I recently wrote about how the disciples couldn’t have know all that they would see and experience by obeying the simple command of Jesus to “Follow Me.” In a subsequent post I wrote about how Hudson and Maria Taylor couldn’t have known what God would do when they obeyed the simple command of Jesus to “Go.” And I would like to share another of my favorite stories about a man named Edward Kimball and what he couldn’t have known when he obeyed the simple command of Jesus to be a “fisher of men.”
Edward Kimball was a Sunday school teacher in Chicago, Illinois. He went one day to the shoe store where one of his pupils worked because he felt impelled by the Holy Spirit to share Christ with this young man. He almost backed out because of fear but went ahead and that young man came to faith in Jesus as a result. That young shoe salesman’s name was D.L. Moody.
Shortly after Moody’s conversion he heard a man named Henry Varney say, “The world has yet to see what God will do with one man who is wholly consecrated to Him.” Moody left that meeting saying, “I will be that man.” Moody went on to be a world famous evangelist of whom it was said that he gathered two continents in his hands (North America and Europe) and brought them both closer to God. He preached to an estimated 100 million people, established colleges and schools, and left his imprint on 19th-century Evangelicalism. His was a remarkable life. Untold numbers came to Christ through Moody’s ministry. There is no way that Edward Kimball could have known that day at the shoe store what God was going to do through him and his simple obedience by faith. There is no way Henry Varney could have known what his anointed words would do.
But there is more… much more… for you see at one of Moody’s meetings one day he spoke to a young man about his assurance of salvation and greatly encouraged that young man whose name was J. Wilbur Chapman. D.L. Moody couldn’t have known that day that Chapman would go on to become a great evangelist in his own right and lead thousands to Christ or that Chapman would mentor an ex-drunkard professional baseball player named Billy Sunday who would go on to become a great evangelist and lead hundreds of thousands to Christ.
Billy Sunday inspired a group of Charlotte, NC businessmen to hold a revival in 1932 and invite evangelist Mordecai Hamm. A lanky 16 year old would be saved in that revival. His name is Billy Graham. Edward Kimball couldn’t have known. D.L. Moody couldn’t have known. J. Wilbur Chapman couldn’t have known. Billy Sunday couldn’t have known. The Charlotte Christian Businessman’s Association couldn’t have known. Mordecai Hamm couldn’t have known. Good thing they trusted God and obeyed their calling.
But there is more… much more… for you see at another of Moody’s meetings one day he cried out to the crowd, “Faith Can Do Anything!” A young man present believed him and went on to become a great evangelist and D.L. Moody’s closest friend and associate. That young man was R.A. Torrey. Torrey preached to millions, brought tens of thousands to Christ, founded schools and churches and wrote over 40 books. Kimball and Moody couldn’t have known. One day a young man heard Torrey preach and gave his life to Christ.
His name was Oswald J. Smith. Oswald went on to build one of the greatest churches in the world in Toronto, Canada, The People’s Church. In later life he became a missions mobilizer and statesman and preached all over the world bringing thousands to Christ. Kimball, Moody, and Torrey couldn’t have known what their simple obedience would do and how God would use them. There are many many other stories that trace back to Edward Kimball’s winning Moody and the people that he subsequently influenced like F.B. Meyer and many others but the story of Moody and especially the link to Henry Varney and Oswald J. Smith bless me personally in three ways.
First, the night I was saved, July 21, 1982, the twenty-two year old evangelist, Jerry Johnston, (who would go on to win tens of thousands to Christ) told the story of D.L. Moody and the quote from Varney, “The world has yet to see what God will do with one man who is wholly consecrated to Him.” And then Jerry looked right at me in the crowd (or so it seemed) and said, “Will you be that man?” When the invitation was given I beat it to the altar, or as close as I could get for there were dozens of other teens already there before me, and I knelt down in the aisle and said, “God if you want me, I want you.” I left that night on fire for God and have been pursuing him for just over 30 years now.
Second, Two years later in September of 1984 I was at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO. My 18 year old soul was hungry for God. I had a little money that someone had sent from home and so I went to the college bookstore looking for some soul sustenance. I asked the Holy Spirit to show me what I needed and I stumbled on a book called “The Passion For Souls” by Oswald J. Smith. I had never heard of him but the title set my heart to burning so I bought it and went back to my dorm and read it through stinging tears in one sitting. It was a life altering read. It put a hunger in my soul for the power of God in my life and ministry that has never waned. The next year I became a youth evangelist and God blessed me to see hundreds of teens come to Christ many of whom are in ministry around the country today and then family discipleship and pastoring and now missions and the impact of his book is still working in my life. I haven’t shaken continents for God… at least not yet :-). Oswald J. Smith couldn’t have known how he would impact this one life. I’m holding that same book I bought so long ago in my hands right now and it is tattered and worn. I have read it so many times and used so many colors of highlighter on it that some pages look like a rainbow. I flipped through it just now and read a few lines and my heart began to burn and tears filled my eyes. My daughter Brooke came in from work just now and said, “Dad! What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” I held up the book. She smiled gave me a hug and went on.
