New Testimonies

It seems to me over the past few years that there has been a new emphasis for people giving their testimony to out bad each other. They want to tell how bad their lives were, how messed up they were and how they have changed. With the telling of each story, the behavior gets more outrageous. This seems to me a perversion of Romans 6...showing how much grace was given to them.

Then there are the people who won't come to church because their lives really are messed up. They think there is no hope for them and "how could God really love them with all the things they have done?" As a member of the church, I have read Acts 2 so many times that I have lost count, but I never thought of it in this context. Lets look at a couple of verses.

23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

36 Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.

No matter what the person you are testifying to has done, it cannot, will not be worse than what the men in the audience had done the day Peter was speaking to them. They MURDERED the Son of God. They KILLED the Christ. They ASKED for his blood to be upon them. Did Peter tell them their sins were unpardonable? Did he tell them that they asked for it and now the judgement of God would be upon them? No, he tells them:

38 Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Man, not only was God willing to forgive them, he was sending His Spirit to them. Wow! What a God! What a Savior.

I don't need to testify about how bad I was, where I have been. I need to testify about Christ and how he changes lives, how he loves. The Gospel is not about me, it is about Him. Maybe if I remember that then I will be more eager to share with those who feel unlovable.

In Him,

David