WHEN A LITTLE MEANS A LOT

 “Little is much when God is in it.”  That was a line from a Gospel song they used to sing in the small church I attended as a lad.  It is the truth we observe in Acts 23:11-22.

But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.” So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.” So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.” Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him. But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.” So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.” (Acts‬ ‭23‬:‭11‬-‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬, emphasis added)

Here is when a little meant a lot.

There was A NAMELESS PERSON, “Paul’s sister’s son,” (v. 16a). We know he was Paul’s nephew, but we do not even know his name. Yet, God would use this lad in a large way. The Apostle’s ministry would have been terminated and his impact truncated had it not been for this nameless person. 

There are preachers’ names we know. Like Paul, their impact is huge. But, for all of those, there are many whose names will never make headlines. Maybe you feel that way. But, God knows your name. He has written it down in His Book. One of the strangest things is that the Lord may summon you to the front of the crowd to receive your crown in that eternal day! 

I love Hebrews 11–“Faith’s Hall of Fame.”  Household names like Noah, Abraham, and Moses are prominent. Then, there is this encouraging word:

Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. (Heb.‬ ‭11‬:‭35‬b-‭40‬‬)

“Others,” not even named; no miracles noted. Yet, God sets them up as a shining standard of faith and summons us to join their ranks.  The fulfillment of the promise of God’s ultimate triumph requires both the heroes and the zeroes. We fit in there somewhere!

There was AN OBSCURE PLACE, “Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush,” (v. 16b). Where was he when he heard?  The location is as unknown as the young man’s name. But, he was in the most strategic spot for a service that was spiritually significant.

So, we may labor for the Lord in obscure places. We serve a small church back in the holler. It may be a name associated with a little creek or a grove of trees. There are prime places in large cities with prominent pulpits. Where we serve, maybe not so much. We walk outside on the porch in front of the small country church and do not hear cars going by, but the sound of the creek flowing along. There are more birds singing in the trees than people singing in the congregation. Far from having a worldwide broadcast, we are so deep in the woods we don’t even have the internet.

Take comfort in the fact that though the denominational executives do not know where you are, God does. We may discover on the Judgment Day that a mini-church had a mega-impact. It may be that a young farm boy will get saved in that little chapel, and grow up to be called into ministry.  That man’s service might then have a worldwide impact!  It happens. But, it would not happen without that “Little Brown Church in the Wildwood,” as the song goes.

I will never forget one of my mentors, Dale Fisher, telling me as a 21 year old called to Gospel ministry, “God knows where you are and He can get you where He wants you to be.”  So, I have served Cane River, Oak Grove, Centerview, Sugarfork, and Pole Creek. None of those are household names in the church world. But, I was where God wanted me, and that is good enough. Someone needs to pastor, “Suck Creek Baptist Church,” (yes, that is a real place).  

Here is the crucial part: there was A DIVINE PROVIDENCE, “he went and entered the barracks and told Paul,” (v. 16c). The Sovereign God was directing a nameless person to an obscure place to the fulfillment of His Divine providence. 

The Lord Jesus had the night before showed up in Paul’s prison cell and made a promise, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome,” (v. 11). 

Satan sought to stop that mission. He moved the conspirators to plot Paul’s assassination. Yet, the Lord’s purposes cannot be thwarted. This instead set a series of events in motion that instead of stopping Paul from reaching Rome, brought him there. The Devil did not halt the Gospel, but instead took the Apostle to a worldwide platform!

Man of God, you are in the Lord’s hands. His providence will lift you up and bear you along to places you did not anticipate. I would have never thought it possible that an unknown young preacher speaking to a small group of about 60 (on a good day) of mostly senior citizens would one day regularly preach to 400 on Sunday morning in a place called Pole Creek, located between Milk Sick Cove and Hookers Gap, not quite to Jugtown. When I attended Fruitland as a young ministerial student, I would have laughed had you told me I would someday be a professor at Fruitland Baptist Bible College. After seeking counsel from our Missions Director as I faced a crisis from conflict in the church where a bunch were trying to fire me, I would not have believed that I would one day be in that position dispensing counsel to other pastors. Sitting in the back of an NC Baptist Convention Meeting, where no one knew my name, it would have been the most unlikely scenario that I would one day be on the platform, giving the report as Chairman of the Nominating Committee, and also nominating the man who would ultimately. become President of the Convention.

I never tried to climb the ladder. I just tried to be faithful where I was. Give the Lord the five loaves and two fish and he can multiply them miraculously. Pass on the news you overheard and the Lord can use that to make an enormous difference and save a preacher. He knows your name. He knows where you serve. His providence will direct you. In heaven, you will discover:

In the harvest field now ripened
There’s a work for all to do;
Hark! the Master’s voice is calling,
To the harvest calling you.

        Refrain:

        Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame;
There’s a crown, and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ name.

        In the mad rush of the broad way,
In the hurry and the strife,
Tell of Jesus’ love and mercy,
Give to them the Word of Life.

        Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forsake His own.

        Are you laid aside from service,
Body worn from toil and care?
You can still be in the battle,
In the sacred place of prayer.

        When the conflict here is ended
And our race on earth is run,
He will say, if we are faithful,
“Welcome home, My child—well done!”    (Kittie L. Suffield)

(The photo is of Young’s Chapel Baptist Church, where I preached my first revival as a Fruitland student, and the chairman of the pulpit committee from Cane River heard me, leading to my call to serve Cane River in my first pastorate.)