Focusing on the One

What if one conversation, one act of encouragement, or one step of obedience could change someone’s life forever?

In this powerful message, Focusing on the One, Lee Grady, longtime friend and Overseer of The Roads Church, challenges believers to recognize the extraordinary Kingdom potential in reaching just one person.

Throughout the book of Acts, God used ordinary people and individual encounters to accomplish extraordinary things. Philip shared Jesus with an Ethiopian man. Paul invested in people others might have overlooked, and those relationships helped spread the gospel and strengthen the early Church.

That same opportunity exists for us today. God has placed people in our lives who need His love, truth, and encouragement. The question is whether we’re paying attention and willing to respond.

Build Genuine Relationships That Reflect God’s Love

Christianity is more than attending church services or participating in ministry activities. God calls us into a family where relationships matter, and genuine love extends beyond Sunday gatherings.

The Apostle Paul demonstrated this through his deep affection for fellow believers. In Romans 16, he personally recognized individuals who served, sacrificed, and partnered with him in advancing the gospel.

Likewise, we are called to move beyond surface-level connections and genuinely invest in others. Building meaningful relationships requires time, compassion, and a willingness to open our hearts. It also means recognizing the value of people who may not be part of our usual social circles.

Focusing on the One begins when we stop seeing people as faces in a crowd and start recognizing their individual value to God.

Recognize Divine Opportunities and Respond in Obedience

In Acts 8, God directed Philip away from a powerful revival to a deserted road. There, he encountered one Ethiopian man who was reading Scripture but needed someone to help him understand it.

Philip obeyed the Holy Spirit, approached the man, and shared the good news of Jesus Christ. As a result, the man believed and was baptized.

Just as He directed Philip, God still directs our steps today. His opportunities may come through an unexpected conversation, a struggling coworker, a lonely neighbor, or someone we encounter during an ordinary day.

However, recognizing an opportunity is only the beginning. We must also be willing to respond, even when obedience interrupts our plans or takes us outside our comfort zones.

Focusing on the One requires sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and a heart willing to obey, regardless of how small or inconvenient the opportunity may seem.

Speak Words That Encourage and Strengthen Others

Our words carry tremendous influence. Proverbs 10:11 declares, “The mouth of the righteous is a well of life.”

Every day, we have opportunities to strengthen someone’s faith, affirm their value, and speak encouragement into their circumstances. Yet we can become so focused on our own needs that we overlook someone who desperately needs a word of hope.

Instead of waiting for others to encourage us, we can intentionally become people who build others up. A sincere conversation, a timely word of encouragement, or a willingness to listen may have a greater impact than we realize.

Consider the people you interact with regularly. Do your words strengthen them, or have criticism, negativity, and indifference become part of your conversations?

God can use something as simple as our words to bring hope and life to another person. Therefore, we should never underestimate the impact of speaking encouragement when the Holy Spirit leads us.

Invest in Others and Multiply Kingdom Impact

Kingdom growth doesn’t end when one person encounters Jesus. Instead, it continues as believers invest in others who will carry His truth forward.

Paul recognized the potential in people others might overlook. He invested in Timothy and Onesimus because Kingdom multiplication requires more than reaching people. It requires helping them grow and equipping them to reach others.

In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul instructed Timothy to entrust what he had learned to faithful people who would be able to teach others also.

Through this kind of investment, discipleship produces multiplication. Rather than building something that depends entirely on us, we are called to equip others who will continue advancing God’s Kingdom.

As Lee Grady declares:

“God doesn’t look at one as if it’s small. He looks at the one as a seed that’s going to spread out all over.”

One transformed life can influence a family, a community, and future generations. Consequently, our willingness to invest in one person may produce fruit far beyond what we will ever see.

Who Is the One God Is Calling You to Reach?

Focusing on the One is more than a message about evangelism or discipleship. It challenges us to examine how we live every day and whether our priorities reflect God’s heart for people.

Are we building genuine relationships? Do we notice the people God places around us? Are our words strengthening others? Are we investing in people who will carry the gospel beyond our own reach?

Perhaps fear, insecurity, past hurts, or a busy schedule have kept us from responding when God leads. Yet these obstacles do not have to determine our obedience. God calls us to overcome what stands in the way rather than allow it to keep us from following Him.

Begin by spending time in prayer and God’s Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart, open your eyes, and strengthen your faith so you can recognize opportunities and respond to His leading. If you need encouragement, accountability, or someone to walk alongside you, don’t hesitate to reach out to another believer.

Above all, remember that you don’t need a large platform or a ministry title to make an eternal difference. You simply need a willing heart and the courage to obey.

Who is the one God is placing in your path today?

Scripture References
Acts 8:26–40, Acts 16:13–34, Romans 1:8–12, Romans 16:1–16, Philemon 1:8–17