Giving a testimony, not a testi-phoney

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said,.

But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn't for you.

By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we're called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King. Here's our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Why Testimonies Should Point to Christ, Not Self

Welcome to No Compromise Radio ministry. This is take two on this show, but we're going to give it a try anyway. I don't know what happened. I couldn't talk last one, so I just hit record again, and off we go.

We like to teach things here that are biblical and interesting, are provocative, because after all, it is radio, and after all, if you want to have people's attentions captured, then you've got to talk about something that's interesting.

And so, people write in and say, why don't you do a show on such and such? Why don't you do a show on such and such? We've got shows coming up on Sola Dei Gloria, the one sola that we did not do before.

We've got shows coming up on Masons. We've got shows coming up on a variety of things I already taped, but I just can't remember what they are anymore. And we've got shows—today we're going to do a show on testimonies.

How do you give a testimony? If someone at your church says, could you please give a testimony at the men's breakfast, what would you do? First of all, I hope you wouldn't chump it and say, oh, no, I can't.

I'm not able to, especially if you're a man. Men, if someone at the church asks you to do some ministry, could you please serve Jesus Christ and His body by doing—and you say no. I mean, maybe if they say give a million dollars and you can't do it, I get that.

But if it's some kind of teaching or ministry or serving or helping or going to the hospital or getting up and talking, even though you might be afraid of public speaking, then you ought to say, wow, what an opportunity I've been given from God Almighty to help serve the body and to glorify the Son and minister to the bride.

Don't say no. Well, I don't know if I can do it. Well, then you better start praying to the God you say you believe in. God, help me. It's about time you had to pray for something versus just do things on your own strength.

Why do I say that? Because I'm a perfect illustration, sadly, too often, of just doing things on my own strength. Lord, I can just do these things on my own. And, of course, I know that's not right to think or to say or to do, but sadly I fall into the prayerlessness trap and self-sufficiency trap.

And so, back to the testimony talk. How do you give a testimony? What is a testimony? Should testimonies be given in a local church worship service, etc.? But before I do that, I want to read an interesting testimony that someone gave about Jesus Christ.

And that's really what we're after today. When you get up and give a testimony, you better not talk about yourself the whole time. Say, I've got five minutes of testimony. Four and a half minutes will be about myself and sex, drugs, rock and roll.

Don't do that. Before I actually read this thing here, let me ask you this. If you had one minute to give your testimony, starting right now, without any preparation, what would you say? Go. Well, I'm not going to wait a whole minute and waste a minute on the radio, but here's what I would say.

If you're like everyone else and I ask the men in discipleship, give me your one-minute testimony and I get a timer out, I also ask the new members for a new member application, could you please give me your one-minute testimony?

And inevitably, one minute is over and they're still talking about themselves. Now we are to testify of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to talk about what God has done. Remember the man who had the demons and Jesus cast those demons out into the swine?

Remember those devil ham stories? Listen. And they began to implore Jesus to leave their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed, Mark 5, was imploring him that he might accompany him.

And he did not let him, but said to him, Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you and how he had mercy on you. And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis, those ten Gentile cities, what great things Jesus had done for him.

And everyone was amazed. Now, thought one, if he went away telling everyone about himself the whole time, nobody would be amazed. They would be demazed. They would not be amazed or astonished or shocked.

They would think it's just one more sinful person and his escapades and his exploits. But when you talk about this great God who has done something for you, a God who has given you mercy, that is the right approach.

And so when you give a testimony, the first thing I want to tell you is this, stop romanticizing your old sinful life and get to the good news. Good news is not what a horrible life you lived. So summarize things.

So state things plainly but concisely. And if you're married, don't shame your wife by saying, you know, how many girls you slept with and all these other kind of things. You can just say, my life was dominated by sin.

And what young men struggle with, my life was dominated by. Pretty much I think everybody get the picture. Someone said that to me. I think, you know what, your life was dominated by sex, drugs, rock and roll.

So you can be very generic with the discussion of your own sin, your own life. I'm not saying you have to be sterile. After all, it is your personal testimony. What God has done for you. And it would be good to talk about who you were before salvation and then talk about what you were like after salvation and how God actually saved you.

I think that would be fine and dandy and good and right. But we want to get to Jesus because your testimony of how bad you are isn't going to save anyone. You need to go and tell people what great things the Lord has done for you.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be personal. Right there you can even see in Mark 5, although this isn't a template for testimony per se, it does give us a good hint on how to act when we're telling people about who Jesus is.

