“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”
Ouch!
I don’t know about you, but that statement from Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) punches me in the gut. It makes me squirm in my soul.
On the one hand, I feel guilty that I am often not as passionate about telling others about Jesus as I should be. On the other hand, I feel—if even just for a moment—a good and holy desire to be more intentional about sharing Jesus with the lost.
Sadly, that moment of conviction often passes quickly, leaving me unchanged and habitually disobedient to Jesus’ command to tell others about Him.
Have you ever experienced that internal tug-of-war between whether you are a missionary or an imposter?
Is there a solution to this?
What needs to happen for you or me to become more passionate and consistent in telling others about Jesus? Is the answer more evangelism training? Or is the solution something deeper?
In 2 Corinthians 5:14, the apostle Paul says that the love of Christ “compels” Him. The context of that passage is that God calls every believer to be an evangelistic ambassador of Christ.
“For the love of Christ compels us...”
The Greek word behind the English word compel can mean to hold together, enclose, hold fast, or be in the grip of. The term is used metaphorically for an impulse that affects a person’s actions.
Paul is saying here that the love of Jesus has so gripped him that he can’t help but proclaim Jesus. Because Christ’s love has captured Paul, Christ’s love now compels Paul to share Christ.
The more the love of Christ grips us, the more we will talk about Christ.
Which makes complete sense, right?
Think about it: We can hardly get ourselves to stop talking about the things that are important to us. We freely tell stories about our kids, grandkids, and the accomplishments of those in our families. We always seem ready to talk about our favorite sports team, movie, musician, or politician. We can’t help but speak about what matters most to us!
And that was precisely Spurgeon’s point in the sermon wherein we find that “missionary or imposter” quote. His goal wasn’t just to rebuke us for guilt or laziness. He was calling us to love Jesus, knowing that the more we love Him, the more we will share Him.
Charles H. Spurgeon, from the March 1873 Sword and Trowel:
Once more, he who really has this high estimate of Jesus will think much of him, and as the thoughts are sure to run over at the mouth, he will talk much of him. Do we so?
Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)
If Jesus is precious to you, you will not be able to keep your good news to yourself; you will be whispering it into your child’s ear; you will be telling it to your husband; you will be earnestly imparting it to your friend; without the charms of eloquence you will be more than eloquent; your heart will speak, and your eyes will flash as you talk of his sweet love.
Every Christian here is either a missionary or an impostor… It cannot be that there is a high appreciation of Jesus and a totally silent tongue about him…
Be wise in your generation and speak of him in fitting ways and at fitting times and so in every place proclaim the fact that Jesus is most precious to your soul.
If the love of Christ is really in us, His loving message will flow through us.
When compelled by the love of Christ, we will speak of Christ!
written by Dr. Patrick R. Findley
Photos by Ben White and Angela Loria on Unsplash