YOU DO COUNT

“He that winneth souls is wise.”

-Proverbs 11:30

So you think you don’t count for much? Let me tell you about an interesting chain of events which all trace back to a rather ordinary sort of a person named Edward Kimball.

Let’s begin with a more familiar name, Billy Graham, who has spoken to more people about Jesus Christ than any man alive. As a young man, Graham was converted under the ministry of an Evangelist whose name was Mordecai Ham. Mordecai Ham, however, was converted through the preaching of a baseball player turned Evangelist, Billy Sunday. Sunday had already made a name for himself in the sports world when he heard a scholarly evangelist-pastor by the name of J.Wilbur Chapman who in turn had been converted through the ministry of Dwight L. Moody. And how was Moody converted?

Edward Kimball taught a Sunday School class for young men at the local Congregational Church. In this class was a young, fun-loving shoe clerk named Dwight Lyman Moody. Kimball felt a responsibility for Moody and began to pray earnestly for his conversion. One day, Kimball decided to go to the shoe store where young Moody worked. He wanted to talk to him about the Lord. But on the way, Kimball began having second thoughts.

He says, “I found Moody in the back part of the building, wrapping shoes. I went up to him at once, and putting my hand on his shoulder and simply told him of Christ’s love for him and the love Christ wanted in return. That was all there was. He gave himself and his life to Christ.”

There was a spiritual line of great men from Dwight L. Moody to Billy Graham, because a Sunday School Teacher overcame his reluctance and led one of his students to faith in Jesus Christ.