In today’s church, people testify about Christ only through the many blessings they have received. My brother, my sister, Being a Christian does not solve or remove problems. Let’s not send a wrong message to those who have not experienced the presence of the Lord in their lives yet.
Today’s passage says this: “Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, whic…h befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” What should we understand then?
That the way of a believer is not an easy path. Apostle Paul is telling us that he served humbly and “with many tears”, but he never quitted, never gave up. Besides, he points to the fact that the message of salvation was so important that he never missed an opportunity to share it. And although he preached his message in different ways to fit different audiences, the message remained the same: repentance and turn to Christ by faith!
My friends, why do people, today, change their language in front of others? Why do people have one message in the morning and another message in the evening? Why do people want to testify for their faith and what Jesus is doing in their lives through their blessings? Did Jesus come on earth to bless us? No, the blessing were promised to Abraham and restored by Jesus for us to enjoy them, so they were already there (you don’t restore what does not exist!). My friend, Jesus came with a much greater plan of God for you and I, so let’s not do like some believers who seem to consider it to be secondary because of the grace we have received in Christ. Therefore, let’s not truncate the message of Christ: the Christan life has its rough times, tears and sorrows, as well as joys.
Of course, we should always be willing to tell the others what good things God has done for us without making that His blessings far outweigh life’s difficulties. In other words, the message of repentance and faith in Christ should not be omitted in our testimony, otherwise, we are selling a fake product! Following Jesus also comes along with the cross we have to carry. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.