On one hand, people we interact with hear us saying we are a Christian…or that we go to church…or that God is good…or whatever it is that they hear us saying…that lets them know we affiliate ourselves with God.
But on the other hand, when these same people see and hear us doing _______ or acting _______ then no matter what we SAY about God…our attitude, behavior, actions, interactions, and responses REVEAL our REAL testimony.
So the question is: when people interact with us enough to be able to see the REAL composite of who and what we REALLY are, what is the testimony they get?
Is it one that inspires them to draw closer to God…or one that drives them away from God?
Is it one that attracts them to Christian people…or one that drives them to avoid church-going, religious people?
Is it one that raises their respect, appreciation, and admiration of us…or one that causes them to think of us as a fraud or a fake?
Does our REAL testimony put a good taste…or a bad taste…in their mouth?
Does our REAL testimony leave a good smell…or a bad smell…in their nose?
When we interact with people at church…at home…at our job…at a store…and all the other places we go…what is our REAL testimony in each one of these places?
Let’s explore…
I once went to church with a man for 5 years…a man who readily claimed he was saved…but not one single time in all those years did I ever see this man pray. When everyone else was standing and praying, he wasn’t standing or praying. When everyone else was kneeling and praying, he wasn’t kneeling or praying. When everyone else was at the altar praying, he wasn’t at the altar and he was not praying. No matter what was going on, this man would find something else to do so that he was “occupied” and unable to pray.
Now, God is this man’s judge and not me. Moreover, I cannot see in his heart or mind. And certainly, I was not sitting around making a career out of watching this guy. But, you can’t help but notice certain things about people when you are around them…and the question is: what kind of testimony was this man LAYING ON his family and others that his life was impacting and influencing?
I recall another man who never ever exhibited any excitement or emotion in church…he was as stoic as they come. But, come time to go on vacation in Hawaii, somewhere in the Caribbean, or whatever tropical beach he was headed to, and this guy suddenly became the epitome of excitement and emotion.
Again, I’m not this man’s judge…and there is nothing wrong with vacationing. I think every family should vacation regularly and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. But, to the point here, think about the testimony that this man is presenting and laying on those around him.
Specifically, his testimony is that he is NOT excited about God…but the beaches and islands that God made sure excite him. Stated differently, this man’s testimony is that beaches and islands are more important and worthy of praise and excitement than God is.
Anyone who has sat in church for very long has seen what I am talking about played out many times by men who won’t hardly budge or move in church…but watch how they act during a ball game…and you won’t hardly believe they are the same person.
As before, they are people who are not excited about God Almighty…but they are very excited about the sports gods of this world.
What about the mom who loves to tell her young adult children that they need to go to church…that they need to get saved…but the children frequently sees their mom flying off the handle and acting like a lunatic over some little this, that, or the other?
Well, “flying off the handle” is that mom’s REAL testimony…is it not?
A testimony is being lived out in front of those children…and no matter how much the mom claims to be a Christian, her ACTUAL testimony may very well be driving her children AWAY from God.
Similarly, what testimony do children REALLY get when their parents say they are Christians…but they have an awful marriage filled with confusion, chaos, discord, and conflict?
What about the person who claims to be a devout Christian…who loves to talk about how much they read the Bible…but turns around and makes fun of people…belittles them…criticizes them…and cuts them down in all kinds of ways?
What about the person who claims to be all righteous and holy…so much so that nobody is good enough for them…and their attitude shows it?
What about the person who is very vocal about telling everyone he or she is a Christian…but over and over this person is caught lying, deceiving, cheating, and/or stealing?
What about the woman who claims to love God…but when you see her away from church she looks like a street-walker?
What about the man who condemns others for being a sinner…but every time you turn around, you can see him ogling women in a lascivious manner?
What about the person who testifies of being filled with the Holy Ghost…and yet, there is no evidence in their life that they have any of the Holy Ghost let alone being filled with the Holy Ghost?
Well again, no matter what a person may say, there IS a REAL testimony that is being presented to those who are looking on, isn’t there?
Now, for most of us, there is usually an individual or two who faults, condemns, criticizes, and rejects us…for reasons, issues, hang-ups, flaws, or deficiencies of their own…that have nothing to do with us. We could have the world’s greatest testimony and these individuals STILL would not like us or approve of us.
But, ignoring any such exceptions and anomalies, and evaluating ourselves in relation to all the normal, rational people observing our life: what is our REAL testimony?
For all the people who ARE watching and listening in on our life…what is the REAL testimony that they see and hear?
Setting aside the nice, pretty, polished version of our self-constructed testimony that we like to think represents us…
Setting aside the scrubbed, sanitized PR (public relations) version of our self-constructed testimony that we like to present in polite settings to TRY to skew our testimony into something more positive and complimentary…
…what is our REAL testimony that can EASILY be seen by anyone who spends a bit of time with us?
Whether we want it or not, our testimony IS being broadcasted.
Going to an even broader level…if a movie crew could walk backwards in time…and if they could cross back over each of our life’s fields and bridges…from now all the way back to the day we each first claimed salvation…and filmed those LITTLE MOMENTS and those LITTLE INTERACTIONS that portray the REAL person that we have been up to now…that reveal the ACTUAL PATTERN of our REAL self…and the kind of connection we each had with most of the people in each part of our life…what would that film reveal? What would all the connects and disconnects…what would all the relationships and outcomes…what would all the doing and not doing…say about each of us?
Well for most of us, there is probably room for improving our REAL testimony…and that is the message for us today: let’s each work…day by day…at improving the testimony that we present to those who are looking on at our life…so that they are drawn to God…so that they are more inspired to walk with God…so that they feel more respect towards God as a result of the respect they feel towards us in response to our REAL testimony.