MY TESTIMONY OR HIS MESSAGE

One of the reasons the Church has failed to transform families, communities, societies, and nations, is that individual born again believers have lost their first love!  I remember the day I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  That morning when I awoke, I was an atheist.  By noon, after listening to three hours of church services, I not only had been born again, I couldn't wait to tell people!  I wanted to share the wonderful truth of God's Word with everyone who would listen!  Strange, that, because I had only read one chapter of one book in the entire Bible; but it was that one chapter that convinced me to place my trust in God.

But soon, way too soon, I discovered that I was not a whole lot different than I was as an unbeliever.  I still was selfish.  I still lusted.  I still lost my temper.  I became so disillusioned that I began to doubt that I had been saved.  Because I no longer felt cleansed and worthy to speak of the things of God, I gradually quit telling others about Him.  I could not stand hypocrites, and for perhaps the first time in my life, I was one, a huge one.  I had lost sight of the fact that God had proven His love for me while I denied He even existed; if He loved me then, obviously He loved me now that I was endeavoring to live for Him.  I had forgotten I was never worthy of salvation; I forgot that I had been saved by God's grace!

Then, after years of roller-coaster Christianity (great mountain peaks of living in the presence of God, followed by a huge drop into a valley of despair over my sin), I came to realize that the Apostles, especially Paul, had the same struggle.  Paul recorded his battle in Romans 7:15-25, and John wrote of the problem of sin and what a believer was to do about it (1 Jn. 1:8-10).  I was not expected to be perfect; that is why the Word says God is in the process of making/changing us into the likeness of His dear Son (Rom. 8:28-29; Phil. 1:6; 1 Jn. 3:2; etc.)!

Yes, it seems that I had begun my new life in Christ by telling everyone what He had done for me; I gave my testimony to everyone and everywhere I could.  But after I realized it was not about me, but the message I was to spread was about God, I began anew; I no longer experienced such highs and lows, because I was telling others about Him!  Jesus!  The One who never changes!  The One who wishes every man, woman, and child, would trust in His Father.  Yes, I began to realize that the message was not about me; it was about the love of the Father who sent Jesus.  Jesus' own words declare that as well:  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" (Jn. 3:16-17).  And again:  "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent" (Jn. 6:29)!

Testimonies don't have the power to save; but the Gospel does! 

(Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor.  15:1-4)