Shewing the Generations to Come
You may have heard the story of Edward Kimball, a Sunday school teacher from Chicago in the mid-1800s. His desire was to personally share the gospel with each of his students, directly inviting them to accept Christ as their Savior. This he did with many young men, but one in particular receives recognition. In the back room of a shoe store in 1858, Mr. Kimball led a young Dwight L. Moody to Jesus.
Moody, of course, became a great evangelist. He preached far and wide of the love of Jesus and the impact that his faithful Sunday school teacher had on his life. In England, this message inspired small-church pastor Frederic Meyer to become an evangelist, too.
Evangelist Meyer then traveled the world preaching truth. When he came across the Atlantic to preach in the United States, a young man in Massachusetts was convicted by this quote: “If you are not willing to give up everything for Christ, are you willing to be made willing?” As a result, Wilbur J. Chapman began serving the Lord in gospel ministry.
Mr. Chapman continued in the tradition of his predecessors by holding large evangelistic meetings in cities across the country. He enlisted the help of another younger man, Billy Sunday, who had previously been a professional baseball player. Billy learned to preach by listening to Chapman, and he too went on to preach thousands of services across America and saw many saved and delivered from the power of sin.
If you are at all familiar with this story—or sequence of stories—you know that at this point, the chain usually continues to Mordecai Ham and Billy Graham. But today, I’d like to take you in a different direction.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a young man named Edward Abbott lived. He played baseball, enjoying his success as a left-handed pitcher. One evening, Ed found himself restless and bored, and having the coins for a trolley ride in his pocket, he decided to go downtown to hear the famous baseball-player-turned-preacher, Billy Sunday. He was intrigued by the sawdust floor under cover of the enormous tent and convicted by the strong preaching of God’s Word. During the invitation, he sang “My Jesus I Love Thee” with the crowd. Right in the middle of the song, Mr. Sunday bolted up out of his chair on the platform and returned to the pulpit. He pointed his finger at the congregation and thundered, “Some of the greatest liars in the world stand behind hymnbooks!” And that night, Edward was gloriously saved! His goals and ambitions changed, and he committed himself to the Lord.
The following Sunday, Edward told his pastor that he had been saved at the Billy Sunday crusade. The pastor immediately put him in charge of the youth meetings. Soon after, Edward led his best friend, Tommy Copeland, to the Lord. Tommy and his wife eventually became missionaries in Kentucky. Ed bought them a car to help them on their way.
Edward married Maude Smith about two years after his conversion to Christ, and he and his wife had seven children. Their first son became a lifelong missionary in Mexico, with eight children who still serve the Lord as pastors, evangelists, and wives of men in ministry. Their first daughter became a missionary in Brazil, creating a language for the Macushi people and translating much of the Bible into it. Although all their children came to know the Lord as Savior, it is their fifth child that I want to point out. She married a church planter and pastor, raised five children who are serving the Lord today, and became my mother-in-law. She and Dad planted or pastored a dozen churches around the United States and have influenced thousands of people for Christ.
Why do I tell you all these things today? Because I want you to know that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, giving your life to Christ matters. Each act of service you perform for Him has a far-reaching, multi-generational impact. There is no distinction between the secular and the sacred; everything we do is ministry. So, whether you are writing great theological books, teaching a class of seminary students, and preaching in the largest churches of the world—or changing diapers, filing papers, or cleaning the church, your work is important and effective.
Ministry is never limited to just the immediate results. Its impact always goes further and lasts longer than we can see. Do not be discouraged by the size of your audience. Do not be frustrated that you aren’t “doing more.” God calls us to be faithful. That’s it. And we can trust that He will bless and multiply our meager offerings to Him.
Wherever I have read or heard the stories of Edward Kimball, D. L. Moody, Frederic Meyer, Wilbur J. Chapman, and Billy Sunday, the author usually sums up by saying, “And it all started with a faithful Sunday school teacher.” While that is an important part of the sequence, it’s not really true, for somebody told Edward Kimball about Jesus’ love and salvation. And someone else told that somebody. And so on and so forth, back to the very beginning. I believe the true import of the story is that it all hinges on our faithful God.
The testimony we give—through word and example—of God’s work in our lives, has far-reaching consequences. Be encouraged today to keep sharing the good news. Be excited to point others to Christ. Be faithful in the calling God has given you. Only eternity will reveal the impact you have had on the world.
“Shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength, and His wonderful works that He hath done.” (Psalm 78:4)
“One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” (Ps. 145:4-6)
“Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come.” (Ps. 71:18)