The great things the Lord has done for you. And that's what we're after. This is what God has done. And so when it comes to testimonies, the first thing I want to tell you is minimal, concise summaries of your old life.

I don't want you to do the whole, you know, these are all the things that I've done. Just give me the basics. I get it. You were a sinner like everyone else. And in this way, if your testimony is, I grew up a pastor's kid and then realized the depth of my sin and the depths of my depravity and how I was an enemy of God and how I was a son of a child of wrath and I was a son of disobedience and Satan was my father.

That's true for a pastor's kid, and it's also true for a heroin addict. I mean, what if you get asked to give your testimony, but you're a pastor's kid and you never did all those horrible things? Well, if you talk about the nature of sin, you're just as bad as a heroin addict.

You're just as bad as the adulterer. You're just as bad as the homosexual. You're just as bad as any other kind of sinner. See, that's what we want to do. And I think if you go to Titus chapter 3, there's a good template for Paul as he gave his testimony.

There's other testimonies that he gave, and Paul is unique because Jesus showed up to talk to Paul. He didn't show up to talk to us. Titus chapter 3, it's interesting. He said in verse 3, for we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

And so that gives us just generics. That gives us the basics. That gives us what we all have done. So whenever I get asked to give a testimony, I always turn my Bible to Titus chapter 3 because I have another goal, and that is to teach people the Bible as I'm giving a testimony.

And each time I get up in front of people, I want to teach them the Bible and teach them about how great Christ is and the great things He's done for me and He's done for mankind. So when you get asked to give your testimony, why don't you say to yourself, there are four parts to my testimony.

Four W's. Okay? You got the four W's down? W number one, who is God? W number two, who is man? W number three, what Jesus did? W number four, how should you—that's an H. What should your response be? So there's the four W's.

Two who's, two what's. Who is man? Who is God? You can switch those around if you want. What did Jesus do? What does God command you to do? Those are the four W's. And if you remember those four W's, you should be set.

That will help you talk about God, His standards, His laws, His perfections, His entrance requirements for heaven. That should help you talk about how man has fallen and sinful and needs to be redeemed.

That should give you the solution to the problem. That is what Jesus did. His life, His death, His resurrection, substitutionary atonement, literal resurrection to confirm His great substitutionary work of redemption and reconciliation and propitiation.

And then what should you do in response? Repent, believe, trust, follow, etc. Those are the four components. And if you go to Titus chapter 3, it will help you do that very thing. And notice the first component's already there.

I'm sinful. There's the first W. If you want the first W to be, who is man? Disobedient, foolish, slave, hateful, hating one another, etc. But as soon as you can, you need to get to the good news. Now I don't mean you have to minimize sin.

I don't mean you have to say, well, you know, we all know we're sinners and everybody, have you told a lie? Yes, then okay, you're a liar, and then just jump to the next thing. I don't mean that. I mean that you can establish the sinfulness of man by telling people that you are sinful and then they're sinful as well.

I think when you give a testimony, you not only minimize the details of your sinfulness, but you also include the listeners and tell them you, in fact, have fallen in Adam as well, and you have a federal representative by God's wise choice, Adam, and you and Adam fell, and you now have also contributed to your own sin by—your own condition by sinning, and we can establish the fact that not only are we sinners, but also our audience would be sinful.

So when I give a testimony, I think concise background of sin, not glorifying with all the details, and on this night I did this, and on that night I did this. I think you talk about, you know, I used to be a drug addict, well, that pretty much gives a picture.

You don't need to give all the lucid details and have people basically relive your sin. Some of these things that we've done in the past, what does the Bible say? Shameful to even talk about again. It's just shameful.

Shameful rebellious behavior, and we don't want to do that. So my name is Mike Avendroth. This is No Compromise Radio Ministry, and someone wrote in and said, could you help me give a testimony? Give me some hints on how to give a testimony, and so that's exactly what we're doing today because I like to please the audience.

This is positive, encouraging No Compromise Radio. No co-a-day keeps the confusion away. Next, we want to talk about who Jesus is. That's really the good news. The good news is a declaration. Mike Horton and the guys at White Horse Inn do a great job.

It's an announcement. It's news. It's nothing to do. There is a response in regard to this, but the good news in and of itself, the gospel message talks about this great demonstration of God's conspicuous love in the person of Jesus Christ, the God-man.

The Historical Jesus, His Ministry, and His Resurrection

And so, speaking of that, there's a young man in our church, Andrew Carden, and he goes to public school, and he had to write a paper for his government class about a historical figure. And so, Andrew Carden, I am very proud of you, so proud of you that I bequeath to you half of my assets.

