It is good to be a Christian and know it, but it is better to be a Christian and show it!
back it up with bible
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Isaiah 50:7 For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Daniel 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Acts 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
1 John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
core christianity
Testify
In our passage for today (Exodus 18:1-12), Jethro, priest of Midian and Moses’ father-in-law, brought Moses’ wife and two sons to meet Moses while he and the Israelites were camped near Mt. Sinai. Apparently Moses had at some point sent them to Jethro while he led the people through the desert. Jethro had heard that Moses was now near so he took Moses’ family to him. Jethro had heard what God had done for Moses and brought Moses’ family out to meet him. Upon their arrival Moses took his father-in-law Jethro into the tent and told him everything that Yahweh had done, how He had delivered them from the Egyptians and sustained them in the desert. Jethro had heard second hand. Now he has heard first hand from Moses about Yahweh’s salvation. Moses’ testimony led Jethro to rejoice and praise God for His salvation. Jethro then came to a conclusion he had never reached before (v. 11): “Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all
other gods, for He did this to those [Egyptian gods] who treated Israel arrogantly.” This is quite a statement. Remember, Jethro most likely worshipped and served as priest to Yahweh even though he did not yet know Yahweh by that name, but simply as the God of his father Abraham. Jethro served the right God, namely Yahweh, but he did not know that Yahweh was greater than all other gods. He was a priest for Yahweh, but in his polytheistic world he thought Yahweh was just one among many gods, the particular god that their family served.
But now he has come to know, through Yahweh’s salvation and Moses’ testimony, that there is no god like Yahweh. Yahweh is greater than all gods, even greater than the Egyptians gods who for so long had supported Pharaoh’s enslaving regime. Jethro’s faith has grown. He has a new knowledge of the power of the God whom he serves. “Now I know. . ..” Jethro proceeded to offer sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to join him. Together they ate bread in the presence of God. Catch the movement of what is taking place here. God has saved =>Jethro has heard second hand => Moses testifies first hand to God’s salvation => Jethro rejoices in what God has done for Moses => Jethro comes to know God as he had never known him before, as the One greater than all other gods => Jethro, joined by the community of the saved, worships God => fellowship in the presence of God.
Let me simplify it: Salvation => Hearing and Testimony => Rejoicing => New Personal Knowledge => Community Worship and Fellowship.
I am especially struck by the steps that follow the rejoicing over the testimony. The goal of testimony is not just rejoicing over what God has done, but a new, gripping knowledge of who God is. Through the testimony Jethro has come to know God as he had never known him before. That’s what we want to happen when we testify to God;’ grace. The goal is not just to make us feel good, but actually to come to know Christ as we have never known Christ before, to come to fresh awareness that Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I am struck by the testimonial character of Moses’ life. His whole life was a witness to the greatness of Yahweh. How testimonial are our lives? Or better, to what do our lives testify? How important was Moses’ testimony to Jethro’s coming to know? How important is your testimony to someone coming to know Christ? Unless there is testifying there will not be much rejoicing and worse, there will be little knowing and even less community worship and fellowship. Let someone know what the Lord has done. Who knows, someone might learn something. (Steve Rodeheaver)
previously published
(David B. Berg:) When I was a young teen, those big bullies really liked to pick on me! I was skinny and scrawny and a weakling in the flesh compared to some of those big brutes. I was a real loner as a teen, and there were all sorts of reasons why the big bullies liked to pick on me. I was the preacher’s kid, for one, and also the teacher’s pet as far as they were concerned, because I studied hard and applied myself and got better grades than they did. I didn’t speak their bad language and I wouldn’t go along with their pranks and all their cuttin’ up, so they were always railin’ on me. I just had to decide if I was going to let it bother me or not. I had to make the decision as to whether I was going to go under because of it, or rise above it. I knew the Lord, I knew the truth, and once I decided I was going to live for Him, He gave me the guts and the faith to stand up for my convictions. I was a fighter for my faith and what I believed, because I knew I was right! And now today, it’s just as important for all you young people to stand up and be fighters for your faith as well. Right here in the Family you can be a fighter for your faith. Stand up for what you know is right, and don’t let anything get you down! If you don’t tell others, you don’t believe it yourself! Something you believe, you talk about! (Conviction/Compromise)
make it personal
Jesus, do I need to grow in my personal conviction? Am I ready to stand up for what I believe is right even when it’s a bit uncomfortable?
