Bible Study – 11 ‘Your Testimony’
Lesson Point – “Should every Saved or Born again Child of God have a testimonial that tells or describes their Christian conversion experience?” Just a question that might have a few different responses besides using a bullet response like Yes or a No.
One thing we all know is that we do not go through life sinless. Somewhere in the journey of life we all must realize that when scripture tells us ‘that ALL have sinned and fall short of what God expects from each of us’; doesn’t that scripture mean every individual both you and me? These words are in Romans 3:23: scripture goes on to tell us that ‘the wages of sin is death [eternal death] BUT the gift of God is eternal life coming from Jesus Christ the Lord’. Something for us to think about, is that a gift, is not a gift IF you don’t take it or accept it. Romans 6:23.
Another scripture explains that with our own mouth we must confess Jesus as Lord. If you look at Matthew 10:32-33 scripture reads words that Jesus spoke, “Therefore everyone who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is heaven.” There is no gray area in the statement; a person confesses Jesus as Lord or the default is rejection of Jesus as the Christ or Messiah. We will all be judged by the same standard, that is, IF the God of our Holy Bible is the creator and sustainer of our universe. So, aren’t we to obey, worship, be thankful, and praise the God of creation?
Going back to the QUESTION. Do you have a testimony or short story of a time when you made the choice to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, if so was your declaration or profession that you identify yourself with Christ? When we accept the gift of salvation what we are doing is accepting the fact that Christ paid our debt by shedding his blood so that we can be declared not guilty before the eternal JUDGE for our sin. If you haven’t; do you want to?
As I’ve heard often; God does not force anyone to go to heaven; but the invitation is to ALL people. Wouldn’t you like to know that Christ is reserving a mansion, a dwelling place, or whatever it is that he is preparing for his eternal family at the moment? The WORD tells us that he is coming again and where he is now dwelling, so also will we dwell with him. John 14:1-3.
My testimony is that one morning, when I was convicted, as a sinner, I needed Christ to become my atonement for sin. Yes, I asked for forgiveness, I repented; I began to live a different life which included praying and reading the Word so that I could learn more about both the mercies and blessings of the Lord. When I grew closer to God, HE grew closer to me; knowing that I was far from perfect, but that I was forgiven. James 4:7-8. HE has all the provisions available; all we have to do is take the first step toward him; he will welcome any or all who seek after Him and then put their trust in him. Revelation 3:20. Are you ready?
Wouldn’t you like to have a testimony that included the following words or something similar; in the first quarter of the New Year (maybe for some 2021) I made a choice to trust in Jesus as my Lord and Savior? His blood is the atonement already shed for the forgiveness of my sin. With my own voice I confess that I accept Christ Jesus as my Lord. You could add other details but what is important is that when you speak to the Lord, it is from your heart, and you mean the words you speak. None of us are born Christians; it is a choice each person makes. How many of us have the faith to make it a Yes choice; like putting Faith to the test?
Something for all to consider as we all ponder the question; “Have’en [past tense, a word my grandpa from KY used at times] gone to Sunday school or church since you or I were 7-8 years old is good but did I ever fully TRUST or ACCEPT Christ as my Lord and Savior is a question; I had to ask myself this question one day in 1972. I had not and many others have not.” Romans 10:9-10.
So, the Question again is; wouldn’t you like to have a testimony declaring a time or event that you put your trust in Jesus? Going to church doesn’t get a person through the Pearly Gate; repenting and confessing Jesus as your Lord is required. My testimony is attached.
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Romans 3:23, For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Matthew 10:32-33, 32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
[There is a default – not confessing is equal to denying Jesus.]
John 14:1-3, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
James 4:7-8, 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Revelation 3:20, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and him with me. [Jesus is waiting to be invited into your life]
Romans 10:9-10, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
My Testimony [As an example]
Years ago; a few months after my conversion and probably getting close to the year of 1973; I asked someone at church, “What does it mean when someone asked a person about their testimony?” The response was something like, “It means that it’s your story of turning to Christ as your Lord and Savior. Like, what led to it or how are you different now than before.” I had never thought about a statement of my before to my after when I trusted Christ for my atonement.
He told me that it was kinda’ like knowing of that event as a changing point in your life; then he commented, “Most of the born again or saved people who have had a time or event where they felt the Holy Spirits conviction on them, seem to have a story to tell.” Then he asked, “What about you?”
So what about me; my short version testimony
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As a young fella, starting somewhere around the age of five, I went to Sunday school on an old church bus, then later in most summers to Bible school, and to other church functions where stories were taught and sermons preached. I knew many of the things taught to me by adults and I believed that they were telling me truths about God. By the time I was in high school about all I did was go to 1st Christian for Sunday morning church with a friend named Mike; we set in the back row of the balcony; we would listen to the message the Preacher spoke that particular week. I was not involved in any church youth activities. By then I knew something about who God was at least I thought so. […it was a mental knowledge]
When I went into Military in 1962,; called boot camp [Company 538], everyone was required to go to a Jewish, Catholic, or a Protestant church service on Sunday morning. I tried them all; one Sunday I hid behind a barracks; I did not attend any of them knowing the rule for disobeying meant big trouble if caught. I was not caught.
