The Seeds of Future Change
K.P. Yohannan shares how John Haggai's challenge to write down a single most important thing had a profound impact on his life and ministry.
K.P. Yohannan reflects on his transformative experience at an institute in Singapore founded by John Haggai, who inspired him with stories of Christians as overcomers and challenged him to embrace a vision from God. Haggai's refusal to accept impossibilities and his commitment to personal responsibility ignited a restlessness in Yohannan, prompting him to seek God's ultimate will for his life. The challenge to define a singular, God-glorifying purpose led Yohannan to introspect deeply, ultimately shaping his ministry and lifestyle. This sermon emphasizes the importance of diligence in one's calling and the power of faith in effecting change.
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In 1971 I was invited to spend one month in Singapore at a new institute that had been started by John Haggai. It was still in the formative stages then--a place where Asian church leaders would be trained and challenged to witness for Christ.
Haggai was full of stories. In them all, Christians were overcomers and giants--men and women who received a vision from God and refused to let go of it. Diligence to your calling was a virtue to be highly prized.
Haggai was the first person who made me believe that nothing is impossible with God. And in Haggai I found a man who refused to accept impossibilities. The normal boundaries others accepted didn't exist for him. He saw everything in global terms and from God's perspective, refusing to accept sin. If the world was not evangelized, why not? If people were hungry, what could we do about it? Haggai refused to accept the world as it was. And I discovered that he was willing to accept personal responsibility to become an agent of change.
Toward the end of my month at the institute, John Haggai challenged me into the most painful introspection I have ever experienced. I know now it implanted a restlessness in me that would last for years, eventually causing me to leave India to search abroad for God's ultimate will in my life.
Haggai's challenge seemed simple at first. He wanted me to go to my room and write down--in one sentence--the single most important thing I was going to do with the rest of my life. He stipulated that it could not be self-centered or worldly in nature. And one more thing--it had to bring glory to God.
I went to my room to write that one sentence. But the paper remained blank for hours and days. Disturbed that I might not be reaching my full potential in Christ, I began at that conference to reevaluate every part of my lifestyle and ministry. I left the conference with the question still ringing in my ears, and for years I would continue to hear the words of John Haggai, "One thing . . . by God's grace you have to do one thing."
Sermon Outline
- I. Introduction to John Haggai and his influence
- A. Haggai's vision for Asian church leaders
- B. Haggai's emphasis on diligence and perseverance
- II. Haggai's impact on K.P. Yohannan's life
- A. Yohannan's initial doubts and fears
- B. Haggai's challenge to reevaluate his lifestyle and ministry
- III. The challenge to write down a single most important thing
- A. The stipulations: selfless, not worldly, and bringing glory to God
- B. Yohannan's struggle to write the sentence
- IV. Conclusion: the ongoing impact of Haggai's challenge
Key Quotes
“He stipulated that it could not be self-centered or worldly in nature. And one more thing--it had to bring glory to God.” — K.P. Yohannan
“One thing . . . by God's grace you have to do one thing.” — K.P. Yohannan
Application Points
- We should be willing to reevaluate our lifestyles and ministries to ensure they align with God's will.
- A single, selfless goal can have a profound impact on our lives and ministries.
- We should seek to bring glory to God in all that we do.