Here’s a leader I want to be like
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D. L. Moody was one of the greatest evangelists who ever lived. R.A. Torrey, his good friend and associate and a famous pastor himself, has written a short booklet about him titled "Why God Used D.L. Moody."
Moody, who was born in 1837, was considered by many to be the greatest man of his generation and even of his century.
I am always both humbled and inspired every time I read about Moody, and his consuming passion to serve God.
"Henry Varley, a very intimate friend of Mr. Moody in the earlier days of his work, loved to tell how he once said to him: 'It remains to be seen what God will do with a man who gives himself up wholly to him.' Torrey was told that when Mr. Henry Varley said that, Mr. Moody said of himself: 'I will be that man.' "
Moody had a consuming passion for the salvation of the lost and he was determined never to let a day pass without speaking to at least one person about his soul.
"On one occasion he was going home and it was very late. He realized that he had not spoken to a single person that day about accepting Christ. He said to himself: 'Here's a day lost. I have not spoken to anyone today, and I shall not see anybody at this late hour.' "
"But as he walked up the street he saw a man standing under a lamppost. The man was a perfect stranger to him, though it turned out afterwards the man knew who Mr. Moody was. He stepped up to the stranger and said: 'Are you a Christian'? The man replied: 'That is none of your business, whether I'm a Christian or not. If you were not a sort of preacher, I would knock you into the gutter for your impertinence.' "
"Mr. Moody said a few earnest words and passed on. The next day that man called upon one of Mr. Moody's prominent business friends and said to him: 'That man Moody of yours over on the north side is doing more harm than he is good. He has got zeal without knowledge. He stepped up to me last night, a perfect stranger, and insulted me.
He asked if I were a Christian, and I told him it was none of his business and if he were not a sort of a preacher I would knock him into the gutter for his impertinence. He is doing more harm then he is good.' "
"Mr. Moody's friend sent for him and told him the story and how he had insulted a friend of his on the street last night."
"Mr. Moody went out of that man's office somewhat crestfallen. He wondered if he were not doing more harm than he was good, and if he really did have zeal without knowledge."
"Weeks passed by. One night Moody was in bed when he heard a tremendous pounding at his front door. He jumped out of bed and rushed to the door. He thought the house was on fire. He thought the man would break down the door. He opened the door and there stood the man. He said: 'Mr. Moody, I have not had a good night's sleep since that night you spoke to me under the lamp post, and I have come around at this unearthly hour of the night for you to tell me what I have to do to be saved.'"
"Mr. Moody took him in and told him what to do to be saved. The man accepted Christ, and when the Civil War broke out he went to the front and laid down his life fighting for his country."
In reflecting on this story, I would suggest that it is far better to be accused of having zeal without knowledge than knowledge without zeal.
You and I can be deeply versed in the Bible, and we may be able to quote Bible verses in our sleep, but if our heart has no consuming desire to share Christ with others, what use is that knowledge?
What would our country look like if every Christian had that same kind of consuming passion to share Christ with whomever we met?
What if each one who claims the name of Christ would start the day with this prayer: "Lord, keep my eyes and ears open to someone who needs to hear about Jesus today, and keep my heart warmed and quick to share the Good News with at least one person this day."
I was convicted by Moody's faithfulness in witnessing for our Savior and I hope you will be too.
 | Tom Crenshaw serves as Connections Pastor of the New Monmouth Baptist Church (non denominational) where he previously served as a three year interim.He has been married to Jean for almost 50 years, and they have four children, all of whom are teachers.Tom loves perennial gardening, umpiring high school baseball, coaching baseball and football, fishing for small mouth bass, rooting for his favorite team, the Cleveland Indians, and listening to ‘real’ country music, the classic kind. Learn More » |
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