Fulfilling His Purpose

Oftentimes, when we think of teachers who change lives, we are reminded of success stories where someone who is now considered accomplished or a star in their field was inspired by a specific person. Perhaps it is a teacher, a mentor, or a coach, but this person sees a potential in their protégé that was previously unseen or untapped and enables them to fulfill their life’s calling.

So, what does that mean for those of us who don’t have a rags-to-riches or overnight success story? Or what does it mean for the men and women who don’t hold the job title of teacher but are called by God to pour into the lives of others? As I thought about who in my life has most impacted me, I simply couldn’t point to one singular person. All through my life, I have had seasons where God has given me different brothers and sisters in Christ to learn from and grow under their teaching, leadership, and example. Together, God has used the fruit of their lives to enrich the soil of my heart for the growth He intended for my heart.

Starting a New Venture

I had heard about Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) for a few years, but it wasn’t until I quit my job after our second child was born that it worked for me to be able to go and I was invited to try it out. Now, that baby is about to turn eight, all three of my children have graduated from the preschool program, and I am in my fifth year of leadership with BSF. These past eight years have been so instrumental in my walk with God. First, because it led me deeper into Scripture when I was a mom of littles and struggling to find consistent time in the Word. Second, I have witnessed firsthand what God can do in and through the lives of His people when they humble themselves to His will and trust in His character.

Time and again, I have seen modeled dependence on Jesus and His Holy Spirit to accomplish what His woefully inadequate servants cannot. My own walk has been enriched by the testimonies of faithful women who repeatedly give glory to God and point to His attributes. So, while there is no one person who stands out as more influential than the others, I couldn’t help but dig a little deeper and learn more about the “one willing servant” of the Lord who founded the study over sixty years ago that is still going strong today.

A Life in Service

Audrey Whetherell Johnson, known to everyone as Whetherell or “Miss Johnson,” had a heart for unreached people in China. While serving as a missionary there, China was at war with Japan, and she and other missionaries were arrested by the Japanese. She lived in a prison camp for three years. After being released, she returned a few years later, but after only a few months, the Bible seminary with which she was working was forced to close due to the increasing pressures of the communist movement. Rather than going back home to England, she instead traveled to California to speak with a prayer group that had been supporting the mission work in China.

In San Bernardino in 1952, Whetherell spoke at a church. Afterwards, five women, well-versed in the Bible, asked her if she would lead them in a Bible study on Colossians. After a time of prayer and reflection, the ladies returned for her answer; her response was, “I won’t spoon-feed you.” What started with five women, grew to thirty, then seventy women. Soon, smaller discussion groups began, and Miss Johnson’s group took on her fourfold approach to Bible study:

Daily study the Word and answer questions with only the Holy Spirit’s help–without consulting commentaries or outside sources.
Participate in a discussion group to share and hear what each has learned from the passage.
Listen to teaching on the passage.
Explore Biblical commentary

By 1970, there were over 100 BSF classes with twenty thousand people in attendance. Today, more than 400,000 class members are enrolled in BSF in more than 120 different countries.

“That’s what happened when those five ladies in San Bernardino asked Wetherell Johnson to teach them Colossians. She obeyed. And just as Jesus did when He took and blessed the young boy’s meager lunch of loaves and fish, the Lord took the willingness to do ‘a small thing’ and multiplied it to feed multitudes of people who were hungry to better understand His Word.”

A Lasting Impact

I write all of this not to extol the virtues of BSF or to say that I even knew who Whetherell Johnson was a decade ago. But as I have been impacted by these leaders, first as a class member and now as a co-leader, I can see the trickle-down effect that her passion for the Word and her willingness to say “Yes” to God has had. Just like in Hebrews 11, BSF has its own “Hall of Faith” where you can see how the hand of God has worked in the lives of people who were committed to the cause of getting people into a deeper study of the Word.

As I think about each of the dear ladies who have challenged me and spurred me on to deeper knowledge, fellowship, and trust in Christ, I know it is only possible because of the women who went before them and the women who went before them … and so on.

A Purpose for us All

So, what about you? Looking back, can you see how God has placed people in your life to mature you into His likeness? Have you gone back to those men or women to ask who played a key role in their lives to make them who they are today? God is gracious in continuing His work in our lives that He has planned before the beginning of time. In His wisdom, He orchestrates His people to fulfill their purposes in each others’ lives for His glory.