All great enterprises begin at a critical moment—a moment when a decision is made and someone launches himself into a never-to-be-forgotten enterprise.

PIZARRO, the noted Spanish explorer, faced such a moment. He languished with his men on a small island, awaiting new supplies before moving on to Peru. When the supply ships arrived, they brought a message that he should abandon his expedition—considered by the governor to be foolhardy—and return to Panama.

Pizarro assembled his men on the beach. He drew his sword and made a line from east to west in the sand, then turning to the south, he said, “Friends and comrades! On that side are toil, hunger, nakedness, the drenching storm, desertion, and death; on this side, ease and pleasure. But there lies Peru with its riches; here, Panama and its poverty. Choose, each man, what best becomes a brave Castellan. For my part, I go to the south.”

So saying, he stepped across the line. The pilot Ruiz was first to respond, and then 12 other men stepped across to join the leader and the pilot. Of Pizarro, the famous historian Prescott says he was “…a man more accustomed to act than to talk.”

One such man was named Bruce Olson, who went to Colombia many years ago as a missionary to the headhunters in the far southern jungle near the border with Brazil. The book that tells his story is Bruchko, the name the Indians called him since they couldn’t wrap their tongues around “Bruce.” It’s an incredible tale of danger and grace, adventure and miracles. He wasn’t trained and had no denominational or organizational backup, just a profound sense that he had been called to this work by God.

He showed up one day unexpectedly among a tribe of Indians. One of the hardest things he had to do was communicate with them before they decided to have him for dinner. Literally. The process of learning their language was also extremely difficult, as many of the words and concepts he needed to explain who Jesus was and what he had done simply didn’t appear to exist in their culture. But despite the lack of communication they began to trust Bruce because of his actions of love and service to the tribe. This trust led Bruce to use his own actions as a bridge of understanding, so the tribe began to understand that God acted by sending His Son to die for our sins when we didn’t expect it or deserve it. God didn’t just tell us what to do. He acted upon our need by sending us a Savior.

Pizzaro and Bruce Olson. Men who believed in action. Actions speak louder than words we have always been told. We can say a lot of words and words are important, but the actions that follow those words are most important. What sets successful people apart from others is that successful people act; the rest of us talk.

Watch sermons and read sermon texts and other articles by going to www.tomahawkmbc.com. Listen to Pastor Jack’s sermons on WSIP FM 98.9 every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Watch his sermons on Facebook by going to his page, “Jack Ward.”