The Power of our Testimony

As believers of Christ, as those who trust in an abundantly kind God, our testimony is incredibly important.

In The Message, 1 Peter 2:11-17 is paraphrased like this:

Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when He arrives.

Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God's emissaries for keeping order. It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.

Do we know how important our testimony is? Do we know that though we are still being perfected by Christ and are still "under construction", we are called to be holy and righteous on earth here and now?

I wonder at times if the Church is an actual barrier to God's children coming to Him. I actually don't just wonder, I know. And yes, the ultimate decision for a person to follow Christ and be reconciled to God is their own, but if the Church really behaved like God wanted it to, would His redemption plan be speedier? Would there be less doubters and more believers?

I think Christians are seen as hypocrites a lot because they are. We are. It does become a bit complicated because Christians are imperfect people who live by faith and grace, and unbelievers don't quite grasp that in the middle of their Christian "critiques" (for lack of a harsher word). I get that and I agree with that. However, do we give them reason to doubt the very thing that we proclaim? We say, "Trust God, He's good" and then live our life in a totally unbelieving way. Or we point our finger at the sin of a person who does not know God and fail to remember part of our life that we have left unaddressed - parts of our lives that God wants to redeem and make whole.

It's very unfortunate when people have a distorted view of God because the people who say they know Him and follow Him behave in an unholy manner. And of course, there will always be criticism. And the point is not to appease the unbelievers or critics at all. The problem exists when we proclaim God one way, but act as His children in a completely different way. It exists when we live our lives in a selfish, frustrated, unloving manner. This is not an accurate portrait of God's beautiful Church. This is not an accurate portrait of His beautiful bride who He has made holy by His precious blood.

So, let's ask ourselves. What has our relentlessly kind Daddy been rebuking us about? What has Holy Spirit been nudging us about or flat out telling us to change in our lives? Are there parts of the way we live that stand in contrast to the Word of God?

If there is, these need to be addressed. They really do. God wants to redeem everything in this world that's not as it should be, and that includes "small things" like frustration, lack of trust, unrighteous anger, indulgence in food or drink, critical voices about others (including public figures), and impure relationships with others. When these defects are addressed, when we allow God to operate on and remove them and make us whole again, we'll give the world a better picture of who God is and who His Church is. Then we will no longer be stumbling blocks or barriers to those who are being saved. We will rather be effective and efficient tools in God's great redemption plan.

Amen.