.....::::: DON'T BE AFRAID TO SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY :::::.....

Have you ever been in court or at least watched a t.v show where the setting is a courtroom and the bailiff (police officer) asks that the person who is about to speak, to place their hand on the Holy Bible and he then proceeds to say this:

“Do you solemnly swear that the testimony that you are about to give is the truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

Yeah…I know…for those who watch Law & Order or Criminal Minds, this is right up your alley. But how does this apply to us?

A while back, I blogged about how our testimonies can change a life. It’s true! But for some reason, some of us are afraid to share our past experiences…

We are afraid that we will get judged or the person listening will not take into consideration what it is that we are saying because at the end of the day, we are no different then them. We are ashamed because our lives don’t always match what we know God has done in our lives.

But we have misunderstood what testimony is. Testimony is evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something. What that means is that it has to be something true and something that we know. And what do we know better than anyone else? Where we have been and came from. We are to testify to others what God has done in our lives.

But how though?

If we want others to take what we have to say seriously concerning Jesus Christ, we have to show them that our lives reflect His reality. We must do good. We have to talk the talk and walk the walk!

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10)

Throughout the Bible, Jesus did many miracles and the people He healed or spoke to often ran and told others through testimony. Regardless of what their previous state was, they were unashamed and ran to tell others of what Christ had done!

Speaking of one of Christ’s many miracles, let us look at Paul. Before his personal meeting with Jesus Christ, Paul hated the Christian faith and persecuted Christians without mercy. I have spoken about Him previously in a few of these posts but I can not guarantee that this is the last time you will hear his name in one of these post!

In 1 Timothy 1:15-16, Paul was not interested in creating an image of anything. He was using himself as an example. He was never reluctant to share his past because he knew that by God’s grace, his past failures would serve to bring others to the light. But in this verse, he lowered his guard (transparency) to communicate the Gospel. That is a very important step! People will not always believe that the Gospel is important if it is not a crucial part of your life.

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.” - 1 Timothy 1:15

To make a long story short, people think that God will never forgive and accept them because of their pasts. But when you think that way, think of Paul’s past. He literally went against Jesus’ teachings and had many of Jesus’ followers killed before helping shape the history of Christianity. At times we hesitate to share our past struggles with others because we think that they will judge us or will say that we are no different from them. But in reality, we aren’t. And that is what is amazing with God’s grace! It is available to anyone and everyone! We are no better than anyone else but we do have something in common: there is a God that is willing to forgive us regardless of our sins. All we have to do is repent and seek out Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into the word to save sinners, and no sinner is beyond His saving power. Regardless of your background, your ethnicity, your mistakes, your past choices, your past luggage, your infidelities…REGARDLESS…share your testimony! The world needs Christians who are not afraid to live their faith and share their testimony! In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands us to go into the world and preach the Gospel but we can only do that when we realize the power and importance of our testimonies. Don’t be afraid to let others know from where Christ reached to save you and all that He has done for you! God does not waste our time; He will use our past and present so we may serve Him with our future. Like a friend of mine would say: "The past is the past!!!" Spread for Christ!

We would love to hear from your testimonies! Contact us via spread4christ@gmail.com and send us your testimonies! Tell us what Jesus Christ has done for you! Stay blessed!

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: DON'T MISS THE SUBWAY! :::::.....

Hey everyone! Whether some people who visit this blog know it or not, we at Spread4Christ live in Canada. I am originally from the States and the other members from other parts of the world but that is another story. But what is there to say that is good about Canada? Plenty! But one of the things I enjoy to be honest is it’s effort towards public transportation. I know what you are going to say…”how is this relevant to God in any shape or form?” Well let me explain…

I was taking the subway the other day (I forgot where I was headed) and it hit me...what if this subway represented or could be compared to when Jesus makes His glorious return? What do I mean? The subway comes and stays at a station for only 30-45 seconds right? And sadly, it does not necessarily wait on anyone (see Matthew 25:1-13)…depending on who the conductor is. But in the Bible, in Revelation 16:15, it says:

“Behold I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

What that means is that Christ’s return will be unexpected. And by unexpected, it will be swift and come quickly! We must be ready when He returns! We can prepare by standing firm in temptation and being committed to God’s moral standards.

But then again, you ask how is this relevant to the subway?

Every time I take the subway in the morning, it is jam packed! There are people already in it: those who stay and those who are getting off. (Let’s ignore the ones getting off and look at the people in the station.) What if there are 3 types of people at the subway station?

1) The ones standing at the station waiting for the subway.

2) The ones who are running to catch the subway.

3) And lastly, the people who are walking and taking their precious time to get on it.

