I was 19, attending College 525 miles from Home in Springfield Mo.  I had heard a few rumors that there was division among the people of my Church back home in Indiana. I didn’t know to what degree, or what it was about. Semester break was coming up, and, as was customary for Bible College students while home for a visit, my pastor asked me to preach the first Wednesday Night Service at our Church. I agreed, and began praying about the message God would have me share with the Church.

Six years earlier, I had preached my first sermon, after surrendering to preach while attending youth camp. My pastor told me  ” If God has called you to preach, then we need to get you some opportunities to preach.” and so he helped me put together an outline, find a subject to speak about, and arranged for me to bring the message for our Wednesday night service. The sermon was on The Re-gathering of The Nation of Israel. I was pretty nervous, I don’t remember too much. I took them to the Bible, read the text, shared the three points of my outline. But what had taken me 30 minutes in practice preaching, took about five minutes. I was still too nervous to realize how short the message was ( I was thirteen years old) What I do remember is my Pastor getting up, leading the congregation in a song and dismissing the service with prayer. Some people came up to me after, sort of giggling, and told me I should preach more often….I didnt fully understand why that was funny untill later. I loved my Pastor. I didn’t have any understanding of what a mentor was then, but looking back I can tell you, he was a mentor leader who served those he led with love and selflessness.

So now I am headed home to speak to my home congregation who are fighting over something. If any of you know Baptists, it seems they are always fighting over something. I have seen pride in the way some Baptists express their seemingly constant need to fight. They joke about it . But I can tell you from personal experience there is absolutely nothing funny about it. The appropriate emotion you should be feeling when you create strife and division within the Church is SHAME. Shame on you, for the damage your pride causes in all the lives around you. Young men who look up to you, damaged because your pride has you so preoccupied with proving you are right that you do not see the damage you have caused.

I have spoken of my love and respect for my Pastor. My youth Pastor had been a part of my life all four years of High School. I credit him and the leadership he had among our youth group, for helping keep my life on track, while most of the kids in school were experimenting with drugs, alcohol, and sex. I was not perfect, there were battles, but by God’s grace, managed not to get caught up in all of that. I loved my youth pastor.

Can you see how these men effected the lives around them? My pastor stepped into my life to build me up and encourage God’s calling on my life. He affirmed and solidified that call for me. He protected and  held me accountable for my commitment, by educating, equipping and encouraging me. Not just to preach, but to honor God’s call on my life and be willing to work and prepare for the task I was called to. My youth pastor spoke truth into our lives and educated, empowered, and encouraged us, not to be followers, but to be leaders. To stand for what we believe, if we truly believe it, and not compromise those beliefs.

This is what I call: THE RIPPLE EFFECT. My Pastor dropping a pebble into my life had a huge impact on me, but not only me, it spread through me to all of the men I associated with in College, effecting how their ministries would turn out and to all those lives touched by them.. It effected my professors and all the students taught by them. It effected my ministry style and content. It spread through those I led to Christ and taught, those Christians I preached to, and educated,empowered and encouraged, and through them……those ripples continue to flow through me today and all the lives I am touching now. It is the power of God,manifesting itself perpetually as each ripple interacts with each life it touches.

My Youth Pastor dropped a pebble into my life that effected my brothers at home. Encouraged my stand against compromise, and because of the truth spoken into my life confronted those around me with the question, why? Why doesn’t he do what everyone else is doing? Is it wrong? Should I be doing it if it is wrong? How can he stand against the majority opinion? Who is right about this? I do not know what effect I may have had on my peers, but God does.

We all have people who watch us, even if they won’t admit it to themselves. The pebbles we drop into the lives of all the lives we touch has an incredible amount of energy. It comes from the Holy Spirit of God and has the power to change a life forever.

What are you tossing into the lives of the men around you. How are you educating, empowering and encouraging them? Your wife? Your Children? The men and people you work with………think about it? Will you allow me to challenge you to take five minuets this week and look for your ripples…..?

Next week I will share more of the story of coming home to preach.