Here is something to ponder: “Testimonies” as witnessing. Is this even Biblical? Perhaps testimonies are meant to encourage the saints, rather than witness to the lost. Someone help me out here? Right off, I can only think of this example from the Bible: the woman at the well who went and told everyone in her town what happened when she met the Lord. After a quick review of the words “testify” and “testimony” in the New Testament, it looks like the context is almost always exalting Christ and telling the content of the Gospel! The Samaritan woman was being an evangelist; a true witness of the Lord, telling the Gospel to everyone she knew.

Last week my daughter and I attended a midweek worship service at a huge mega church. A woman told her testimony. She described what sounded like her “false conversion” : church kid, “accepted Christ” at 8, then lived backslidden for the next 20 years. She only praised and gave glory to these things: 1. a relative, 2. the doctors, 3. the psychologists and, 4. the psych drugs they put her on. Now this subject she was speaking on is another topic altogether. But regardless, it was only about her. Jesus was not even mentioned; only a phrase in Psalms that she repeated to herself mantra style that helped her cope. She preached the gospel of “hope in psychologists and drugs”- only.

This is not the first time I have heard this exact testimony from a woman in a mega church. This is the fourth time. Once I also heard a man give his testimony in which he went on about how, being down and out on skid row, some men invited him to church and now he has friends, community and a place to belong (and support to get sober, etc).

We can only give “testimony” if we are actually born again. And if we are, let us not only tell what the Lord has done in our lives to help us, but let us exalt Jesus Christ, (the true encouragement for believers) and represent Him to the lost by testifying of faith in Him and the content of the gospel (the only true witnessing and hope for the lost).

He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. John 1:7

And this is the testimony (witness!), that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:11.

We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 1 John 4:14

who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ.. Rev.1:2

Here is a photo outreach report for your edification. Back on October 11, I was able to join friends from the Arabic speaking church for a “book table outreach” at the Arabic Cultural Festival in San Francisco. Besides being a favorite outreach event, it is always a joy to reunite and share loving fellowship with these brothers and sisters. The table was loaded with free Bibles, gospel booklets, tracts and videos in several languages. All day long people crowded our little corner of the room, where believers lovingly and boldly witnessed and read the Bible out loud to anyone who would listen.

Pastor Yousef witnessed to these young men from Saudi Arabia who are here for college.

Emir witnessing to more international college students!

These young men are from three different North African countries. They have also come here for college. The young man on the left was very interested in hearing what Yousef had to say.

This sister spent hours reading the Bible aloud to others and sharing the Gospel with many people. Here she is with this very curious young woman, who had questions (and wanted to debate) but ended up mostly just listening.

Meanwhile, while our sister was reading the Bible aloud and preaching the gospel to the young woman conversationally, these men were trying not to look like they were listening intently.

Eventually, she drew them in as they and several others listened to her share Truth from the Bible about our Savior. After this, these people went and stood around pastor Yousef while he talked about the Lord to them, and our sister went on to speak to others.

For the entire day, people were coming to the table to take tracts, Bibles and DVDs, and to listen to believers share the Gospel. Some folks were standing around reading their gospel booklets. The “Bible book table” was a very busy and crowded place all day. But on the other side of the room, except for the two hosts, the “Islam” table (stacked with Korans) stood vacant and quiet all day.

It is thrilling to see and meet these people from some very closed Muslim countries. Oh that God may add them to His Kingdom! He has brought them to this place that they may hear the truth about Jesus; that He is God, and that He is the sin bearer. He has brought them that they may hear of His mercy and grace towards us, in coming down to visit us..

To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Lk.1:79

Here is the photo album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=161921&id=561034376&l=aadc7d26dc

Here is an excerpt from:
What Precisely is the Gospel?
by Jeff Purswell

If the gospel message expands to include “discipleship in the kingdom,” then the objective nature of Christ’s work is minimized. When the gospel is redefined as a call to a social or political movement, Christ’s work is replaced with ours. When the gospel includes my response, then the ground of my assurance lies in me rather than in Christ. Indeed, anytime we shift the definition of the gospel from God’s objective accomplishment to our subjective appropriation, the rock-solid foundation of our faith is misplaced—and the glory of God in the gospel is obscured.