What if...? (This is where everything I said becomes relevant). Where do you find yourself amongst the 3 types of people? The ones who are already there (firm believers in Christ and His return who are patiently waiting)? The ones who are running to get there (those who will try to become believers at the last minute but were doing something else (living a certain way) just before) or those who are walking and taking their precious time (those who believe they have all the time in the world to come to Jesus or they just don't really care)? Forgive me for asking... Think about it as you continue your faithful walk with Christ!

- Spread4Christ -

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: THE TRUTH ABOUT SEX :::::.....

What is SEX exactly? In the dictionary, it can be summarized to being an act of sexual activity, including specifically sexual intercourse. Our generation sees sex as “recreational play between two consenting adults or people” (John Mark Comer definition). Some might ask, “What’s the big deal?” But like everything on this beautiful yet corrupt world we live in, every action has a reaction. Hopefully this post helps you realize the good, the bad and the in between of sex. 

What is sex exactly? Sex is actually the coming together of two people so they become one (no pun intended) body and soul. The two people become “fused” together at the deepest level. Let me start off by saying that sex is NOT bad. On the contrary, it is good because God created it. It is man that took what God intended for good and made it become what we see today in movies, music videos and other forms of media that we can get our hands on. It becomes bad when we use it in a context other than that of what God intended. He intended it to be used inside a covenant. What is a covenant? A covenant is an agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people. The agreement that we all can think of and should think of is MARRIAGE. Speaking of context, while reading Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker’s book, “Every Man’s Battle: Winning The War of Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time”, it said something that truly caught my attention.

“Because our own standards on sexual purity have been so mixed with God’s, and since many Christians (sadly) don’t read their Bibles very often, many men and women have NO CLUE about God’s standards for sexual purity. 

Did you know that we’re commanded to avoid sexual impurity in nearly EVERY BOOK of the New Testament? […]”

And then the book goes on and literally gives you all the passages referring to sexual immorality. (I may give them all in the second part of this post).

THE GOOD. When something is done in the right context, there is no guilt, no ill after effect or regret. For example, have you ever had an exam coming up in school and you really worked hard, went to ask the teacher questions and even studied all night and all week just for this exam? And when you get to the exam, you pass it with flying colors? Isn’t it one of the best feelings ever?! Why? Because you did the right thing: you prepared for it. You could’ve cheated. You could’ve used your phone on the test. You could’ve chose to not study. But because you didn't, the reward was 10 times better. Hard work pays off! It’s the same with sex. If you wait and stay reserved, the feeling it gives will be much more fulfilling and satisfying. What if you decided to wait until you were married (even if you already had sexual relations before), and when you finally marry that special someone that has your heart, that you know will take care of you in every way possible and that you will spend the rest of your life with, having sex will mean so much more because you reserved yourself for God and that person. Sex can be used and seen as a form of thanksgiving to God for blessing you with your “other half” that is your partner. 

THE BAD. Sex shouldn’t be used as a form of pleasure before marriage. I, personally, am not saying these things because I am perfect. I am sharing this information because I have been there and sadly, one of the most enslaving sins that our generation is suffering from is sexual sin. Like I mentioned, I have been there and it is not something you can just get up and run from on your own. The act of having sex before marriage can cause chaos rather than being beneficial. It creates spiritual ties with every partner that we are with. Outside of marriage, sex can be dehumanizing. One person may see another person as an object because of self-gratification etc. Going back to what I said about spiritual ties with a partner, every time these relations happen, do you feel empty? Like a part of you has left you? Well that’s the spiritual aspect of sex kicking in. It’s as if one person comes and takes a little from you every time. It is stealing basically. For example, when we have sex before marriage, we are stealing from someone. The person we are having these relations with may or may not be our future husband or wife. That person does not belong to us. He or she belongs to God and eventually someone else. The image that I use is this one: What would you do if you dated someone or even if you didn't, had sexual relations with them but in 10 years, you got invited to their wedding and had to stare in the eyes of their partner to say congratulations? I know. It would be the most awkward feeling ever, right? Well that’s how it is. Do you walk into Walmart, open a box of soap, use it and put it back? No. So why not wait and make sure that this is the soap we need and wait for the right time to “buy” it? 

Sex isn’t bad when used in the right context. If you are one of those people, don’t worry, all is NOT lost. It is up to you to admit that you need help and that this is a problem. Then you must repent. No one likes a cheater. What do I mean? We are in a relationship with Jesus. When we have sex before marriage, we basically cheat on Christ. Our bodies are not our own. So to give ourselves away to anyone before a covenant or marriage is wrong. Even to those that aren’t Christians that may read this article, sex does not equal love. Sex is a benefit that comes from love but it is not love’s definition. Hope that helps. Stay blessed and in faith!

(Devotions/ Devotionals)