"Your Testimony"

Victory Can Be Yours!

Article #25 – “Your Testimony”

          I am sure that many have asked why a person rejects Jesus Christ.  We, who are now believers, may have forgotten all the reasons why we refused to believe before we finally did.  During the earthly ministry of Jesus, the Jewish leaders rejected Him because He was a threat to their political, economic, and social status.  The rest of the Jewish population was looking for a political savior.  They were under Roman rule and wanted political freedom.  They were not concerned with life in the future, the eternal condition of their soul; they were worried about the day to day struggles.

          Have the reasons really changed that much?  I do not believe they have.  In looking back, I can remember a pastor calling on me and asking me to start coming to church.  I told him that I felt that church goers were hypocrites, going to church on Sunday and living like heathens the rest of the week.  He told me that there is always room for one more.  Some feel they must keep up a certain image or a certain status within a community, a club, certain social groups, or at work.  There are others who are too busy trying to provide for today to think about the future.  Then, there are those who know the way, who simply refuse to believe because of stubborn pride.  What a problem pride is for everyone, including believers.  "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6b)  "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." (Matt. 23:12)

          Sadly I say, I think the biggest reason the outsider rejects Christ is the believers.  We are not a good testimony for Him.  We are pious, and know we have something that all should have, and yet we do not share Him.  We, the church, should set examples in our daily living that would attract outsiders.  We should show, in our lifestyle, something that all the world want to share and make a part of their life as well.  We should always be concerned with what we can do to turn others on to Christ.  Our testimony should be one that attracts rather than repel.  "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person." (Col. 4:5, 6)

          Our witness to the world is not only on an individual basis, but also as a group, the church as the body of Christ.  (As illustrated in Acts 2: 42-47)  Christianity is living with the Holy Spirit dwelling within each believer.  It is also a way of life that should be a living testimony to the world.  "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:10)

          You, too, can have victory in Jesus!  More to follow.

Lowell Parrish