Has your life been changed by Christ? Do you keep it to yourself? Why? These are questions that we hear all the time from other believers. The changes God has made in us should be evident to others around us through our countenance and our actions, but what about our words? I see so many of us in the "world" that are quiet about the things that God has done for us and too us. Many of us have been dramatically changed by God, but the only place anyone hears our testimony is in church. Shouldn't we be giving our witness to those around us that do not know what Christ can do for them?
"Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers." 2 Chronicles 19:4.
There isn't much written about Jehoshaphat in the Bible. But, what we do learn is that the Lord was with him. He walked in the ways of David and he sought God and His commands throughout his life. He was the king of Judah, and he loved the Lord. God so changed him and worked through him that two times he appointed leaders to go and teach the people the Book of the Law of the Lord. He wanted them to learn about how mighty, how majestic and how much God loved them. He even went out himself to go around and witness to the people to turn their hearts back to God. Why this is important is because he was a king. He was supposed to stay at the palace and do kingly things. He was to lead and rule the nation. Instead, he went out to witness to the people because of all the great and mighty things God was doing for him. He wanted to share his testimony with others to help them come to the Lord
Jehoshaphat loved God so much that he was able to step away from his position and witness to others despite what they might say or think of him. He was taking up a responsibility that was outside his comfort zone. He warned those he appointed to serve faithfully and wholeheartedly, to love God. He loved God so much that he wanted others to receive the same love and forgiveness that he received from God, and he wanted them to know God so much that he went out himself.
How about you and me? Many times in our day to day lives we come across those in society that we can see have no relationship with Christ. But, many of us will not take the opportunity to witness to them. Instead, we will turn the other way, or talk about something else, wanting to remain politically correct and not get into trouble for speaking about religion in the wrong place. Many of us keep Christ to ourselves, feeling safe to share what He is doing in our life only with those in "our crowd."
In mainstream society, witnessing for Christ has become something only evangelists should do. But this is not what the Bible teaches us. As believers in Jesus, we are all evangelists. We all have a story to tell about what God has done for us in our lives. Jehoshaphat was not an evangelist, he was king of Judah, but he went out and evangelized because the power of God was so strong in his life he wanted his people to have the same power in their life. He wanted his people to know and love God so that God could know and love them. He stepped out of the "normal" to show that love to his people.
Many of us are afraid to step out of what we have made the "normal" in society. We are not to speak of God outside of our churches. We are not to speak of God in our workplaces or public locations. To do so could bring down retribution from the authorities. We are fearful of the rejection we might experience, or the persecution we might endure. We have forgotten the persecution and retribution our Lord Jesus Christ endured for our sake. He was never fearful to witness to others about His Father, even when He was before the Sanhedrin. He knew that the Father would give Him the words to speak and that God would take the responsibility for His witness to others. Jesus loved God so much that He spent His ministry teaching and showing the love of God to the people, despite knowing that His life would be given for all, those that would receive and those that wouldn't.
Our love of Jesus should be evident to everyone around us, whether in church, or the workplace, or public. We should have the strength and courage in Christ to let others know what the power of God has done for us in our life. We should never be fearful of the things that man might do or say because of our witness. We should never be fearful of those we witness to rejecting our testimony. We need to learn and understand that God will always accept the responsibility of our witnessing to others. Our responsibility, our love for God should prompt us to actually go and show the love of Christ to others, regardless of the laws of man. It is not up to us to effect change in the lives of others, its only up to us to show Christ and the power of the Cross to others! We let God do the changing!
May God Richly Bless You Today!! H Trent!
"Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers." 2 Chronicles 19:4.
There isn't much written about Jehoshaphat in the Bible. But, what we do learn is that the Lord was with him. He walked in the ways of David and he sought God and His commands throughout his life. He was the king of Judah, and he loved the Lord. God so changed him and worked through him that two times he appointed leaders to go and teach the people the Book of the Law of the Lord. He wanted them to learn about how mighty, how majestic and how much God loved them. He even went out himself to go around and witness to the people to turn their hearts back to God. Why this is important is because he was a king. He was supposed to stay at the palace and do kingly things. He was to lead and rule the nation. Instead, he went out to witness to the people because of all the great and mighty things God was doing for him. He wanted to share his testimony with others to help them come to the Lord
Jehoshaphat loved God so much that he was able to step away from his position and witness to others despite what they might say or think of him. He was taking up a responsibility that was outside his comfort zone. He warned those he appointed to serve faithfully and wholeheartedly, to love God. He loved God so much that he wanted others to receive the same love and forgiveness that he received from God, and he wanted them to know God so much that he went out himself.
How about you and me? Many times in our day to day lives we come across those in society that we can see have no relationship with Christ. But, many of us will not take the opportunity to witness to them. Instead, we will turn the other way, or talk about something else, wanting to remain politically correct and not get into trouble for speaking about religion in the wrong place. Many of us keep Christ to ourselves, feeling safe to share what He is doing in our life only with those in "our crowd."
In mainstream society, witnessing for Christ has become something only evangelists should do. But this is not what the Bible teaches us. As believers in Jesus, we are all evangelists. We all have a story to tell about what God has done for us in our lives. Jehoshaphat was not an evangelist, he was king of Judah, but he went out and evangelized because the power of God was so strong in his life he wanted his people to have the same power in their life. He wanted his people to know and love God so that God could know and love them. He stepped out of the "normal" to show that love to his people.
Many of us are afraid to step out of what we have made the "normal" in society. We are not to speak of God outside of our churches. We are not to speak of God in our workplaces or public locations. To do so could bring down retribution from the authorities. We are fearful of the rejection we might experience, or the persecution we might endure. We have forgotten the persecution and retribution our Lord Jesus Christ endured for our sake. He was never fearful to witness to others about His Father, even when He was before the Sanhedrin. He knew that the Father would give Him the words to speak and that God would take the responsibility for His witness to others. Jesus loved God so much that He spent His ministry teaching and showing the love of God to the people, despite knowing that His life would be given for all, those that would receive and those that wouldn't.
Our love of Jesus should be evident to everyone around us, whether in church, or the workplace, or public. We should have the strength and courage in Christ to let others know what the power of God has done for us in our life. We should never be fearful of the things that man might do or say because of our witness. We should never be fearful of those we witness to rejecting our testimony. We need to learn and understand that God will always accept the responsibility of our witnessing to others. Our responsibility, our love for God should prompt us to actually go and show the love of Christ to others, regardless of the laws of man. It is not up to us to effect change in the lives of others, its only up to us to show Christ and the power of the Cross to others! We let God do the changing!
May God Richly Bless You Today!! H Trent!
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