when it’s just as easy to cave? If you’re gonna’ be tagged as bad regardless of what you do, it’s easier to trust those that admit they’re on the losing side than with those who try to put on a good show. But this young man encounters a problem with this route. He keeps finding that all the things that seemed to matter don’t. Money doesn’t matter, the thrill of the drugs, the physical pleasure of sex … none of it matters. It all seems pointless, even in his little kingdom. He looks at the women who allow themselves to get used and a pit from deep within wells up in him. He watches the young men around him and he can see, there’s good stuff in there. These guys would do anything for him. There is a loyalty that exists in this place that you just don’t find in the world. It’s a loyalty that says, ‘We’re all f*ck up’s, so let’s just do what we gotta’ do to survive this. I got your back, man.’ It’s a loyalty that the world doesn’t understand because it’s too busy trying to look good. But this young man, he knows. He sees. He’s experienced it.
From the depths of his soul this young man searches for someone he can trust. How can he trust anyone? Who sees what he sees? His buddies are loyal, but let’s admit it, they’re screwed up. He’s always been the guy in charge. His father doesn’t understand his world. His father doesn’t see what he sees. His father doesn’t see the loyalty of these guys. His father hasn’t seen what these guys have been willing to do for him.
This guy is not even sure he would trust God if God showed up in front of him. So he does what he always does, relies on himself. He doesn’t know how, but he knows that he can make a difference. He feels it so deep in his core that it screams at him. He knows that somehow, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. He’s angry with the world for shutting out so many, and yet at the same time, he doesn’t trust the world enough to do things their way anyway. Why would anyone want to submit to a world of hypocrisy? He doesn’t see himself in bondage. So he chooses to continue down his path searching for the answer. He doesn’t even know what it will be, but he’s not ready to let go of his kingdom yet. Not because of what it does for him, but because he just can’t bring himself to jump into the hypocrisy. He’s not ready to let go of those that he knows, he can make a difference for. Somehow, he just knows, he can help these guys. If he could just find the answer, he knows, he can help these people figure out what really matters.
What if God heard this young man’s soul crying out to be heard and decided to use that passion to not only lead others out, but turn Satan’s rebellion against the powers of darkness?
Yeh! That’s what I’m talking about! The Power of One! What God can do with just ONE soul! Never underestimate the power of One!
dionnemast 