Read the article here at Sovereign Grace Ministries.

The wedding approaches. The King will be so glorious, handsome, celebrated and blessed.

Grace is poured upon His lips. Mighty with sword on thigh, He is victorious in splendor and majesty, reigning forever in His Kingdom. He defeats His enemies, loving righteousness and hating wickedness. God anoints Him with the oil of joy and clothes Him in garments with beautiful fragrances. Music is playing and He is glad.

Forget your people and your father’s house! The King will desire our beauty. Because He is our Lord, we bow down to Him. We will be glorious within and clothed in stunning beauty. We will be brought to Him. We will be led to the King with gladness and rejoicing! We will enter into the King’s palace! We will declare His name and give thanks and praise to Him forever.

Proclaiming the real Jesus and the true gospel, defending and contending, discerning false gospels; if you desire to be faithful with “Grace and Truth”, you will be encouraged by this interview.

Audio: The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: An Interview with Phil Johnson and John MacArthur

Lately I’ve been thinking about the friends and relatives I have who, over the course of fifteen to twenty five years, have probably heard the gospel a dozen times. Some have heard what seems like a hundred times and they still have yet to submit to God and obey (believe) the gospel, and trust in Christ. They are still spiritually dead.

And I’ve been thinking of all those who have yet to hear the good news. They have not heard at all! These may not be in close proximity to us; we may have to go “out there” to reach them with the gospel. Jesus has sent us out to go tell them.  Let us remember the call to follow Jesus as our first priority, and go work among those who have not heard.

And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you,

go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:59-60

These are lyrics from Salvation Plan, from Hazakim’s “Theophanies”. The first half is by Hazakim. This is the second half, written by Stephen the Levite. Here is the link to listen to the song. Here’s a performance video. The teaching at the beginning and end of the song is Dr. Michael Brown.

———————————————————————————————
The Day of Atonement is here! We’re at the top of Golgotha watchin’ the slaughter
as God the Father is offered a spotless Lamb on a cross bruh
The Eternal Word tabernaclin’ wit’ us
stricken, smitten and afflicted for all the sin we commited

Before the beginning, the Lord decreed the ordinance
that these horrible sins would be borne by Him who’s born innocent
so a picture is painted for us in scripture
through rituals we get visual hints of what He was sent for

Consider Him in His intercession for sinners
it’s more than similar, it is an intentional fulfillment of
the High Priest the Mediator between the
Deity and the dirty who need and plead to be cleaned up

so baptism is happenin’ at the Laver
a symbolism of cleansin’ and being buried and raised up
This is identification with the Savior
and after justification we enter the Holy Place bruh

Now behold the glow of the golden Menorah
it’s the Messiah, the Light of the world in all He is Lord of
Peep the table and see the body that’s broken
the blood of the New Covenant it’s the wine and the shewbread

The prayers of the saints are offered up with the incense
since the veil has been ripped, through His body we have an “En:trance”
call it the mercy seat we call it the Throne of Grace
the presence of the King of Kings in the Most Holy Place

“Rachel” is a woman I have known for at least 10 years. I first met her at the store when our children were little. Every few years I bump into her on shopping trips. Well currently our sons are on the same soccer team, and we see each other every week. The Lord is letting me know that it is past time to witness to her.

I struggle with witnessing to “peers”, friends or even those “acquaintance” friends I see only once in a while. It is fear of man, fear of being labeled and rejected. It is easier to witness to strangers than to those with whom you have a relationship. Even so, I seek out and desire relationships with these that the Lord puts on my heart. He gives me a love for them and a great desire for them to know, follow and worship Him. I feel this way about “Rachel”.

