Only One

We recently had a gospel meeting where I preach. Both our son and our son-in-law “traded” the preaching and song leading responsibilities. During that meeting and on a night when our son was doing the preaching, one of our granddaughters was baptized.  I cannot express how my wife and I felt as we watched our son baptize his daughter. 

However, as special as this was to our family, this is not about us – or her. It is about the value of one soul. 

I find it interesting that I listened to a recording of one of the sessions from this year’s Polishing the Pulpit a few days before our gospel meeting started. I will not mention the name of the man who was speaking, but, if I did, his name would be recognized instantly by a large number of people. He has preached the gospel for over fifty-years. He has been on the faculty of one of the schools devoted to training men to preach the gospel for more than thirty years. 

It would be almost impossible to try to calculate the vast number of people who have been affected either directly or indirectly by this man. Heaven’s population will be greater because of him and the men who have been trained by him (and those who have been taught and nurtured by them).

I found his account of his conversion fascinating. I’ve known him for over thirty years, but had never heard this account until I listened to what he had to say at PTP.

He was not a Christian and had no interest in being one when he married his wife. She apparently was a little more interested in spiritual matters than he was, but she also was not a Christian. 

One day, a college student who was in their city on a campaign knocked on their door and gave the wife some information about the scriptures, the church, and the plan of salvation. This led to her some further study. Ultimately, it let to her being baptized into Christ. At that point, she began to pray for her husband to not only become a Christian, but to be a preacher. I think it goes without saying that the Lord looked with favor on her prayers.

The brother who coordinated the campaign all those years ago might have been disappointed. This young wife was the only one who was converted as a direct result of his efforts and the efforts of the students working with him. I have no idea how many houses were visited or pieces of literature were handed out. I only know of one young wife who welcomed the young people, began to study, and became a Christian.

While all of this is fascinating, there is a sad component to all of this. The same brother who organized those campaigns all those years ago is still doing that work. He has reported that it is much more difficult to do these days. It seems that today’s college students (yes, in our schools) don’t have much of an interest in spending even a part of their summers participating in evangelistic campaigns.

Could it be that they are more interested in material things than spiritual matters? Could that be true of all of us?

Could it be that they don’t believe that anybody is lost? Have they bought into the idea that all good people (and maybe even people who aren’t so good) are going to heaven (if there is a heaven)? Could that also be true of the rest of us?

Could it be that they (and we) think that is all about numbers? Do they (we) think that, if large numbers cannot be converted, the whole process is not worth the effort?

My Lord knew that our granddaughter’s soul was worth dying for. He knew that every soul was worth dying for – including yours and those you can lead to Him.

You are important to somebody. Somebody is praying for you. Somebody is praying for those whom you might be able to teach.

Do you think that one soul is worth the effort?

Jesus did!

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