Am I productive and effective for Christ?

There has been a widespread national excitement over the 75th anniversary of the D day landings that began the defeat of the horrors of Nazi fascism. There is a widely felt appreciation of those who were involved in the our rescue. But where is the appreciation for the greatest rescue of all time, the salvation of mankind from God’s caused by our sin?

An Anglican minister was discussing with a colleague the lack of any apparent fruit from his ministry over the last ten years. He had fulfilled all the duties required of him by his church but nothing had changed. His church was older and smaller. He reassured himself that spiritual conversions were in God’s hands, all he was required to do was to remain faithful. This sounds very spiritual but is this Bible teaching? Are we, to some extent at least, responsible for our effectiveness for Christ?

Peter’s concerns

When Peter wrote his two epistles he was concerned to remind Christians that the Lord had chosen them for a specific purpose – to represent the Lord Jesus by obeying him. One veteran from the D day landings who was being congratulated for his bravery replied, ‘We were just following orders.”

“To God’s elect . . . chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood.” 1 Peter 1:1-2

Being obedient can be costly. The Christians were facing a variety of problems because of their commitment to Christ but Peter wants them to know that perseverance in living the faith was essential.

“ . . . though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuineand may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6-7

In spite of persecution and oppression, the apostle insists there are two major areas in which their faith must be demonstrated - they must, firstly, live holy, obedient lives,

“As obedient children, do not conform tot he evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” 1 Peter 1:14-15

Peter reminds his readers of the immense privilege that is theirs if they remain faithful to Christ but again this privilege carries with it the second responsibility, to keep speaking about Jesus.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Peter is probably referring to the statement made by the prophet Isaiah,

“ . . . the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” Isaiah 43:21

The Lord has always intended that his chosen people should point others to him by the way they live and by what they say to others.

The authority of Scripture

Peter had already explained that the gospel was clearly portrayed by the Old Testament prophets who were inspired by the Spirit of God.

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you. . . It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you.” 1 Peter 1:12

It is to the Word of God given to us in Scripture that Christians must be obedient. The authority of Scripture is a recurring theme.

“We have the word of the prophets made more certain . . .” 2 Peter 1:19

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20

I was recently speaking to a clergyman who said that he had become a Christian at University through the University and Colleges Christian Fellowship which emphasises that Scripture is God’s means of teaching his people. Then the clergyman said that he had now moved on from that position. What a tragedy. He then went on to say that the ministry in his church was not very productive. Perhaps he should read Peter’s second letter where he addresses the problem of Christians becoming ineffective and unproductive for the Lord Jesus. There Peter explains that we have been given the promises of Scripture so that we can become Christ-like people.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us . . . he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature.” 2 Peter 1:3-4

Effective and Productive Christians

Peter then explains what all Christians must prioritise if we are to be both effective and productive in our ministry for our Lord. These all infer that it is only by being single-minded in our commitment and service of the Lord Jesus that we will be of any use to him.

“For this very reason make every effort to add to you faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8

This passage suggests that all Christians should regularly audit our own lives and ask ourselves, ‘Am I being effective and productive for the Lord Jesus?’ ‘How could I be more effective for him?’ Today many Christians are satisfied to live a life that is pleasing to others around them. They are seen as ‘good people’. What a tragedy it is to hear of Christians who excuse themselves from or even ridicule the priority of evangelism. All Christians have been chosen by God to both glory in Christ and to glorify Christ by passing his message on to others so that they may be saved. Professor David Short of Aberdeen was the Queens Physician in Scotland. He was very eminent and highly regarded. One day he overheard some people talking about him: they were saying what a great person he was in so many areas. But he noticed that they did not mention his being a Christian. He then realised that much of what he had done in medicine had been for his glory and not for the glory of the Lord Jesus. We have been chosen to be Christians in order that we might glorify Christ and nothing less. Professor Short remedied this problem and he determined that it would be Christ who was honoured by his life. For the epitaph on his gravestone he chose the words: "A sinner saved by grace".

Peter probably wrote this letter shortly before his execution by crucifixion. He urges Christ’s followers to be passionate about their Lord and Savbiour,

“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things you will never fall and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11

Eagerness or single-mindedness in the service of Christ is a wonderful characteristic. What we do reflects what we really believe. The usefulness of a postage stamp depends on its ability ‘to stick to one thing until it gets there’ and the same can be said of Christians. The apostle Paul was able to summarise his life,

“For me to live is Christ . . .” Philippians 1:21

Paul included in his letter to the Corinthians the following,

“For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many that they may be saved. Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:33 – 11:1

There are many examples of godly men and women over the centuries who have been single-minded in their devotion to Christ and it is such people who are most effective for him. One example is William Borden who had such an impact when he went up to Yale University.

Borden of Yale

In 1904 William Borden graduated from a Chicago high school. As heir to the Borden family fortune, he was already wealthy. For his high school graduation present, his parents gave 16-year-old Borden a trip around the world. As the young man traveled through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, he felt a growing burden for the world's hurting people. Finally, Bill Borden wrote home about his "desire to be a missionary."1

One friend expressed disbelief that Bill was "throwing himself away as a missionary."

A story often associated with Borden says that, in response, he wrote two words in the back of his Bible: "No reserves."