Today at the soccer game, we were talking about our children’s schooling, and then our conversation moved to the topic of her education in Israel and her memories of learning a little bit of Bible in school. Pretty soon we were discussing God’s revelation of Himself as recorded in the Tanakh, particularly the physical manifestations of God to Abraham and Jacob, and the words of the prophet Isaiah. I was very nervous (and felt quite inadequate as usual) as she said she has decided to go on without God, and make personal happiness and goodness her life philosophy. I listened to her talk about all the reasons she has decided to be basically a secular Humanist, including abuse from her ‘religious’ family, the death of a close relative in the 1967 war, the manmade religion of the ultra-Orthodox, (chickens?) and frustration with war and death between Jews and Muslims in her homeland. These things caused her much pain and confusion. She decided to make life about finding personal happiness.

Resisting the temptation to be too fearful to speak, I offered, with as much compassion as I could express to her, that though these experiences are painful, the issue is not one of temporary personal happiness, but one of righteousness before God. I asked her about the whole sacrificial system in the Tanakh: what was the purpose of it? What was God showing the people? Did it not have some very important meaning that God was communicating- over and over again? I brought up how it is almost Yom Kippur. We talked about that for a while; how the Bible teaches that sin makes us unrighteous before the holy God, how the sacrifice and the blood of the innocent lamb showed need for covering for sin. We talked about how it was presented by the High Priest to God at the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. She pondered these things.

She knows in Whom I believe. She may already know what I’m getting at, and yet, she may not. I hope this is the first of our conversations on this topic. As we were leaving she excused herself from all she heard: “Well, everyone chooses their own way to believe; whatever makes them happy.” But she knows these things we spoke of are in the scriptures. I pray she will come to believe on the One who fulfilled and accomplished God’s salvation plan.

God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished… Rom.3:2

Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17

Thursday I dropped my boy off at soccer practice. Now I had a whole hour available! I was in San Mateo’s most interesting neighborhood, North Central. In this neighborhood, people hang out on their porches, in front yards and open garages. People stand around on street corners and actually use the sidewalk. Walking past an open garage, I noticed a guy sitting in the studio he had made out of a garage, complete with couches, rugs, hard rock posters, beer bottles and television. As I walked by he greeted me from his couch, beer in hand. He left his beer, came out to the sidewalk and God turned our conversation to the spiritual. Once again God amazed me as I witnessed the humble attitude of a person prepared by Him. The man told me he basically gave up all hope of trying to be right with God since he failed at being a “good Catholic”. We talked about sin, righteousness and judgment; the Atonement of Christ, and the manmade ‘righteousness of religion’ vs. the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus for all those who believe. This rough looking humble man softened even more in response to hearing such good news.

Now you “step out” in faith! Go alone or with a friend. As you walk through your chosen neighborhood, ask God to lead you to the persons to whom He wants you to bring His message of Grace.

How lovely on the mountains (or the city streets) are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace…Is.52:7

Yesterday I again found myself in a face to face encounter with the unseen forces. I had two long conversations with S., a homeless woman my age, who was pushing her packed shopping cart with her three pet rats. It turns out she is one of those who has, since a little girl, been the victim of the satanic torture, abuse, terror and mind control of the wicked earthly “powers that be” that the Lord speaks of in Ps. 2 and Ps.21:11.

She was filled with paranoia, fear and hate for those who have hurt her. As she gripped her mace can, she told me exactly how she got her bruises and burn marks. Her STD was affecting her whole body. Demons were speaking wicked lies to me; I was speaking Truth of God’s Word to her. This shut up the demons, but she was listening. God wanted me to just show her His love, and build trust. There was much more to these conversations than I can possibly articulate here.

She lamented that the evil men who have tortured her have gotten away with it. I assured her that they ultimately will not: that God will judge all sin, evil and wickedness. The demons in her told me that this is not true, but I again answered with Bible Truth of God’s righteous character, and again, this shut them up and she was listening. I could see this Truth gave her a bit of hope.

The Lord wanted me to tell her where the safe place is. “There is no safe place!”, she insisted. I assured her there was a spiritual safe place: the large loving arms to hide under, the big cupped hands to hide in, the safe shelter to run to, the hiding place that is the Lord Jesus.