Ripple Effect
The Lord as been leading me to encourage us to reach our lost friends, neighbors, relatives, and associates with the gospel. Today he’s given me a message that I call “The Ripple Effect”.
When you throw a rock into a pool of water, ripples are formed that emanate from the place where the rock went into the water. The ripple effect is the continuing and spreading results of throwing the rock into the water.
Some events or actions can have a ripple effect on people. We’re going to see three places in the Bible today where someone took action and the effect was that many people joined in to continue and spread the action. The three men who took action were Gideon, Jonathan, and Peter.
In each case you’re going to notice these three things. It takes a man to start the action. It takes a good helper to go with him. And it takes more people to carry on after things get started. This is the ripple effect.
Gideon
In Jud 6:14 the Lord told Gideon, “Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites”. He was talking to one man. Of course, Gideon, at first, was reluctant to go. So, he confirmed the Lord’s will by the fleece. Dew on the fleece only; dry only on the fleece, Jud 6:36-40.
Then Gideon gathered a group of men, which the Lord paired down to 300. It took a remarkable amount of faith to lead these men into battle against 135,000 Midianites. He had to trust that the Lord would deliver them as he said, Jud 7:7, 9.
Gideon wasn’t alone. He had his servant Phurah with him, Jud 7:10-15. These men together were encouraged to take this fight to the Midianites. Phurah was willing to support Gideon, follow him, and risk his life with him. He didn’t try to discourage Gideon in any way.
They had a plan, Jud 7:16-18. And the 300 men who were with Gideon followed his lead and executed the plan at precisely the time that caused the enemy to destroy itself.
Then look what happened next. In Jud 7:23-25 the men from Naphtali, Asher, Manasseh, and Ephraim all joined the fight to destroy the enemy. The ripple effect went from Gideon and his servant, to the 300 men, to four tribes in Israel.
I believe that if one of you will go with me to start reaching the lost people you have invited to church, we’ll see the ripple effect through our congregation where more and more of us will be reaching the folks we know.
Jonathan
In 1 Sam 14:6, Jonathan said to his armourbearer, “Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few”. And by v.10 Jonathan was certain that “the Lord hath delivered them into our hand”.
It took a lot of faith and courage for Jonathan to believe he could destroy a garrison of the Philistines with only his armourbearer to help him. He trusted that the Lord would come through for them. And he did. He had a very bold plan and his plan worked perfectly.
Jonathan got the action started and his armourbearer willingly joined him. He supported Jonathan and was willing to even risk his life in the pursuit of their enemy.
And notice what happened. v.21 moreover the Hebrews that were with the Philistines turned to be with the Israelites. v.22 Likewise all the men which had hid themselves in the mount Ephraim. v.23 so the Lord saved Israel that day. The ripple effect.
We have to trust the Lord at the beginning of reaching the lost whom we hope Jesus would save. When you start seeing folks getting saved, I believe more and more will join the effort to reach them.
Peter
In Acts 3:1 Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer. There they encountered a lame man whom the Lord healed. This man went with them into the temple and drew quite a crowd who knew he had been lame his entire life.
Peter capitalized on the situation and preached Jesus to them. According to Acts 4:4 “many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand”. Even though the Pharisees threatened them to keep this from spreading further, Acts 4:17, they kept preaching and seeing souls saved.
The ripple effect from their continual preaching, despite the threats, spread to the multitude. In Acts 8:4, “they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word”. And by the time the gospel reached Thessalonica, those opposed to Jesus testified that these men had “turned the world upside down”, Acts 17:6.
Peter got it started with boldness and the plan the Lord had trained him to follow. John supported him and was even willing to risk his life with Peter to get the gospel to the lost. And the result was that the people continued and spread their preaching.
Conclusion
As you have seen in these passages, there is a pattern in the Bible. It takes a man with faith and boldness to start an action according to a plan. It takes a good helper to go with him who is willing to support and follow him despite the risk. And then it takes more people to carry on after things get started. They come out of their complacency and fear to carry on the charge.
The plan is to pray for our lost friends and relatives. Then one of you go with me to meet the ones you put on the list with the intent that God will save them and lead them to join our church. As you see God moving in the lives of these souls, then others will join in the effort to work together to reach the other ones who are still on the list to save.
And with Bro Tony, we should have a helper right after VBS to go with him to meet the folks who visited to try to lead them and their families to the Lord. And as they begin, others should join them to continue and spread the effort to reach the lost with the gospel.
Will you be the helper? Will you join the effort to reach the lost?