One generation shall laud Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:4
I have often been inspired by the work and ministry of the Rev. Billy Graham who went to be with the Lord in 2018. Mr. Graham was one of the most important Christian leaders of the twentieth century, and possibly the most important evangelical leader in history (David Barnes, 2018). It is on record that he preached to more than 200 million people in live audience throughout the 60 years of his ministry.
However, this legacy and impact can be traced back to an old-time Sunday school teacher by the name Edward Kimball. One day Mr. Kimball noticed that one of his students was usually dull and not as active, and eventually decided to meet him at his father’s shop. The result of these meetings led to the conversion of 17-year-old Dwight L. Moody in 1854. Later in his life, as Moody preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, the heart of a local Pastor, F.B. Meyer was stirred up with a fresh desire to preach the gospel with refined power and energy.
As Meyer embarked on his evangelistic campaigns, J. Wilbur Chapman, a student was converted. As time went by and Mr. Chapman preached the message of Christ, Billy Sunday was converted at one of his meetings and eventually started a life of ministry. Later, a local businessman, Mordecai Ham was also converted at a Billy Sunday meeting. In 1934, when Mordecai Ham was invited to Charlotte North Carolina on a preaching tour, 16-year-old Billy Graham gave his life to Jesus and God eventually called him to a life of dedicated service. Just think about it; it all started with one faithful person and the ripples moved over throughout different generations!
In the last 8 years, as I have preached the message of Jesus Christ across Uganda, I have had the priceless opportunity of coming face to face with thousands of youth in schools and universities most of whom are dealing with the pressures that life presents and also struggling to deal with the undesirable consequences of the wrong choices they’ve made. Many of these young people are battling addictions, they have lost their identity especially as a result of living in a world that is constantly changing and at the same time throwing countless ideas of what the ideal life of to be.
This has largely negatively impacted them!
It is at this point that I believe our generation is in need of men and women who, like Edward Kimball, will go out of their way and comfort zones, to reach out with intention to a spiritually and morally dying generation. We can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening in our generation.
As Christians, we must understand that God has handed us an assignment, through Jesus Christ, to “go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20).
As we faithfully serve the Lord in our different capacities and across different cultures, I am convinced that God is going to work in and through us to turn men’s hearts toward Him, and eventually our communities and nations will be changed. Billy Graham once said, “We cannot have world peace until we have peace in our hearts.” This peace in our hearts can only be achieved through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ – the Prince of peace. And as we reach one person at a time, with intention and dedication, the ripples of our work will eventually be realized across the generations to come!
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