The Power of OneSample

In the early 1960s, the meteorologist and mathematician Edward Lorenz presented his famous “butterfly theory,” which claimed the mere flap of a butterfly’s wings could set in motion just the right air molecules to start a chain reaction, ultimately causing a hurricane on the other side of the world. By the mid-1990s, the theory became foundational in the scientific community and is now known as the law of sensitive dependence upon initial conditions. And it doesn’t apply to just butterflies. The effect impacts any form of matter, including people. One life and one action can set in motion more than we realize.

After a tumultuous night at sea, Jesus and his disciples arrived on the shores of Gadara in the Decapolis. To justify coming so far, the disciples likely thought Jesus meant to go and minister to a large group of people. But as they stepped off the boat, no crowd awaited them. Instead, one naked, disheveled man ran toward them. He was screaming, “Leave me alone! What do you want with me?” Knowing the man was filled with an evil spirit, Jesus spoke, “What is your name?” The man shouted, “I am Legion, for we are many.” At that, Jesus cast the spirits into a nearby herd of pigs.

Thereafter, the healed man spent his life praising the Lord for all he had done for him and sharing the good news of Jesus with multitudes throughout the Decapolis.

Later, the disciples joined Jesus on another detour trip through Samaria. The route made little sense due to racial tensions between Jews and Samaritans, but Jesus again had a plan. As Jesus rested near the city well, a woman came to draw water. She was a social outcast who had tried to fill the void in her life with dysfunctional relationships, but what Jesus offered her was something new: A spring of living water that would overflow to eternal life. She ran into the city, shouting, “Come see the man who told me everything I ever did. Could this man be the Messiah?”

By sharing the news with one, Jesus reached entire cities and regions. Like Jesus, many many others have focused on an individual amid the masses. One such example was Philip, who read the scriptures to a single Ethiopian eunuch, who in turn brought the gospel to the continent of Africa for the first time. Today, Africa is home to more than 667 million Christians.

In modern day, the butterfly effect is in full motion.

After a schoolteacher named Edward Kimball led a man named Dwight L. Moody to Christ, Moody, in turn, led millions of people to Christ, one of whom was F. B. Meyer. Meyer eventually converted Wilbur Chapman, who led a man named Billy Graham to Christ. Graham proceeded to welcome more than two million people into God’s kingdom. One schoolteacher focusing on one student brought multitudes into the Kingdom.

Jesus’s plan for reaching the world is the same today: Focus on the ONE, and God will help us reach everyONE.