KenH
Well-Known Member
“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.”(2 Timothy 1:8)
Many decades ago, when I was deeply involved in false religion, preaching what the Scriptures call “another gospel”, I placed a lot of emphasis on a “believer’s testimony.” Once every quarter, on a Sunday night, I wouldn’t preach and we’d have “TESTIMONY NIGHT.” I would set a microphone up at the front, dim the lights in the auditorium, ask everyone to bow their head prayerfully, and as the Spirit led them to come and give their testimony, for them to be obedient and do so. It didn’t take long for most, except those who were shy, to come to the front and share THEIR TESTIMONY. In most cases, all our testimony had a similar pattern: Most spoke of how bad of sinners they were, whether they were drunks, drug addicts, fornicators or adulterers, or whatever men looked to as BAD PEOPLE. Their testimony was the same: “Once I accepted Jesus as my Savior, all of those bad things were taken away from me. I started reading the Bible, attending church regularly, tithing, and sharing my testimony or witness with others.” By the end of the TESTIMONY SERVICE, there usually wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Here’s the thing: This sort of TESTIMONY reveals one’s ignorance of the “RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.” I can never recall anyone coming to the front to TESTIFY of the sinfulness of their religious activities, or their attempts to establish a righteousness of their own. The reason is that man by nature categorizes SIN, placing most of their emphasis on immorality and ungodliness, unable to see that there is NO DIFFERENCE between the sin of the woman caught in the act of adultery and brought to our Lord, or the SIN of Saul of Tarsus as he served a god of his imagination, seeking to please him by his legal obedience, in hope that he had done enough to merit eternal life.
Because of the internet and our presence on it, I have so many individuals who have found us, even those who say the believe in “sovereign grace”, and all of them want to share THEIR TESTIMONY with me. I listen to them, and a lot of what they say is almost word for word what was said by those religious, sincere, lost sinners on TESTIMONY NIGHT back at Hico Baptist Church. They give me THEIR TESTIMONY of the great change they say has occurred in their lives. I don’t question their sincerity, and I certainly don’t think they are being dishonest. The tragedy is that those who have had conversion experiences under a false gospel have made GREAT CHANGES in their lives. Men and women can go from being immoral to moral, from unreligious to religious without every been given a knowledge and understanding of the ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS that sets a sinner free from the “law of sin and death.” Think about those in Matthew who are at the judgment – “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”(Matthew 7:21-23) Think about the Pharisee and his words in the parable of our Lord – “The Pharisee stood AND PRAYED THUS WITH HIMSELF, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.”(Luke 18:11-12) How did our Lord preface this parable – “And he spake this parable unto certain WHICH TRUSTED IN THEMSELVES THAT THEY WERE RIGHTEOUS, and despised others.”
If this isn’t a believer’s “testimony” (which means ‘WITNESS’), WHAT IS OUR TESTIMONY? OUR TESTIMONY is of Christ the Son of God, sent into the world to “save His people from their sins.” It is to point men and women who see themselves as “ungodly” to Christ ALONE as “the LORD our righteousness”. OUR TESTIMONY isn’t about us, but about “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” OUR TESTIMONY is to “declare glad tidings of good things to come.” I’ll close with this: If the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) doesn’t bear witness of Himself, but of Christ, how much more should we who have been regenerated and converted point men to Him who “justifieth the UNGODLY.”
- Richard Warmack has been the Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Ruston, Louisiana, since its establishment in October of 1987.
www.sermonaudio.com
Many decades ago, when I was deeply involved in false religion, preaching what the Scriptures call “another gospel”, I placed a lot of emphasis on a “believer’s testimony.” Once every quarter, on a Sunday night, I wouldn’t preach and we’d have “TESTIMONY NIGHT.” I would set a microphone up at the front, dim the lights in the auditorium, ask everyone to bow their head prayerfully, and as the Spirit led them to come and give their testimony, for them to be obedient and do so. It didn’t take long for most, except those who were shy, to come to the front and share THEIR TESTIMONY. In most cases, all our testimony had a similar pattern: Most spoke of how bad of sinners they were, whether they were drunks, drug addicts, fornicators or adulterers, or whatever men looked to as BAD PEOPLE. Their testimony was the same: “Once I accepted Jesus as my Savior, all of those bad things were taken away from me. I started reading the Bible, attending church regularly, tithing, and sharing my testimony or witness with others.” By the end of the TESTIMONY SERVICE, there usually wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Here’s the thing: This sort of TESTIMONY reveals one’s ignorance of the “RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.” I can never recall anyone coming to the front to TESTIFY of the sinfulness of their religious activities, or their attempts to establish a righteousness of their own. The reason is that man by nature categorizes SIN, placing most of their emphasis on immorality and ungodliness, unable to see that there is NO DIFFERENCE between the sin of the woman caught in the act of adultery and brought to our Lord, or the SIN of Saul of Tarsus as he served a god of his imagination, seeking to please him by his legal obedience, in hope that he had done enough to merit eternal life.
Because of the internet and our presence on it, I have so many individuals who have found us, even those who say the believe in “sovereign grace”, and all of them want to share THEIR TESTIMONY with me. I listen to them, and a lot of what they say is almost word for word what was said by those religious, sincere, lost sinners on TESTIMONY NIGHT back at Hico Baptist Church. They give me THEIR TESTIMONY of the great change they say has occurred in their lives. I don’t question their sincerity, and I certainly don’t think they are being dishonest. The tragedy is that those who have had conversion experiences under a false gospel have made GREAT CHANGES in their lives. Men and women can go from being immoral to moral, from unreligious to religious without every been given a knowledge and understanding of the ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS that sets a sinner free from the “law of sin and death.” Think about those in Matthew who are at the judgment – “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”(Matthew 7:21-23) Think about the Pharisee and his words in the parable of our Lord – “The Pharisee stood AND PRAYED THUS WITH HIMSELF, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.”(Luke 18:11-12) How did our Lord preface this parable – “And he spake this parable unto certain WHICH TRUSTED IN THEMSELVES THAT THEY WERE RIGHTEOUS, and despised others.”
If this isn’t a believer’s “testimony” (which means ‘WITNESS’), WHAT IS OUR TESTIMONY? OUR TESTIMONY is of Christ the Son of God, sent into the world to “save His people from their sins.” It is to point men and women who see themselves as “ungodly” to Christ ALONE as “the LORD our righteousness”. OUR TESTIMONY isn’t about us, but about “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” OUR TESTIMONY is to “declare glad tidings of good things to come.” I’ll close with this: If the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) doesn’t bear witness of Himself, but of Christ, how much more should we who have been regenerated and converted point men to Him who “justifieth the UNGODLY.”
- Richard Warmack has been the Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Ruston, Louisiana, since its establishment in October of 1987.
Our TESTIMONY | Grace Baptist Church
“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.”(II Tim.1:8) Many decades ago, when I was deeply involved in false religion,
www.sermonaudio.com