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.

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. 

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.

One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship not only back to the object itself but also outward to the world around. Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it ( their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sexual objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as collaborators, competitors,or pawns. these and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the image bearing quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch. My suggestion is that it is possible for human beings so to continue down this road, so to refuse all whispering of good news, all glimmers of the true light, all promptings to turn and go the other way, all signposts to the love of god, that after death, they become at last, by their own effective choice, beings that once were human but now are not, creatures that have ceased to bear the divine image at all.
N.T. Wright
The gospel tells me that there is not only hope in my trials, but purpose to them- This is because the gospel teaches me that God’s great goal is not superficial, circumstantial happiness, but joyful holiness. So I can trust that He is using my trials and struggles to change and transform me, to grow my faith, and sanctify my heart. Trials are not the absence of His love, but a great display of His love. And because the gospel reminds me of this devastating love of God, I know that it is impossible for him to allow anything in my life that is not an aspect of His love. So I can pray for God to do the miraculous, but be absolutely at ease if he doesn’t, because I trust that His plan for my life is brought in love. Only the gospel allows me to go through difficulties and still be a rest in my soul.
Kim Kira

Dear Heavenly Father,

Give me grace to trust you more.
Help me to see how good your will is even when it conflicts with mine.
Use my life to advance your Kingdom and bring you glory.
Increase my faith.
Create in me a pure heart and a contrite spirit.
Teach me to submit to your providence in all things.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen

I’ve been asking the wrong question. It wasn’t “Why?” It was “Who?” It’s to pursue God and not pursue answers. God’s presence is enough to sustain us.
Britt Merrick: When Sparrows Fall 

We are actively being freed from the power of sin:

A) Jesus is human king —> Jesus is divine king 

B) Jesus’ entrance (Matthew 21:1)—> 
 Jesus re-enters (Matthew 28:18)

D) Jesus’ birth (Matthew 1:25) —> Jesus’ resurrection (Matthew 28:5)

C) Many babies die so 1 baby is saved (Matthew 2:16-19)—>1 man dies so that many people are saved (Matthew 27) 

God is doing something about sin and we are on His side. 

Is the angel of the Lord the pre-incarnate Christ?

He appears until after Christ’s birth. I want to look into it. Please share if you have any Scripture, thoughts, articles, research,etc!