No Secret Agents

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” — Matthew 10:32 (KJV)

Torrey’s next step is something many teenagers find hard: letting people know you follow Jesus.

Some people try to be “secret” Christians. They believe in Jesus privately but make sure nobody at school, on the team or in their friendship group knows. Torrey is blunt about it:

“To be a secret disciple means to be no disciple at all.”

That might sound harsh. But Torrey’s point is that when Jesus is real to you, it naturally shows. Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

And it isn’t a one-off. Torrey says it isn’t enough to confess Christ once, at a church event or a baptism. “We should confess Christ constantly.” At home, at church, at work, and at play, “we should let others know where we stand.”

Importantly, he doesn’t mean showing off. “Of course, we should not parade our Christianity or our piety,” he says, “but we should leave no one in doubt whether we belong to Christ.” You don’t need to preach at people. You just don’t hide.

Torrey also gives a practical reason. He says that “The failure to confess Christ is one of the most frequent causes of backsliding.” When people go somewhere new, like a new school or a new team, and don’t let anyone know they are Christians, they often start to drift.

But the opposite is true too: “It will save you from many a temptation if the fact is clearly known that you are one who acknowledges Christ as Lord in all things.” If people know you follow Jesus, they are less likely to pressure you to do things you don’t want to do.

And he adds a simple promise: “The more you make of Jesus Christ, the more He will make of you.”

One thing to do this week: this week, find one natural way to let someone know you follow Jesus: mentioning church, praying before a meal, or simply answering honestly if someone asks what you did at the weekend.