No, I'm just kidding. So proud of you. I'm going to read this because I think it's good. Here is a young man in his teens who understands that when we begin to talk about Jesus, we talk about Jesus, the historical figure.

Now, just listen to this. If you had to give a paper in public high school, and you had to say, let's pick some historical figure, how many people have the temerity, the courage to say, let's talk about Jesus?

Because that will surely get the snide remarks. I don't know what kind of grade he got, but I'm giving you an A+. The most influential person who ever lived was Jesus Christ. Even 2 ,000 years later, Jesus' teachings are still circulated and taught throughout the world.

While Jesus was on earth, he made many claims, the most controversial of these that he was the Son of God. He was born an Israelite, and his purpose was to fulfill prophecies foretold in the Old Testament of the Jewish holy scriptures about a Messiah who would come to save his people.

His public ministry began at age 30 and ended three years later when Jewish religious rulers brought him up on charges and crucified him as the worst kind of criminal. In that short time, his teachings uprooted many of the old teachings and customs of his day and of the Jewish faith.

So instantly, we're looking at who Jesus is. As Andrew Carden writes, I like it. Jesus also taught about how people should live and treat one another in his most famous discourse called the Sermon on the Mount.

He addressed the issues of the heart and motivations of the human spirit as opposed to the outward obedience to the man-made traditions added to the Jewish law. He spoke with authority about God's requirement of humility and meekness towards others as opposed to doing works that would win God's favor.

This insulted the Jewish ruling class, which included the scribes and Pharisees, because he stated that they weren't automatically ensured a spot in heaven just because of their position or how many sacrifices they offered, which is a big part of the Jewish belief system.

This was one of the first convicting encounters that caused these powerful men to look for reasons to have him put to death so as to show that they were still in power and he was a blasphemer, which was a crime punishable by death.

Andrew Carden, Jesus Christ historical figure, next paragraph. Lastly, he came to live a perfect life. Now listen to this. This is where it gets good. I'm not saying it wasn't good before Andrew, but this is where it gets good.

The other stuff was kind of a lead up. This is kind of the public school lead up, so then they get this part. Here we go. Lastly, he came to live a perfect life and die a substitutionary death for the sins of all people who would believe in him.

As my daughter would say, yes. This was the most controversial of his entire mission because the prophecies of the Old Testament foretold a coming Jewish king who would cause all authority on earth to be subject to him.

The people were under Roman oppression at the time and expected him to come as an authority figure to overthrow the Roman government. Instead he came as a son of a poor carpenter and was unschooled who taught about who God is and what he requires with authority.

He commanded the respect of all who heard him and preach. His perfect life was testified to when the Jewish rulers brought him up on charges and no one could find any fault in his way of life with respect to their law.

He taught that his death was a sacrifice for the sins of all the people who would trust in his work in fulfilling his mission from God. He chose 12 followers who were willing to go to their death for what Jesus taught.

He also commanded them to teach others so that the teaching would spread throughout the world and be carried on from generation to generation. With this small band of followers he accomplished just that and as a result we still hear of his teachings today.

All right. The reason why Jesus is so influential is that his teachings are included in a book we call the Holy Bible. This book is the most popular piece of literature ever published and is still in print today.

It is read and studied by millions of people around the world and has been translated into several hundred languages. Jesus' life, teaching, and death have transformed the lives of people all over the world and his followers constitute one of the largest religions known as Christianity.

And you think, okay, I'm wondering. If you're like me I'm thinking, will he include the resurrection? No gospel, no testimony, just a testifony without the gospel. Resurrection, just a test of lie. I got to test a lie.

Here we go. Unlike all other world religious leaders, Jesus was the only one to be resurrected from the dead and to have hundreds of eyewitnesses who were willing to testify to his resurrection. If a body could have been produced by the ruling Jewish leaders of the Roman government it would have caused his mission to be a colossal failure.

However, no body was ever found, even to this day. Hoorah! Andrew Carden. How about that? So, here's my question back on No Compromise Radio Ministry today talking about giving testimonies. When you give a testimony, testify to the great things God has done for you in the person of Jesus Christ.

Talk about Jesus. Talk about the things that he has done well. That's what you need to do. If the first W is who is God, and you can talk about his holiness, his righteousness, how he's a creator, how he's a judge, how he's also a compassionate Savior, and how he desires perfection to get into heaven, then talk about sin, but don't make yourself the star of the story.

