Can one person actually make a difference?

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none." Ezek.22:30

"Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:10-14

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." I John 3:17-18

This Saturday, February 24th, marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in England. And this is true primarily because of the tireless efforts of one man, William Wilberforce, a devout Christian and member of the British Parliment. Eighteenth century England was, by far, the largest trafficker of slaves when Wilberforce joined the Parliment, and for many years both the government and the church were indifferent to the horrific human suffering it produced. But after 20 years of political rejection, personal humiliation, and persecution, Wilberforce finally saw his bill abolishing this evil practice passed and signed into law. And the movie, "Amazing Grace" starring Ioan Gruffudd, opens this Friday to commemorate Wilberforce and this historic event that saved the lives of so many people.

And while thinking about Wilberforce and his amazing story (no pun intended!), I thought about the question many people often ask, "Can one person actually make a difference?" I recently had this conversation with my son on the subject of voting. His sentiment was that he didn't vote because he didn't see that it made any difference. Truly, this belief is prevelant in our culture today. But is it true? Does it not matter what one person does or doesn't do? Actually, both history and Scripture would say otherwise. In fact, we would see that in just about every case, our way of life was dramatically changed-- good or bad--by the will and persistence of one person. In fact, it appears from Scripture that God would actually require that we all make our own unique contribution to our world.

I included the Scripture passages above because they speak to us about how God looks for men and women to make a difference in the affairs of this life. That our faith is not one of indifference. The first, from Ezekiel, shows God's lament that He could not find a man (or woman) who would intercede for His people. The second passage, we see the reluctant courage and faith of one young Hebrew woman, Esther, raised up as Queen in a foreign land "for such a time as this" to save her people from extinction. And John instructs us in his first epistle that we cannot even say we have the love of God in us if we do not consider the suffering around us and seek to remedy it in a practical and tangible way. Of course, I could name many other examples of men and women of the Bible who rose to the occasion to fulfill their destiny and place in history.

So, on this anniversary, my thoughts go back to William Wilberforce. He was referred to by biographers as a radically God-centered Christian. He argued that good morals cannot be divorced from Biblical doctrine. (Something our liberal social activists would do well to heed.) But like us before we came to Christ, he wasn't always such a noble person. He came from a wealthy family and he spent his early years living a self-indulged life of ease without any real purpose. At age 21, he basically bought his election into Parliment and, in his own words, did nothing for several years. But something happened at age 25; he had a dramatic conversion to Christ through the influence of two men. One was his old schoolmaster, Isaac Milner; the other, an old family friend, John Newton (who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace,"hence the title of the movie).

Now what's interesting here is that John Newton was once himself a slave-trading sea captain, who was converted to Christ and then afterward renounced this evil practice and became a minister of the Gospel. And Newton mentored young Wilberforce in his waning years as a minister. He wrote these words in his last will and testament, "I commit my soul to my gracious God and Savior, who mercifully spared and preserved me, when I was an apostate, a blasphemer, and an infidel, and delivered me from the state of misery on the coast of Africa into which my obstinate wickedness had plunged me; and who has been pleased to admit me (though most unworthy) to preach his glorious gospel."

And it was Newton's advice to William Wilberforce not to leave Parliment for the ministry, which is what William was considering after his conversion, but instead, serve God in his political office. Newton said this, "It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of His Church and the good of the nation." So we see God's "amazing grace" at work here; using a former slave trader to touch the life of a self-centered, turned God-centered aristocrat, who would be instrumental in ending the practice! Only God could write such a script!

And consider the obstacle young Wilberforce faced. Nobody of his day thought that abolishing the slave trade was even a remote possibility. It was widely thought vital to Great Britain's economy, and that the nation could not survive as a world power without it. But nevertheless, it was indeed abolished by the persistent courage and faith of this man. And the abolition of slavery was not William Wilberforce's only concern. As John Piper puts it, there was a steady stream of action to alleviate pain and bring social (and eternal) good. At one point he was involved in 69 different initiatives! These included child labor reform, prison reform, labor reform, and even took to seeing that Britian evangelize and educate its colonies in the ways of God! All of this while suffering for years with ulcerative colitis, curvature of the spine, gout, and increasing blindness. Why do I mention this? Because this was a man who didn't excuse himself from the service of God because of his limitations, or in any of the various ways we so easily do.

So on this anniversary of such a history-changing event, let us remember that we are made of the same stuff as Wilberforce and our heroes of the faith. We have the same Holy Spirit. We may not have the same mission, but nonetheless, we have our own part to play in history. By God's grace, let us serve Him with the same resolve.

And with so much narcissistic drivel and meaningless entertainment as our normal movie fare, let us rejoice that once and awhile a film comes along that is not only worthwhile but can move our very soul, allowing us to momentarily peer into something much bigger than us all... something worthy of a life lived, of a quality I believe precious to God's heart.

So I encourage you to see this movie. Bring your children. Talk about it. Wrestle with it. Pray about it. And let God speak to you and inspire you to greater things for His Kingdom. Remember...we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

"...but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits." Dan.11:32

For information about the movie "Amazing Grace" and theater locations and times, go to this web site... http://www.amazinggracemovie.com