Later, while stationed in San Francisco on a ship, I would occasionally attend church with a Jewish friend named Bob from Brooklyn; it did not matter where we went. I remember we went to a Catholic Church one Sunday in downtown San Fran and took communion; I think we were both searching for something but at that time did not connect. Going to church was no longer required but we just thought it was the right thing to do. Just going to church does not make a person spiritual but it’s a start in understanding the scriptures of God, if they are taught.
While I was stationed on the ship, we did not have a formal chapel so the few who wanted to get together met somewhere and just had a short bible study. We did not have an officer or anyone specifically in charge so it was very informal. One fellow named Dave led most of the time; I only attended a few times over this time period. [He was from Ft. Worth and around the year 2000 he stopped by my home and visited one time. He later moved east to Boston.]
Once released from the Military the only time I went to church was for a wedding or a funeral. [And yes, I did get married in a chapel of a church in 1968 and it is now 50 years later and we are still married.]
After Janet, my wife, and I had our first two daughters, she decided she wanted to start going to church again so she went with a neighbor lady named Kay and attended 1st Southern, over in Portage, IN. This was a Baptist church and the preacher was what they referred to as a “soul winner”. [I was a ‘good dad’ [I thought] and stayed home and watched the girls so my wife was not distracted…] Her pastor stopped by one evening to pay a call on Janet so I left them in the living room and went to the kitchen to be out of the way.
Somewhere, maybe around 15–20 minutes at the kitchen table, piddling away, all of a sudden Brother Smith, as he was called, was beside the table and asked me the Question, “What about YOU?” … and of course my flippant response was “well, what about me.” His next comment was, “If you died tonight, would you go to Heaven?” Of course my honest reply to the question was, “NO!” This startled him about half-a-second and he came back with, “Wouldn’t you like to go to Heaven?” My next response was, “I’m no fool Preacher; YES, I’d like to go to Heaven.” He set down beside me and replied, “Now we are getting somewhere”; he took his KJV Bible and went through several passages. Finally he asked me if I would like to accept Jesus as my savior. My response was, “NO, but I’ll think about it.” He asked me to visit him at church on Sunday and he would not leave our home until I accepted his invitation. I went to church and he preached the most dynamic sermon I’d ever heard or bothered to listen to; up to that point of my life… my inner heart was convicted and I was trembling but I was too PROUD to walk the aisle at invitation time; worrying what others might think of me; as a 27 year old cool dude. I was sweating and could not wait to get home. It was the longest wait I had ever had, just waiting in the car for Janet and the girls. I told her on the way home that I wouldn’t be coming back to church.
Brother Smith stopped by again in the middle of the next week; he invited me back to church again. I tried a few excuses but he didn’t leave until I promised to be back on Sunday. On Sunday he preached another sermon on ‘the salvation of a sinner’ and I was really trembling inside. I’m sure the Holy Spirit [God the Holy Spirit] was convicting me that I needed Jesus as my Lord and Savior. At invitation time I rushed forward up the center aisle and the Pastor exclaimed loudly, “What do you want?” I hollered back at him as I was walking toward him, “I want Jesus.!” My life changed in the twinkling of an eye… [and YES the whole church quit singing the invitation song and listened until Brother Smith told them to start singing again.] My whole thought processes centered on Jesus and reading the Word of God. It was such a change in my life that when I mowed the lawn or whatever, I would be thinking of heaven and the Lord. The scripture came alive to me and I understood what Revelation 3:20 meant where it reads ‘Jesus knocks at the door’ and if we answer ‘he will come in’. That’s what happened; the Spirit of God came into my inner heart and dwells there now and forever. What a fantastic experience! I was a sinner destined for HELL one moment and the Lord took all my sins and nailed them to the cross, with the blood HE shed, right there at Calvary. The very next moment in my life HE was my Savior, my High Priest making intersession for me to the FATHER; now I am an adopted child in Gods family. It was one Sunday morning in the early spring of 1972.
By FAITH I have accepted the scriptures to be what GOD wants mankind to know. I believe there are some things out there that are presently still mysteries to mankind. We won’t know all there is until HE is ready to reveal them. What is FAITH? It’s believing something without actually having been there to witness that very something first hand. One thief on the cross accepted and one rejected Jesus. What about you?
It took me a few years to understand some of the truths of scripture; like the triune God is actually Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some of the mysteries of God are deep and take study to grasp the meanings but the journey of Faith will be worth it all.
When I started this testimony I wrote that I knew who God was [mentally] but now I have a deeper knowledge and I know without a doubt that the Spirit of God actually dwells within my mortal being; I know him personally now!
I read this example in a book once, it is not original with me; I was once like a caterpillar but now I have changed and I’m like a butterfly. The illustration is amazing; as a Christian I want to be different than what I was like before I became a Christian.
A formula [Faith & Trust + God’s Grace + Repentance = Salvation] It takes Salvation to inherit Eternal Life.
Do you have a Testimony?
DG