The Power of One
The Power of One is a film
that centers on the life of an English boy, “PK,” raised under apartheid. He
experiences at first hand xenophobia and racial injustice in South Africa.
Thankfully, when he is young, PK is introduced to a wise German pianist, Doc,
who would become his mentor. Doc teaches PK from music to science to life
skills. In particular, he always says, “Learn from nature, it has all the
answers of your questions.” Later, PK goes to study at the prestigious Prince
of Wales School in Johannesburg. There he gets permission from the school and opens
an English school for Africans. Soon PK is found, and the school is put under
pressure by the government. PK’s professor exhorts him to consider closing the
English school, saying, “What difference does it make whether you taught
English to only a handful of black people or not?” After a long nature walk, PK
answers to the professor later, “A great waterfall begins with only one drop of
water, sir.” Then, he takes risks by teaching black people at different places.
Starting with One Person
In today’s scripture we find
another one who takes risks. His name is Moses. When the Israelites have
committed a great sin by making a golden calf, Moses boldly prays to the Lord
and says, “Please forgive their sin – but if not, then blot me out of the book
you have written” (Ex 32:32). After this prayer, Moses takes the tent and sets
it up outside the camp, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Now I want to emphasize
that Moses sets the tent up outside the camp – far off from the camp.
Why? Because of their sin.
The whole purpose of Exodus was for God and his people to be together. The Israelites were saved for this very reason. At Mount Sinai, through Moses God announces his master plan, “the tabernacle,” so that he may be together with his people and dwell in the midst of them. But in the meantime, while waiting for Moses, the people make a golden calf. The making of the golden calf shows their rebellious heart conditions. They want to reach a promised land, but they are not all that interested in having a personal relationship with the living God. They would happy to use God and to have God’s blessing, but they refuse to wear the yoke of obedience to him and to be transformed. They are a stiff-necked people. And now, they are separated from God by their sin.
But, there was at least one man who could come into God’s presence: Moses. He didn’t set up a committee to resolve the issue. Rather, he set up the tent, the meeting tent, where he could go and quietly pray, talking and listening to God. Moses also invited “everyone” who would seek the Lord to go out to the tent, talk things over with Moses, and then wait for him to inquire of God. Then, we see amazing things happen. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down from heaven and cover the entrance. The visible sign of God’s presence came back, as before. More and more people’s hearts were stirred, and they responded, rising and worshiping at their tent door. That’s revival – the return of God’s people from their backslidings, and the awakening to their true nature and purpose. And it starts with one person.
The One
In his farewell sermon (Deuteronomy),
Moses says to his people, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet
like me from among your own people. You must listen to him” (Dt 18:15). Who is
this Prophet like Moses? Later in his sermon, Stephen clarifies that the
Prophet refers to the Messiah Jesus (cf. Acts 7:37). In the old system
the animals are killed and the bodies disposed of outside the camp. That is why
Jesus also suffered and was crucified outside the camp in order to cleanse his
people – once for all (Heb 13:11-12). So now, everyone who believes in him has
direct access to God. We don’t have to go outside the camp. We don’t have to go
to the tent of meeting. We don’t have to consult with a mediator. Today the
tent of meeting is inside us, because Jesus has sent the Spirit to dwell
in us. From the very moment that we receive Jesus into our heart by faith, we
can communicate with God anytime and anywhere through the Holy Spirit. We are
the place of God’s dwelling. One of the America’s founding fathers, John
Winthrop, shared his experience when he first became a Christian this way:[1]
“I was now grown familiar with the
Lord Jesus Christ. . . . If I went abroad, he went with me, when I returned, he
came home with me. I talked with him upon the way, he lay down with me, and usually
I did awake with him: and so sweet was his love to me, as I desired nothing but
him in heaven or earth.”
This is a Christian’s privilege – God talking to us like a friend with a friend, we speaking with God like a friend with a friend.
How Revival Comes
But unfortunately, many people
don’t know or have this kind of friendship with God. So, what God does is to
let one person’s heart be stirred. In today’s scripture, Moses’ heart is
stirred. Not only is Moses a prefigure of the Messiah, but he is our role model
to follow. In today’s story Moses suddenly begins to feel a burden, and he
feels the burden so much that he is led to do something about it. So he would
set the tent of meeting up outside of the camp and open it to anyone to join him.
It was done quietly, but the people were affected forcefully. First, his
assistant Joshua, then more people, then finally the entire community was
affected. All the people would rise and bow down when they saw the pillar of
cloud. That’s how revival comes.
It starts with one person, or a small group of people. Once Henry Varley, a close friend of D. L. Moody in the earlier days of his work, said to Moody, “It remains to be seen what God will do with a person who gives himself or herself up wholly to Him.” When Moody heard this, he said to himself, “Well, I will be that man.” His heart was stirred and fully committed to God, and God was able to use him. The Bible says, “The eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Ch 16:9).
God found Moses, whose heart was true to him, and used him to revive his people. The visible sign of God’s presence had been withdrawn. But because of what Moses did as a mediator, the pillar of cloud, God’s presence, came back to Israel, God’s holy community. God is still looking for those whose heart is fully committed to him today. When God finds that person, revival begins with that person first and then with the life of the church. The worship of the church becomes warmer, something comes back which had gone, a warm and gentle presence of God. There is an encouragement. There is a new unity, a new sense of community, a new sense of hope, excitement, and joy. That is the return of the pillar of cloud. That is revival.
Today’s story ends this way: “Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent” (v. 11b). Like Joshua, may we abide with God always, waiting in the presence of God, expecting more and more.
“Oh rend the heavens,
come quickly down,
And make a
thousand hearts thine own.”
- William Cowper
