Sunday: Jesus ~ The Basis of Our Testimony
As Christians, we all have a personal story to tell, a story about how Jesus changed our lives and what He has done for us.
Read Ephesians 2:1-10. What were we like before we knew Christ? What is ours since we have accepted Christ?
A. Before we knew Christ (Ephesians 2:1-3).
B. After we knew Christ (Ephesians 2:4-10).
Image © Rolf Jansson from GoodSalt.com
What an amazing change! Before we knew Christ, we were “dead in trespasses and sins”, “walked according to the course of this world”, “fulfilling the desires of the flesh”, and “were by nature children of wrath” (NKJV). To put it simply, before we knew Christ, we wandered aimlessly through life in a lost condition.
We may have experienced what appeared to be happiness, but there was an angst of the soul and an unfulfilled purpose in our lives. Coming to Christ and experiencing His love made all the difference. Now in Christ we are truly “alive”. Through the “exceeding riches of His grace” and His “rich … mercy” toward us, we have received the gift of salvation. He has raised us up to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (NKJV). In Christ, life has taken on new meaning and has new purpose. As John declares, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4, NKJV).
Read Ephesians 2:10. What does this text tell us about how central good works are to the Christian’s faith? How do we understand this idea in the context of salvation by faith “without the deeds of the law” Romans 3:28?
| How has your life changed because of Christ, a change that could possibly help someone else come to a knowledge of Jesus? |
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As believers of today we are commanded to tell others of what we witnessed first-hand....
We haven’t had a face-to-face experience with Jesus as the apostles did, but our conversion experience is no less genuine and no less proof of God’s supernatural work in our lives. We should eagerly share with boldness and humility the change that has taken place in our hearts.
What an amazing change! I was wondering around like I was in maze without direction or purpose, nothing I did made my life really worth living. One disaster or drama after another, what was the point of struggling?
The Word of the LORD showed me that He had a Master Plan for all the inhabitants of the world including me since the beginning. It is not always going to be this bad with angry people hurting each other which ever way I look. He is showing His long term plan by in the short term changing the hearts one at a time, there are some kind people, there are loving people, and He has promised to walk by my side and guide and comfort me Himself and show me the way through the maze of this world until we reach the Promised Land.
Therefore, If any man be in Christ he is a new creature.......behold all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Paul is saying to us who we were when Satan was our master in Eph 2:1-3.
When we accepted Christ we became changed by his love in Eph 2:4-10. Song says- the things I used to do I do them no more, it’s a great change since I was born. Born of the water and of the Spirit.
‘When Christ dwells in the heart, the soul will be so filled with His love, with the joy of communion with Him, that it will cleave to Him; and in the contemplation of Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action. Those who feel the constraining love of God, do not ask how little may be given to meet the requirements of God; they do not ask for the lowest standard, but aim at perfect conformity to the will of their Redeemer. With earnest desire they yield all and manifest an interest proportionate to the value of the object which they seek. A profession of Christ without this deep love is mere talk, dry formality, and heavy drudgery. SC 44, 45
Things are different now since I gave my heart to Jesus!
Are things different now that you know Jesus? Are you being renewed in the spirit of your mind because you have given God the right to be your interior redecorator? Are you spending quality time with Him in the Bible? If not, what needs to change today?
If indeed Christians, we will have a story to tell, which may often include the opportunity to also speak.
I find the story of the demoniac in Mark 5 a wonderful illustration of the contrast in the life before and after meeting Jesus.
Before: Mark 5:2-5
After: Mark 5:15,20
Imagine the testimony of this man while just walking through town. That alone would tell his story, but what an answer he had for those who might question: “What happened to you?!”.
WHO would doubt his story?
If you were born in an Adventist cradle you can also testify to others of what Christ has done in your life. It is not necessary to go through a great deliverance to have something to tell someone. Day by day Christ has protected us, blessed us and given us the assurance of forgiveness, peace and salvation. Ask God to open your eyes and see how much He has done for you day by day!
It is that simple. The basis of our testimony is our changed lives. Our lives should tell the story.
Perhaps those who have no before and after testimony might consider an 'alongside' one. Testify of the way God is leading in their lives as they go along. There may never have been a time when they were in a state of moral collapse, but they have a testimony of how the love of Christ kept them from that collapse as He walked alongside them. They might testify of how they had a mind change in their walk. Something they may not have known needed changing and the joy of being freed of that burden.There are different reasons for a testimony but there is always a testimony.
Is my life “easier” because God is now in it? Not necessarily
Is my life better because God is now in it? Most definitely
And that is my testimony
Yes, indeed - 'What an amazing change!' Some might not describe their 'transformation' to be amazing. But everyone that sincerely confesses their blindness and error of walking in their own light, deciding to leave that old life behind and from then on believing in Jesus' teachings about the true life - loving our neighbor as the Father has loved us when He saved us - has committed him-/herself to an 'amazing change'.
Most of us might not have to radically change our behavior/attitude/conduct, but it certainly helps knowing that we are not 'fools' when we turn the other cheek:
when we do not retaliate if wronged, forgive before being asked to forgive, being kind when met with anger, praying for those that insult us or cause us to feel hurt or disappointed, not lie or take advantage when no one notices, avoid conflict or go the extra mile to support someone or a cause - and there are many more circumstances where we show the 'good works' that "Christ Jesus created us for, which God prepared beforehand that we(the saved ones) should walk in them. " Eph. 2:10
Good works are not confined to special projects or endeavors designed to meet the needs of others on a large scale. Good works are continuously expressed by our changed attitude toward our fellow man, expressing the loving, redeemed heart's gratefulness and a ready and willing mind to acknowledge that 'Self' has given the reigns to the Holy Spirit to guide our conduct. The new, service-oriented nature is a witness to the Glory of our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. With each occasion of doing 'right', I think of 'laying up treasures in heaven'.
I call that: walking the 'New Way by the New Light' provided by the Jesus' Holy Spirit. At every waking moment I have occasion to reflect on the actions of my new life because it encompasses my whole being - heart, mind, body, the whole of my 'renewing' self.
And this is my Testimony - as I walk by faith in the life-giving teachings of Jesus' Gospel Light, my new nature's spirit is being established through His Love into the Image of the Father.