The Value of Your Testimony

Have you purchased any cologne or perfume lately? If you haven’t, you better prepare yourself before you go on your next shopping spree for your favorite body fragrance. Depending on your choice, you could spend around $60.00 for just a few ounces. Though it may be expensive, most of us would agree that spending a little extra for the “good stuff” is better than the alternative. There’s not much more appalling then no cologne, except maybe some cheap cologne that comes from a convenience store bathroom. When it comes to body fragrance, you either attract or appall others by your choice and the amount you use.

Did you know that your Christian witness is like a cologne or perfume to God? It really is. Notice this verse, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2: 15 NKJV).

When studying the books of First and Second Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writing to a young church who loves the Lord Jesus, but in many ways, their lifestyle is not measuring up. Paul is encouraging them to take an honest examination of their life and not allow anything to hinder their testimony of God’s Saving Grace.

A Christian’s testimony becomes evident in two ways.

First, there is the public profession of faith and baptism. What a beautiful picture is painted in the hearts of men and women in the Church when they watch a person who has confessed faith in Christ be immersed in baptismal waters. To everyone watching, that person is proclaiming that their “old” self has been crucified with Christ and now they have been made “new” by the grace of Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).

Second, there is the daily walk of the believer. As a child growing up in church I remember the frequent testimony of Ms. Mossie Long in our small church. With her walking cane waving in the air she would announce to all listening, “you may be the only Bible some people ever read!” How true her words are. James, the half-brother of our Lord, never denied that we were saved by grace through faith, but he did admonish Christians to remember that it is through our “works,” our lifestyle, that the world will believe our confession of faith. “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18)

So, how valuable is your Christian testimony? It will either be like an expensive cologne purchased at a fine department store, or it will be like cheap bathroom cologne out of a quarters only machine. The decision is up to you.

In his letters to the Corinthians Paul said,
1. Remember who you are!

You are “called to be saints”:
1 Corinthians 1:2

You are His “Temple”:
1 Corinthians 3:16-17

2. Don’t let your lifestyle hinder your testimony.

“Be Holy”:
2 Corinthians 6:16-18,
2 Corinthians 5:9-10,

“Be sensitive to the conscience of others:”
1 Corinthians 8: 1-13

"Let Christian love be your guide."
1 Corinthians 13: 1-13

Keep watch on your faith.style="font-weight:bold;">span>
2 Corinthians 13: 5-6

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. “

Keys to a Churches Success!

Here is an amazing fact. A team can have the most generous owner, the most intelligent coach, the most trusted assistants and still lose the majority of their games! A team can have a less than desirable owner, a less than competent coach and immature assistants and still be productive in a game situation.

Why is that? It is because the overall success of the team depends in large part, not on the owner, or even the staff, but on the players themselves! The key to a team’s success is the players on the field!

Let me give you a recent example. Just south of where I live and pastor is the city of Nashville, Tn. There is a professional football team there, the Tennessee Titans. Last year they won an astounding 13 games in a row. There was great expectation coming into this season. Yet, they started the season with a 6 game losing streak! They had the same owner, they had the same head coach and they had many of the same players. Surprisingly, midway through the season, they changed quarterbacks and all of a sudden they went on to win 8 of their last 10 games! The players began to play with an expectation to win!

The local church is very similar, we have the greatest Head, the Lord Jesus. We have a clear mission, to go into all the world and make disciples for the Lord Jesus. Churches can have wonderful pastors and ministry leaders, but for the Church to be successful, each player, each member of that local Church must get involved in the game. Each believer in a local fellowship must work through their Church in building the Kingdom of God!

An outstanding pastor and leader whom I have been blessed to become friends with is Dr. John Ed Mathisson. John Ed is the retired minister of Frazer United Methodist Church.
He said; “The most effective churches will be those who use the gifts and talents of the lay people.”

Here are some truths we need to remember.
1. Every Member is a Minister.

1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” NKJV
Eph 2:10, “ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” NKJV
Why is this important? One of the keys to the protestant reformation was the belief in the “Priesthood of the Believer.” Priest = “servant” we are called to serve.

2. It is Biblical for Members to serve.
1 Corinthians 12:

a) Each member is Gifted by God (vs. 4-11)
b) Each member is vital to the Church’s success (vs. 15-24)

3. Members serving in Ministry is the Cure for Burnout among pastors and ministry leaders.
According to some statistics, as many as 1500 pastors leave the ministry every month due to sin or burnout.

4. Members serving in the Ministry is the antidote to the financial burden of the Church.
A church can never hire enough staff to do all the ministry that the Church is called to do! When all the members serve, the church can operate with a smaller paid staff and no one gets burdened down with too many responsibilities!

5. There is a Great Paycheck for those who Serve!

First of all, there are the Temporal rewards. Few things will ever bless a Christian more than hearing someone say, “You have made an impact on my life, thanks!” You can’t put a dollar value on that. It’s like the MasterCard commercials; “It’s priceless.”

Then, there are the Eternal rewards. The Lord Jesus said in Matt 10:42, “And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." NKJV

Dear friends, get involved in the work of the Kingdom. Let’s strive together to reach people with the wonderful love and message of Jesus Christ. And as you serve, serve willingly, serve joyfully, serve with expectation that God will bless, serve with excellence to bring glory to God.