Sunday Scripture

On Sunday May 07TH 2017 I preached my 4TH sermon to my church family. It was titled “Testify & Preach”.

Here’s an excerpt of it that I’ve updated and enhanced 3 years later:

John Chapter 15 Verse 27, and this final verse (of this Chapter) is so critical. This is what it all leads up to. This is what it’s all about – as the branches of the vine that is Our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ – through the love of God and the hate of the world – as God’s arms, hands, legs, and feet in this world:

You must testify about Me – because you have been with Me from the beginning.

John 15-27

Merriam-Webster defines “testify” in this way:
– to make a statement based on personal knowledge or belief; to bear witness
– to serve as evidence or proof
– to express a personal conviction

YES ! – I will always testify on what I know – on what I believe – is the Truth.

We all need to testify.

“But Chris I’m not qualified to testify. I’m new at this. I’ve done many bad things in my life. I don’t know what to say. I don’t talk good. I’m shy. I have stage fright. I’m scared of the spotlight. I don’t have credentials. I don’t have a seminary degree.”

Let me tell you this. Everyone who believes, and follows, and trusts, and obeys, and loves God is qualified and obligated to testify. It doesn’t matter if your dad was a Preacher and you grew up in a Christian family, or if you’re the only one who’s been saved in your immediate family. It doesn’t matter if you were saved 10 years ago, or 10 months ago, or 10 weeks ago, or 10 days ago, or even 10 minutes ago. If you call on Christ as your Lord & Savior then you must testify and preach !

Someone once described my teaching – now preaching style – as a series of personal testimonies interconnected by Bible verses. OK – I’ll take that. It’s what I know how to do. I read the Bible. I learn something new every time I read the Truth. I try to understand everything I read. Sometimes I don’t understand – so I keep reading until I do. I try to apply what I’ve read to my own personal journey of the past nearly 14 years. I put my thoughts to written words on my home computer as best as I can. Those written words eventually form a lesson plan or a sermon based on a title, a theme, or a subject matter. Sometimes I’m writing several sermons simultaneously. I have a collection of sermons that I’ve written over the past 4 years. I update and enhance them on a regular basis, and then when I’m called upon to do so I determine which sermon is the most relevant at this time to preach on. I ask God which sermon are you going to place on my heart to “Testify & Preach”.

So I’m testifying on what I’ve lived – on what I’ve experienced – and I’m teaching and proclaiming – I’m preaching – on what the Bible tells me so about those life experiences. God gives me the right words at the right time through the Spirit.