“Your testimony is not enough!”

“Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13 NASB)

 

For years I have shared my testimony in churches and with people.  Its what people do.  Its the story of your transformation and the epic of how you came to know Christ through all your struggles and your issues. The church has taught us to make sure we have this story planned perfectly and learn how to communicate it to the people. God has allowed me to feel passionate about the inner city and its issues and lifestyle and also He has taught me to help influence students with the urban mindset that may not live in the hood’ but have adapted this urban “coolness” from media and the culture as a whole.  So the other day I started to think about my relationship with God and communicating a powerful, true gospel to this generation but specifically to the inner city. And I thought, “Gang members, drug dealers, and struggling families do not want to hear how ‘you made it,’ they do not want to really know that someone used to do drugs and now they don’t.”  They can do those things and still not give their lives to Jesus.  First of all the testimony that really shocks those in the inner city and really surprises them is the story of the one kid who stayed away from all that stuff and stayed committed and faithful to God through their teenage years. One thing I realized is this generation doesn’t need more people who used to do drugs, or used to disrespect their parents, or used to have sex and now they are Christian so they don’t.  This generation needs to be led by those who have been with Jesus.  In Acts 4:13 Peter and John are in the center of what we would see as a court room.  They are defending themselves and the power of Jesus concerning the healing that had been performed.  When asked if they were responsible for this and when they stood up to speak about the situation they spoke about Jesus and how he was the only way to Salvation. After they shared their heart people who were observing couldn’t tell that John and Peter used to swear when they got angry. People could not tell that they used to be lazy, dumb, killers, druggies, etc.  They could tell that these men had been with Jesus.  The Message version says that “They recognized them as companions of Jesus.”  When people see me I dont want them to say that I was funny, smart, wise, talented, etc. My desire is when people see me they might be able to say, “Wow he has been with Jesus and I want that too.” 

This should be our desire and expectation. The days of relying on our testimonies are over ladies and gentlemen.  People need to hear of our experiences with Jesus not our experiences of the pipe.  The more we share our experiences of our past the more we are describing what the people we are trying to influence are already going through. Share with them Jesus and show them without saying it that you have “been with Jesus” and their lives will change because you will have something that they want.  Everybody needs the Lord, but everybody in the world needs to see that everybody who calls themselves Christian has an anointing and shows that the spirit of God is alive today, simply because they have been with Jesus. 

Instead of looking in the mirror practicing your testimony, kneel down and practice being with Jesus. Have you been with Him?