I AM the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias" (John 1:23). Only one voice was heard. There were no helpers around assisting John in his stirring evangelistic effort out there in the wilderness. One lone man was doing what he could with what he had to sound forth the message that was due the people at that time. He called upon them to straighten out their lives in preparation for the first advent of the Lord.
The "wholehearted dedication of this man to the task of evangelism, to which he believed himself called, challenges our attention today. Here is a demonstration of what one man can do when fully dedicated. Facilities were meager, but that did not keep him from faithfully performing his task. John's preaching moved men mightily. Even the proud Pharisees came to be baptized by him. Jerusalem and Judea turned out to hear him. He must have preached challengingly and proclaimed a moving message to reach the hearts of those Pharisees and publicans. They were a hard lot of formalists and hypocrites with only a thin veneer of religion! But John's preaching penetrated the hard formalism, and his message reached the hearts of many who listened.
One man, possessed of the spirit of John the Baptist, can do effective evangelism today. Much of our work of soul winning is done by single individuals. It probably is not overstating it to say that around the world the majority of new members are won in small efforts, some very small. One or two hold meetings in churches, in small tents, or in homes, and lead into the church, in the aggregate, the larger portion of converts won yearly. In saying this, we do not discount the importance and place of larger efforts in metropolitan areas. There is a place for these too. But we should emphasize the influence of each pastor and each worker moving forward in an evangelistic endeavor, doing what he can with whatever facilities he has at hand to win men and women for the kingdom.
John's facilities were meager in the extreme. Inspiration emphasizes this by calling attention to his slender fare and to the extreme simplicity of his attire—"And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey" (Matt. 3:4).
The limitations under which he labored were no discouragement to him. His mighty evangelistic spirit rose above these and he proclaimed his message so powerfully and so earnestly that those who came to scoff— and there were doubtless many—remained to pray.
The need today is many voices in many places announcing the soon coming of our Lord. Such voices should be heard everywhere, lone voices if companions and helpers are not available. It is unfortunate to urge as an excuse for inaction the necessity of waiting until more facilities and helpers are at hand. Let us remember it may be no better in the future. There may never be a better time than now.
"I am the voice of one," said dedicated John. The same could be said of many Adventist preachers today who are forced by circumstances to work alone. A voice fully dedicated to God can do much for Him in sounding forth His message, which is due the world right now.
