The value to God of each person is immense.
Jesus explained it best in Luke 15:
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he finds it?
And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, who need no repentance.
Luke 15: 4-7 King James 2000 Version
The God who created each individual for His purposes, knows us by name.
He knows all the hairs on our heads.
He knows the span of our lives.
With that knowledge–of the past, the present and what is to come–God created each of us for a specific time and place.
Each individual is so precious to God, Jesus died to forgive their sins and enable them to go to heaven.
The Gospel Song telling of a person’s value to God
A famous gospel song tells the same story.
“Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;
“The Ninety-nine and the One” verse two by Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane
Are they not enough for Thee?”
But the Shepherd made answer: “This of Mine
Has wandered away from Me;
And although the road be rough and steep,
I go to the desert to find My sheep.”
Missionaries used this song as a triumphant chorus when they gathered in “deputations” to explain about their overseas work.
Charles and Lettie Cowman, founders of the Oriental Missionary Society (with Juji Nakada and Ernest Kilbourne), in particular, found inspiration from this tale.
When they stood before a seemingly impossible mission field, the reminder of Jesus’s desire for each individual to know Him, sent them out.
The unknown value to God of one person listening
One person listening and responding to God’s direction can change many lives when ministering to the one.
A small village in 1877 Indiana held a revival service one weekend.
The visiting preacher gave an “altar call,” numerous times, urging people to come forward and give their lives to Christ.
Over the entire weekend, only a nine-year-old boy knelt at the altar seeking to follow God.
Church members deemed the meetings a failure, because only one boy went forward.
The work the Cowmans and the Oriental Missionary Society (OMS) began in 1901 is still going strong today.
No one knows how many people have come to faith as a result of that one boy coming forward.
It only took one.
Was that revival meeting a success or not?
The value to God of an little-known woman
Born to a wheelwright and his wife in Suffolk, England in 1866, Margaret E. Barber felt called to China.
After teaching in Foochow–midway between Shanghai and Hong Kong–Margaret moved to White Teeth Rock, a small nearby village.
She lived in a humble house and waited until one day a student came in to visit. She talked about God, prayed with him, and suggested books by John Bunyan, Andrew Murray, and the Bible. Margaret also taught her one student, Watchman Nee, “the way of the Cross.”
“Lord, I am willing to break my heart in order that I may satisfy Thy heart!“
But even the villagers recognized her worth and wondered,
“Why doesn’t she go out and establish meetings and work in a bigger city?” Instead, she lived in a small village where it seemed nothing was happening. It seemed that it was a waste for her to be there.
One brother shouted at her, “No one knows the Lord as you do. You know the Bible in a most living way. Don’t you see the need around? Why don’t you go out and accomplish something? You just sit here seemingly doing nothing. You are wasting your time, energy, and money; . . . everything!”
M.E. Barber, The Story of Her Life
Margaret Barber saw herself as God’s seed sown in China.
This seed surely went through loneliness, humiliation, and seclusion. But God made her blossom and bear fruit. Only God knows how many people received spiritual help from her directly and indirectly.
M.E. Barber, The Story of Her Life
Nee’s books about the Christian life are still used today. (My husband frequently teaches on and gives away copies of Sit, Walk, Stand.)
But M. E. Barber isn’t completely forgotten. Lettie Cowman included her poem in Streams in the Desert’s May 27 reading.
Why does one individual have value?
In our data-driven world, it seems foolish to waste so much time and energy for only one person’s soul.
Surely missionary work could be better spent where the outcome is more likely to win many souls to Christ?
And yet that verse from Luke 15 above reminds us, Jesus cared enough for each person, he would have died for only one.
That means me. Or you.
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Amen
What a blessing!
Thank you for sharing, Michelle.
Have your read John Hersey’s “The Call?” It’s a bit of a read, but he bases his missionary characters on his parents. Hersey grew up in China while they were serving overseas.
Interesting. Perhaps a long time ago, I’ll make a point to look it up. Thanks.