A TESTIMONY FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me trustworthy, appointing me to His service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:12-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I’ve long held to the belief that personal testimony can be one of the most powerful and effective tools used in ministry. I say this because it involves sharing one’s life with another and how the Lord has moved within it...and everyone who hears can usually relate because they are living life too every day.

For example, this past Sunday my home church had a guest speaker as our Pastor is currently on Sabbatical. The man, Vernon Brewer, is the founder of World Help Ministry (https://worldhelp.net) and he made it a point to let us know his organization was all about giving hope to the hopeless through God who makes the seemingly impossible routinely possible.

Vernon’s message about the work of his organization was informative and it’s obvious the Lord is blessing their work in amazing ways as they are making a difference around the world but what really underscored this in a big way was his personal testimony and how he had seen God move in the ways World Help professes.

At age 38, he shared that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and it was a far from routine cancer treatment and recovery process. The disease and treatment impacted his vocal cords to the place where he could only whisper for 18 months. A revolutionary procedure was used where latex was used in his vocal cords and he was able to regain his ability to speak, a voice he has used to champion the cause for Christ and the Gospel. He also suffered issues with his left hand that required multiple operations and skin grafting just so he could use it again. All and all, Vernon underwent 18 surgeries and 18 months of chemotherapy, emerging as a cancer survivor with a strong story to tell others about the amazing, miraculous power of the Lord. I encourage you to watch and listen to his message here (https://www.atlanticshores.org/sermons/other-speakers).

Well, as we see in today’s passage from the first chapter of 1 Timothy, the Apostle Paul had his own testimony to share, one I think every believer could share as well. Look again at his words here:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me trustworthy, appointing me to His service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Vv. 12-14

Paul’s story is a remarkable one.

When we first meet him, he is overseeing and approving the execution of the Christian servant, Stephen, by way of stoning (Acts 8:1). We learn that he was known as Saul then and had gained a reputation as a fervent Jew and Christian persecutor who was a close ally of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish authoritative council of the day.

Not exactly someone you would think would become the most renowned apostle and servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But the Lord has a way of changing and transforming people in a big way. For while Saul was on the road to Damascus, eagerly ready to seek out and prosecute any and all Christians there, he has a supernatural confrontation with Jesus Himself, the one who Saul was persecuting (Acts 9). Jesus removed Saul’s sight for three days before restoring it through Ananias and when Saul could once again see, he saw the world and his future in a whole new light.

The scriptures tell us that he immediately got to work in the Damascus synagogue, preaching that Jesus was the Son of God. Such was the incredible reversal of belief that members of the synagogue asked themselves, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Saul, once a blasphemer, persecutor, and violent man, became a man on a mission for the cause of Christ and the Gospel. He had fully experienced the mercy, grace, love, and faith of the Lord who could have left Him blind but instead pardoned and forgave, seeing how Saul had behaved out of “ignorance and unbelief”. Able to see deep within Saul, Jesus considered him “trustworthy” and therefore appointed him to service.

And Paul didn’t let Jesus down. His chronicled Gospel work dominates the New Testament outside of the Gospels.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, we were all like Saul before we came to our salvation. We were sinners who unbelieving and ignorant, basking in our disobedience and transgressions.

And then, Jesus came to us and we chose to believe in Him, and this decision changed everything as we fully experienced the mercy, grace, love, and faith of the One bore our sins on the cross so to save us. Christ, our Lord and Savior, considered us trustworthy as He gave us the strength to serve Him and carry out His will, a will grounded in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

This is our story, the story of every sinner who has come to salvation through the only name who can save, the mighty name of Jesus.

Like Vernon Brewer and the Apostle Paul, who will you share your inspiring testimony with today, giving thanks to God for all He has done through Jesus, His Son?

Someone will love to hear it.

Many will need to hear it.

And Jesus is ready to save anyone that feels moved to believe in Him so that they too may have their own story to share about the His amazing goodness and grace.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.