As my ministry sites are being solidified, I am beginning to see a few people with whom I think I can greatly interact. I would use the word “impact,” but I want to avoid some implications from that word. I am not here on my own accord, to leave my mark on people, but to leave God’s. This idea is expressed in a story about Billy Graham, from a book we recently completed. Apparently, Billy was on a plane flight, and it didn’t take long for the people in the cabin to find that one of the most famous evangelists of all time was on board. One drunken man in particular was getting quite restless, and demanded to the flight crew that he speak with Billy. After the flight crew tried to ease the man’s tensions, Billy finally acquiesced. Billy went over to the drunken man, and listened to what he had to say. It was something like “I am one of your converts!” Billy then said “well he must be one of mine, because he certainly isn’t one of the Lord’s.” In short, people don’t “win” converts. It’s the Holy Spirit that illuminates the truth to seekers. People, however, may be a way through which the Holy Spirit works. Thus, I am not viewing these people as possibilities to add to some list of converts under my name, or something so absurd. Rather, I am developing what Spurgeon called “a burden” for them. Who is Spurgeon? Well, I am so glad you were wondering! He is one of my three heroes in life. It’s not that I agree with every sentence he wrote, but the level of understanding he had for his savior is rare (and so far above mine), and his ability to express the glorious truths of the Gospel is arguably unequalled.
In conclusion, here is what Spurgeon wrote about developing a burden for someone (and please keep in mind what I wrote in the above paragraph):
“The Holy Spirit will move them by first moving you.
If you can rest without their being saved, they will rest, too.
But if you are filled with an agony for them, if you cannot bear that they should
be lost,
you will soon find that they are uneasy, too.
I hope you will get into such a state that you will dream about your child
or your hearer perishing for lack of Christ,
and start up at once and begin to cry,
‘Oh God, give me converts or I will die.’
Then you will have converts.”
