What is more important? Debating the finer points of theology or sharing my personal testimony. I believe that sharing my personal testimony along with living a life that is reflective of that testimony is essential to being a Christ follower. What does a Christ follower look like? More importantly, what does a Christ follower not look like?
In order to describe a Christ follower one might decide to create lists of things that a Christian is not supposed to do. These lists are typically made up by men and women who subscribe to specific denominational rules. As a Christian, who subscribes to a faith in Christ, I might fall into a specific denomination. I am a Christ follower but I follow this set of rules. When I go to church I do this and that, or we do not do this or that.
No matter what denominational guidelines you subscribe to, one thing is certain. When you become a Christ follower you become a new person. 2 Corinthians 7:15 says “Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come.” At some point we come to the realization that we are sinners in the need of God’s forgiveness. We ask God to forgive us of our sins and to give us the power to live according to his will and desire for our lives.
That means that as we embrace our new spiritual being that we no longer live as we lived before. We have a new heart with new desires and a new direction in life. We have a new purpose. That purpose is to reflect the love, grace and mercy of God to the world around me. As a Christ follower it is not my job to convert anyone to being a Christ follower. I am only responsible for my relationship with God. I am also responsible for how I treat my fellow man. I am responsible for leading them to the source of my salvation, joy and peace.
As we look around at the world around us I believe that we can agree that things are a mess. We live in a broken world surrounded by hurting people. People who are broken need hope and the hope they need is the grace of God. People do not need more religion and more rules. People need to know that God loves them and is not interested in striking them down and making them pay for their sins. God has gone to extraordinary lengths to provide all of us with saving grace. The bible tells us that “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. We are not able to work our way into heaven. Only by accepting that we are sinners in need of a loving God will allow us to become Christ followers. The bible also says that “faith without works is dead”. We do not do “good works” to earn enough of Gods favor to get into heaven. We do “good works” because of our salvation and the gift of grace and we are thankful that God does love us despite of our sin.
As we walk down the road of life today let’s remember that we may be the only Jesus that someone may encounter. People are looking for hope. People are hurting because of the brokenness in their lives. My hope is that we can live the type of lives that will reflect the thing that people need the most. The love, compassion and mercy of God are the only things that can bring about true hope and transformation. Only when people can see those qualities in our lives will they become curious about Jesus and then we are able to share our personal testimony with them.
Our personal testimony is a powerful story that tells people about how God rescued us, forgave us of our sins, give us hope, new life and purpose. My hope is that as you read these words, you will be encouraged to continue down your path of faith in Christ. If you are not a Christ follower, and you find that you want the free gift of grace that I am speaking of, please reach out to me or to your local church. Ask someone to share their testimony and show you what Gods word says about his incredible love for you.
