God’s Testimony > Our Testimony
We tend to have a tendency to share our testimonies instead of the gospel. After all, no one can say that we’re wrong, right?
We are to present people the gospel instead of “feel good” 21st century mantra. We are not to make evangelism more palatable by dodging the heavy issues of sin and hell. For example, people can say, “I was alone and now I have my small group and friends. My church is great. I love my life now. God has just blessed me so much.”
Don ‘t get me wrong. Testimonies are awesome. After all, what is more exciting than being dead and brought back to life? The problem is that we tend to focus testimonies on us, instead of our Father. The heroes of the New Testament suffered terrible injustices in their testimonies- illness, persecution, financial troubles, stonings, and death.
Arguments, testimonies , personal experiences cannot permeate a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26). Only the Word of God can pierce through that.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.- Hebrews 4:12
(Random tangent- too many times people talk about their testimonies and how bad they were before they were saved. ->This leaves people thinking, “Woahhh that person was a drug dealer before !”-> which leaves their identity found in their past, and not in Christ. Instead of dwelling on the past, it should be equal parts of 1) before saved 2) when saved 3) after Talk about the transforming power of grace, striving for holiness, fighting against sin, and taking an active role in sanctification. NOT just dwelling in your past)
Please do not substitute your testimony for the gospel. We are to present Christ with Scripture! Our stories are not more applicable than the Word of God Himself. We can never wield the Bible unless we read it! So let us come to the Word with humble, teachable, and repentant hearts. Eager to learn. Eager to share the saving power of the gospel (Romans 1:16)!
Reminders:
- Nothing can separate me from God’s love (Romans 8:37-39) My thoughts, my feelings, my emotions tend to distract me from this truth. When my soul is weak and downcast, God still loves me.
- I have the greatest treasure of all- Christ my Lord.
- God is Sovereign. His will is so much better than my own will. Even though my feeble human mind cannot understand it at the moment.
- Decisions involving other image bearers of God: Is this for the glory of God? Will this person be better off with this? Am I doing it out of love? How can I love this person? Is this gospel driven? How can I spur on their sanctification with love and good deeds?
- God is growing me and conforming me to the very image of His son (Romans 8:29) every day until I see Him face to face.
- I was a child of wrath and now I am a co-heir with Christ.Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.- Romans 8:17
- I will not dwell on my thoughts, feelings, emotions. I will not dwell on my circumstances. I must take each thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) for the glory of God.
- Every good word, thought, and deed ALL comes from God. NONE of it comes from me. All God. All glory to Him alone.
- Why did he chose me? I am foolish, weak, and lowly. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.- 1 Corinthians 1:27-29
- Loving someone is wanting them to be right with God. It’s wanting the best for their sanctification. It’s wanting them to glorify God. Even if when it requires sacrifice on your part. Yet this is just normal obedience.
- By loving people, I see a glimmer of what is yet to come. My soul longs for the day when there will be perfect relationships in heaven.
- Everything I do should be: For the sake of the gospel. For the glory of my Father for His will and pleasure (Philippians 2:13)
Oh how sweet the gospel sounds to ears like mine.
One of the happiest moments of my life!! March 26, 2010. #homies #jmac #johnmacarthur #tmc #flashbackfriday #blessed #ilookthesamesincehighschool #itstheasian #wonderifheremembersme
Radical
Just finished this book:
- The goal of the American Dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God.
- Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around Him. We are not the end of the gospel; God is.
- Discipleship making involves identifying with a community of believers who show love to one another and share life with one another as we live together for the glory of God.
- According to Jesus, people are God’s method for winning the world to Himself.
- The reward of Christ trumps all these things and beckons us to live for an eternal safety, security and satisfaction that far outweigh everything this world has to offer us.
- Not even dying a martyr’s death is classified as extraordinary obedience when you are following a Savior who died on a cross. Suddenly a martyr’s death seems like normal obedience.
- We will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day when every nation, tribe, people, and language will bow around the throne and sing the praises of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship.
Teach me to be content with Your Will, even when it conflicts with mine.
We Can Love Like He Loves | THE GOSPEL FOR OC
Through the power of the gospel, we can love others the way that God loves us.
Perhaps all the world’s suffering is just the shadow of the Cross.
: I desire to always be…
- A woman who draws attention to God and not myself
- A woman other women can look up to, but not idolize because I’m authentic and transparent about my struggles and victories
- A woman who ushers others into being captivated with Jesus as the lover of their soul
- A woman who brings honor and glory to my King with reverence, never losing my adoration or awe of His majesty
- A woman completely secure and satisfied in the love of my Heavenly Father
- A woman of modesty and mystery
- A woman of purity of heart and mind, protecting innocence without being ashamed of my commitment to set-apartness and holiness
- A woman with an undivided heart, doves eyes
- A woman of action and advocacy for worthy causes and needs
- A woman who can be a sister and a mother to many
- A woman who brings out the heroic masculinity and Christlike identity God has for the men in my generation
- A woman who is sensitive to the Holy Spirit and immediately obedient when I hear His voice, because I recognize and know it already
- A woman that is bold and direct enough to guide and guard men’s hearts away from myself and toward the true desire of their heart- Christ.
- A woman who showcases Christ’s power and who brings the good news to a world in so desperate need of it
- A woman who is wise and understanding but willing to always humbly learn more
- A woman who relies on God for my all, living each day in increasing faith
- A woman who doesn’t need to be noticed or recognized, but only desires that God would be acknowledged, honored, glorified and praised.
A woman who exudes a quiet dignity and gentle spirit
Although I wrote this as a reminder for myself, I desire this for all Goldy women. There is so much more than this that God has given me the desire for, and so much more He is calling me to be as a Godly woman.
Even with all this, I keep in mind that, like Paul, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)
Recently I wrote and posted this as a personal reminder for myself, but since so many of you liked it, here it is again :) So glad to see so many women desiring to live out who God has called them to be! You are all an inspiration and encouragement to me.
Out of the blue someone I hadn’t heard from in two decades wrote me an email. It was a long letter mostly detailing what they had been doing in the ensuing years. Then they reminisced about the last time we saw each other way back when. I didn’t remember the event at all, but they did in detail. The gist of it was we were crossing a busy street together when a dog ran out in front of us and was hit square on by a speeding car. The impact was so great that it spun the large dog round and round like a top. I had forgotten this completely and only after reading their description did I have one of those “Oh yeah, I remember that!” moments. It led me to wonder how much else of my life have I forgotten—lost— but other people still possess because *they* remember. So many things happen to us along the way that we forgot. But someone often does remember them, as we remember things about others that they have forgotten. Isn’t it strange that events in our lives— OUR lives—belong to others now? Unless we see and talk to these people again, we will never know those things again. Yet even without us those experiences, those parts of us, are still very much alive in other peoples’ lives and memories.
(Source: facebook.com)
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