I was this, I was that, I was that. Don't do that. Get straight to talking about God, which is point one and point three. What Jesus did. This great substitutionary atonement. This great substitutionary atonement, which was a perfect atonement.

Here we have God, who dwells in bodily form. Jesus Christ, the one who said, I am the Father, our one. And what does he do? He dies for sins, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring people to God.

1 Peter 3, verse 18. God demonstrates his own love for us in this way. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That is what we need to talk about. How Jesus is the Savior, Jesus is the substitute, Jesus is the sin bearer.

With Top Lady, we need to say, could my tears forever flow? All for sin could not atone, thou must save, and thou alone. He is the resurrected Savior. He is the one who had to come to deal with sins. And if you need your sins forgiven, which you do, if you want your sins forgiven, there's only one hope for you, because cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the book of the law.

And so back to my testimony format in Titus chapter 3. If you want to use that, it says in verse 4, but when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

So see, the focus there is on Christ Jesus. That's exactly what Paul did. That's exactly what Paul did. And if God is so perfect and holy and great, and you're a creator, but you've sinned against such a great God with high treason, Jesus comes to take your punishment and is raised from the dead, signifying that God accepted that perfect sacrifice.

Your only response is to repent, to think differently, to believe in Christ Jesus, to turn from your sins, to follow Christ Jesus and to say, this is amazing grace. You don't say, this is an amazing decision that I'm going to accept Jesus and I'm going to do all these things.

No, it's wonderful what he did. I will gladly follow, turn, and trust. So today we're talking about testimonies. And so think of your testimony ahead of time. Use Titus chapter 3 as a paradigm. Remember the four W's—who is God, who is man, what did Christ do, and what does God command you to do?

And remember, focus on Christ Jesus. If you say, well, do you give testimonies during worship services? No. Well, I guess that's not true. We do during baptisms. The baptismal candidate can give a short testimony about how God saved them.

Not how you believe, but how God saved me. So I always turn it. If they don't remember, I say, just talk about how God saved you. God active, you passive. God saves you. God is the Savior. And it's not 50 -50, not 99 -1.

God is 100 Savior. He monergistically saves. He alone works. Alone worker. That is what he does, because he is the lone Savior. The Savior alone. Christ alone is the only Savior. So what we do here at No Compromise Radio is we try to give you topics to think about.

And when churches give testimonies all the time, the reason we don't is we don't see testimonies as a part of corporate worship prescribed by the Bible. Singing, yes. Giving, yes. Preaching, yes. Listening, yes.

Communion, yes. Baptism, yes. We're not standing up giving a testimony. Although that is very effective for men's breakfast, for outreach, for evangelism, as long as you focus on Jesus. That is the issue.

Focus upon the Lamb who was slain in eternity past and tell people in light of that great Lamb who has been raised from the dead to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, Acts 16 .31.

That is the real issue. So on No Compromise Radio, if you've been ever asked to give a testimony, do your homework and then talk about Jesus. That's what you need to do. And if you think you might one day, why don't you begin to work on your testimony now?

And then let's boil it down to one minute. One minute. Can you imagine if I give you four components to a testimony? Four W's. Who is God? Who is man? What Jesus did? What God commands you to do in light of Christ's work.

If I give you four and you have 60 seconds, how many seconds does that give you to talk about your own sin? Well, if you go by percentages, that will give you 25%, right? Which will give you how many seconds?

15. You can't even get, Hi, my name is Mike Abendroth out before you've got 10 seconds left. You got to move it. I think the kids have some song, you've got to move it, move it. So get moving on your sin.

Of course you can talk about you and your sin, but minimize it, summarize it, condense it. Don't glorify it. Don't make it romantic because it's not going to make any greater testimony for you or for the Lord because Jesus Christ's death, resurrection, and the application by the Spirit of God to someone's life of that death and resurrection is great no matter how bad the sinner is.

Whether you're Paul or whether you're Timothy, Timothy being raised with a godly mother and a godly grandmother and being raised the right way, or Paul, the Jesus killer. If he could have killed Jesus, he would have, and he killed the people who followed Jesus and threw his head in with those who would kill him.

So, testimonies testify of God's great saving power, and he can save even a wretch like me. 30 seconds you've got, 60 seconds you've got. Who is God? Who is man? What did Jesus do? And what does God command you in light of that?

And for you, if you haven't listened today, as a believer, you need to repent and believe and follow Christ Jesus, the risen Savior. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text. Please come and join us.

Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at 6. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400. The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff or management.