Even though young Borden was wealthy, he arrived on the campus of Yale University in 1905 trying to look like just one more freshman. Very quickly, however, Borden's classmates noticed something unusual about him and it wasn't that he had lots of money. One of them wrote: "He came to college far ahead, spiritually, of any of us. He had already given his heart in full surrender to Christ and had really done it. We who were his classmates learned to lean on him and find in him a strength that was solid as a rock, just because of this settled purpose and consecration."2

During his college years, Bill Borden made an entry in his personal journal that defined what his classmates were seeing in him. That entry said simply: "Say 'no' to self and 'yes' to Jesus every time."3

Borden's first disappointment at Yale came when the university president spoke in a convocation about the students' need of "having a fixed purpose." After that speech, Borden wrote: "He neglected to say what our purpose should be, and where we should get the ability to persevere and the strength to resist temptations."4 Surveying the Yale faculty and much of the student body, Borden lamented what he saw as the end result of an empty, humanistic philosophy: moral weakness and sin-ruined lives.

During his first semester at Yale, Borden started something that would transform campus life. One of his friends described how it began: "It was well on in the first term when Bill and I began to pray together in the morning before breakfast. I cannot say positively whose suggestion it was, but I feel sure it must have originated with Bill. We had been meeting only a short time when a third student joined us and soon after a fourth. The time was spent in prayer after a brief reading of Scripture. Bill's handling of Scripture was helpful. . . . He would read to us from the Bible, show us something that God had promised and then proceed to claim the promise with assurance."5

Borden's small morning prayer group gave birth to a movement that soon spread across the campus. By the end of his first year, 150 freshman were meeting weekly for Bible study and prayer. By the time Bill Borden was a senior, one thousand of Yale's 1,300 students were meeting in such groups.

Borden made it his habit to seek out the most "incorrigible" students and try to bring them to salvation. "In his sophomore year we organized Bible study groups and divided up the class of 300 or more, each man interested taking a certain number, so that all might, if possible, be reached. The names were gone over one by one, and the question asked, 'Who will take this person?' When it came to someone thought to be a hard proposition, there would be an ominous pause. Nobody wanted the responsibility. Then Bill's voice would be heard, 'Put him down to me.'6

Borden's outreach ministry was not confined to the Yale campus. He cared about widows and orphans and the disabled. He rescued drunks from the streets of New Haven. To try to rehabilitate them, he founded the Yale Hope Mission. One of Bill Borden's friends wrote that he "might often be found in the lower parts of the city at night, on the street, in a cheap lodging house or some restaurant to which he had taken a poor hungry fellow to feed him, seeking to lead men to Christ."7

Borden's missionary call narrowed to the Muslim Kansu people in China. Once he fixed his eyes on that goal, Borden never wavered. He also challenged his classmates to consider missionary service. One of them said of him: "He certainly was one of the strongest characters I have ever known, and he put backbone into the rest of us at college. There was real iron in him, and I always felt he was of the stuff martyrs were made of, and heroic missionaries of more modern times."8

Although he was a millionaire, Bill seemed to "realize always that he must be about his Father's business, and not wasting time in the pursuit of amusement 9 "Although Borden refused to join a fraternity, "he did more with his classmates in his senior year than ever before." He presided over the huge student missionary conference held at Yale and served as president of the honor society Phi Beta Kappa.

Upon graduation from Yale, Borden turned down some high-paying job offers. It has been reported that in his Bible, Bill Borden wrote two more words: "No retreats."

William Borden went on to do graduate work at Princeton Seminary in New Jersey. When he finished his studies at Princeton, he sailed for China. Because he was hoping to work with Muslims, he stopped first in Egypt to study Arabic. While there, he contracted spinal meningitis. Within a month, 25-year-old William Borden was dead.

When the news of William Whiting Borden's death was cabled back to the U.S., the story was carried by nearly every American newspaper. "A wave of sorrow went round the world . . . Borden not only gave (away) his wealth, but himself, in a way so joyous and natural that it (seemed) a privilege rather than a sacrifice" wrote Mary Taylor in her introduction to his biography.10

Was Borden's untimely death a waste? Not in God's perspective. As the story has it, prior to his death, Borden had written two more words in the back of his Bible. Underneath the words "No reserves" and "No retreats," he is reported to have written: "No regrets."

What kind of people should we be?

Peter concludes his second letter with an impassioned plea. The world will end but the reason he is waiting is,

“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

People will only repent and turn to Christ when they are told about him. Why are we so fearful to speak to others about our Lord? In Peter’s time there was the fear of repercussions. He wrote,

“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you will be blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’ (Here Peter quotes from Isaiah 8:12.) But in your hearts set apart Jesus as Lord.” 1 Peter 3:13-15

Peter goes on to clarify what this will mean in practice,

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15

It would seem that Peter understood why so many Christians were ineffective and unproductive for the Lord Jesus in his day! The same problem persists today. Doesn’t our Lord want us to reconsider the priorities in our lives? He is reassuring us that to follow him and make his priorities ours is the wisest way to live. He promises us that such a life will be satisfying, and well worth while from the perspective of eternity. The choice is ours, but are we prepared to be obedient?

BVP

1 Taylor, Mrs. Howard, “Borden of Yale '09” Philadelphia: China Inland Mission, 1926, page 75.

2 Ibid., page 98.

3 Ibid., page 122.

4 Ibid., page 90.

5 Ibid., page 97.

6 Ibid., page 150.

7 Ibid., page 148.

8 Ibid., page 149.

9 Ibid., page 149.

10 Ibid., page ix.