The Unknown Ones

The story of the crippled man who was laid at the feet of Jesus because ‘some men’ acted on their faith is well known. Their names are not recorded on earth, but they are in heaven. You may not have the boldness they had to rip open someone’s roof, but we rarely know the impact of even the simplest of deeds done in God’s name this side of eternity. Let me share one with you.

In 1934 a famous gospel preacher called Mordecai Ham was preaching in a tent meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sixteen-year-old Billy Graham and his close friend Grady Wilson were initially attracted by what they were hearing, but when they looked inside the tent they couldn’t see anywhere to sit. They were about to walk by when an usher saw their problem, and stepped forward to help. He encouraged a couple to move along in their row so the two teenagers could sit down and hear the message. Both Billy and Grady were saved that day. The impact Billy Graham had on the world through preaching the gospel is utterly amazing, and Grady Wilson was instrumental in arranging many of the meetings. All this happened because an unknown man saw a need and acted on it. He could have let the two lads pass by for whatever reason. But he didn’t, and changed the lives of thousands as a result.

That man’s name remains unknown. He may never have recognised the two lads he had helped. But God knows him by name. Today we live in a culture (or cult) of social media influencers, where their main purpose is to generate money by promoting themselves. We are in a ‘me, me’ generation. Our focus can be drawn to the great preachers in the mega churches, the great tele-evangelists, people who love to promote themselves, or the gifted speakers in our own church. Where do we fit in? Do we matter? Does what we do matter, as it may seem we have little to offer?

Yet how about that smile and “Hello” to someone we pass by in the street, the words of encouragement to someone feeling low, the effort made to make someone new feel welcomed in our church, that visit to someone in need, or popping in to check that our elderly neighbour is ok? These actions may seem to go unrecorded and matter little, but we have no idea what impact they make, and how that then flows out to others. Just like that unknown man stepping in to help two young lads find a seat at a Revival Meeting.