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THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A LIVING TESTIMONY
By Henry Jaegers
For, do I now persuade men or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
(Galatians 1: 10-12)
As I prepare this message, I recall the wise words of Mr. Don Masterson, my second- year homiletics teacher at Prairie. He said, "some of you feel that you are called to preach, but you will find out that the problem is finding those who are called to listen!" Even today, as I contemplate those words, I wonder if he understood the full impact of them upon people like myself. The problem is, how do we get people to listen or even read the messages that I send forth? I could get discouraged if I spent my time thinking about how many people are listening to what I have to say. The text above helps to understand the most effective way to communicate the word of God.
In the first two chapters of Galatians, Paul seeks to gain their attention by presenting to them a testimony, a living testimony that comes from his particular relationship to Jesus Christ. And in this testimony, I see three important factors that express what a “living testimony” is. People are not persuaded when we tell them what happened to us 15 or 20 years ago when we first met Christ. What matters the most and causes people to notice is a living testimony of Jesus Christ in my life today. That is why the gospel is good news; because it is good news coming from a person who has a living relationship with God.
As we consider the three principles, I wish to say that this type of testimony is not confined to leaders in the church. Unfortunately, some of these, lacking a living testimony, find that their effectiveness is somewhat limited. So, what are these three factors that are important?
1. The importance of spending time meditating upon the word of God in order to hear his message.
You see, it all begins in my daily time with God each day. If God has nothing to say to me, then I have nothing to say to anyone else. When God gives me a message, I can be assured that he has someone, besides me, that he has prepared to receive that message. I must never be satisfied with using other people's materials to present God's message. It must begin with God speaking to me. As we think about Paul's testimony, we note that it is careful to say that it all began when God apprehended him. That word "apprehend", has to do with God taking hold of him. As Paul journeyed on the Damascus Road, with the intention of destroying Christians, God stepped in and took control. His laying hold of God came as he understood the importance of God taking the first step by apprehending him. So, if you are going to have an effective testimony and wish for God to use you, you must be certain that the message comes from him.
Maybe somewhere along the way, you may have to make some corrections due to the lack of understanding but the message that we share with others is the message we received from God. In the living testimony is the testimony that happens every day not occasionally or sometime in the past. The living testimony is good news, not history.
2. There must be a deep concern for the people to whom we share this word.
Paul was not trying to assert himself or to prove himself right. He saw the direction where this false teaching was leading them and he knew the awful bondage that would take place if they continued in these teachings. Our message to others must be a message of deep concern for their souls and for their individual need. It is never to exalt ourselves. If we seek to please ourselves then we have disqualified ourselves from effective ministries.
3. Our testimony should be instructive.
It not only reveals the truth, reproves wrong, but must offer to others a solution to the problem. If we ourselves do not understand the power of the gospel, how can we create understanding in others? It is absolutely essential that I understand through my own personal encounter with God, how to bring liberty to those bound in the chains of falsehood.
One of the difficulties I struggled with in writing my books, is how to get people to read them. It is really not that difficult when you think about it. You merely speak forth the truth as you understand it and seek to share it with someone else. I started two groups because it was necessary for me to find people to share the word of God with. Each day I share my message with over 60 people at one time and I am aware that many of these people never read these articles. But there are some who do and the response encourages me to know that someone is listening even though I do not always know who they are. I am convinced that my responsibility is to share with them, what God has given and God will take care of the ground that the seed is sown in. We are people who want to see results and see them immediately, but God does not work by the human standards and through the means of the trial of faith, we eventually, learn how to trust him in all things.
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