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 share the Good News of 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. If there were people in the world who had never heard the Good News, 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 had 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.
A Personal Call: The Single Most Important Thing
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.”
I left Singapore newly liberated to think of myself in terms of an individual for the first time. Up until that time—like most Asians—I always had viewed myself as part of a group, either my family or a ministry team. Although I had no idea what special work God would have for me as an individual, I began thinking of doing my “personal best” for Him. I returned to India to continue in the ministry I was part of there, but the seeds for future change had been planted.
One Sentence
Prayerfully consider Haggai’s challenge today. Write down the single most important thing you will do for the rest of your life to glorify God. You may not be able to answer this question in one day. Start by asking the Lord what one thing you can do today to bring Him glory.
This post is part of the Journey through Time series, which celebrates God’s faithfulness throughout the past 40 years of GFA’s history.
Read more posts by Dr. KP Yohannan Metropolitan or visit his blog on Patheos.
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