Third, at the height of Oswald J. Smith’s People’s Church in Toronto, Canada a young man named Dan Schiel was a follower of Smith’s who came to Conroe, Texas and started a church in Conroe, Texas called The People’s Church. He began to preach and souls were saved and the church grew and today, decades later, it is known as Christ Church of Conroe and Dan Schiel still pastors there. The personal connection for me is that Dan Schiel has a granddaughter named Misti who grew up in his church and learned to love Jesus and serve Him with all her heart. Misti is married to my oldest son Luke and they work with us at Mission Critical International. She is a wonderful wife to my son and a wonderful mother to my two sweet grandbabies, Joy and Joseph. It may be a stretch to say that Edward Kimball’s obedience to share Christ with D.L. Moody in that shoe store that day has a direct connection to my life, family, and ministry today… but I’m not so sure. All I know is that they couldn’t have known what God would do with them and for them and neither can we. So we must keep pressing on in His kingdom work and only eternity will tell all of the stories of how God used our mustard seeds of faith and obedience to change the world.
Matt Bullen
One comment
Luke
Awesome! Thanks for following the call and being obedient to the Spirits leading on your life!
Edward Kimball was a Sunday school teacher in Chicago, Illinois. He went one day to the shoe store where one of his pupils worked because he felt impelled by the Holy Spirit to share Christ with this young man. He almost backed out because of fear but went ahead and that young man came to faith in Jesus as a result. That young shoe salesman’s name was D.L. Moody.
Shortly after Moody’s conversion he heard a man named Henry Varney say, “The world has yet to see what God will do with one man who is wholly consecrated to Him.” Moody left that meeting saying, “I will be that man.” Moody went on to be a world famous evangelist of whom it was said that he gathered two continents in his hands (North America and Europe) and brought them both closer to God. He preached to an estimated 100 million people, established colleges and schools, and left his imprint on 19th-century Evangelicalism. His was a remarkable life. Untold numbers came to Christ through Moody’s ministry. There is no way that Edward Kimball could have known that day at the shoe store what God was going to do through him and his simple obedience by faith. There is no way Henry Varney could have known what his anointed words would do.
But there is more… much more… for you see at one of Moody’s meetings one day he spoke to a young man about his assurance of salvation and greatly encouraged that young man whose name was J. Wilbur Chapman. D.L. Moody couldn’t have known that day that Chapman would go on to become a great evangelist in his own right and lead thousands to Christ or that Chapman would mentor an ex-drunkard professional baseball player named Billy Sunday who would go on to become a great evangelist and lead hundreds of thousands to Christ.
Billy Sunday inspired a group of Charlotte, NC businessmen to hold a revival in 1932 and invite evangelist Mordecai Hamm. A lanky 16 year old would be saved in that revival. His name is Billy Graham. Edward Kimball couldn’t have known. D.L. Moody couldn’t have known. J. Wilbur Chapman couldn’t have known. Billy Sunday couldn’t have known. The Charlotte Christian Businessman’s Association couldn’t have known. Mordecai Hamm couldn’t have known. Good thing they trusted God and obeyed their calling.
But there is more… much more… for you see at another of Moody’s meetings one day he cried out to the crowd, “Faith Can Do Anything!” A young man present believed him and went on to become a great evangelist and D.L. Moody’s closest friend and associate. That young man was R.A. Torrey. Torrey preached to millions, brought tens of thousands to Christ, founded schools and churches and wrote over 40 books. Kimball and Moody couldn’t have known. One day a young man heard Torrey preach and gave his life to Christ.
His name was Oswald J. Smith. Oswald went on to build one of the greatest churches in the world in Toronto, Canada, The People’s Church. In later life he became a missions mobilizer and statesman and preached all over the world bringing thousands to Christ. Kimball, Moody, and Torrey couldn’t have known what their simple obedience would do and how God would use them. There are many many other stories that trace back to Edward Kimball’s winning Moody and the people that he subsequently influenced like F.B. Meyer and many others but the story of Moody and especially the link to Henry Varney and Oswald J. Smith bless me personally in three ways.
First, the night I was saved, July 21, 1982, the twenty-two year old evangelist, Jerry Johnston, (who would go on to win tens of thousands to Christ) told the story of D.L. Moody and the quote from Varney, “The world has yet to see what God will do with one man who is wholly consecrated to Him.” And then Jerry looked right at me in the crowd (or so it seemed) and said, “Will you be that man?” When the invitation was given I beat it to the altar, or as close as I could get for there were dozens of other teens already there before me, and I knelt down in the aisle and said, “God if you want me, I want you.” I left that night on fire for God and have been pursuing him for just over 30 years now.
Third, at the height of Oswald J. Smith’s People’s Church in Toronto, Canada a young man named Dan Schiel was a follower of Smith’s who came to Conroe, Texas and started a church in Conroe, Texas called The People’s Church. He began to preach and souls were saved and the church grew and today, decades later, it is known as Christ Church of Conroe and Dan Schiel still pastors there. The personal connection for me is that Dan Schiel has a granddaughter named Misti who grew up in his church and learned to love Jesus and serve Him with all her heart. Misti is married to my oldest son Luke and they work with us at Mission Critical International. She is a wonderful wife to my son and a wonderful mother to my two sweet grandbabies, Joy and Joseph. It may be a stretch to say that Edward Kimball’s obedience to share Christ with D.L. Moody in that shoe store that day has a direct connection to my life, family, and ministry today… but I’m not so sure. All I know is that they couldn’t have known what God would do with them and for them and neither can we. So we must keep pressing on in His kingdom work and only eternity will tell all of the stories of how God used our mustard seeds of faith and obedience to change the world.
Luke
Awesome! Thanks for following the call and being obedient to the Spirits leading on your life!