How Everyday People Can Make an Eternal Impact
The Butterfly Effect
In 1972, a mathematician and meteorologist named Edward Lorenz was studying weather patterns when he came upon a theory he called the “butterfly effect.” During his computer simulations, he made a tiny adjustment to the initial conditions by rounding off a decimal place from 0.06127 to 0.0613. That seemingly insignificant alteration led to a completely different weather scenario than what actually occurred. Upon realizing his mistake, Lorenz famously remarked, “does the flap of a butterflies wing in Brazil, set off a tornado in Texas?” The “butterfly effect” as Lorenz would call it, symbolized a principle that we understand as well - that small, everyday events can have much larger and long-lasting effects.
In Acts 8, we see an example of the Butterfly Effect in a life lived for Jesus.
At the beginning of the chapter, Stephen is put to death and the Church is scattered. Interestingly, from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria. As they are running, something interesting happens. Instead of laying low and blending in, they continue proclaiming the good news about Jesus everywhere they go. It’s as if they are contagious and can’t help but share. Where did they get that confidence, clarity, and compassion? They got it because they realized they were ambassadors of the king (or as we have been saying in Students, they saw themselves as arrows). That perspective changed everything.
Philip’s Story
In Acts 8, the narrative shifts from the Church at large to one particular guy named Philip. Philip is introduced in Acts 6 as the assistant manager of bread distribution, Stephen’s assistant. In other words, Philip is an ordinary guy. And yet, God uses Philip to do some pretty incredible things. Near the end of Acts 8, Philip has a conversation with an Ethiopian man, a high official to the Queen. During their interaction, we learn a few strategies for how to begin the conversation with people about Jesus.
Philip was willing. When God said go, Philip got up and went. (Acts 8:26-27)
Philip Embraced the Awkward. It was probably weird to run up to a chariot and begin a conversation, but Philip did it anyway. (Acts 8:29)
Philip Led with a Question. His genuine interest earned him the right to be a guide. (Acts 8:30-31)
Philip Spoke the Good News. He built a bridge between where the guy was, and the story about Jesus. (Acts 8:35)
Our prayer is that God would use our students to be ambassadors for His kingdom, just as Philip was here in Acts 8.
