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“What the Lord Has Done In Me! (A powerful demonstration of the Gospel)”
Categories: Monday Morning MeditationWhat is the first thing you want to know when you hear about a new diet or exercise program? Not what the daily regimen looks like. Not what the daily caloric goals are or what macronutrient goals you should be hitting. The first thing you want to know is does it.... work? And so you look at the before and after photos, you listen to testimonials, and if a friend or acquaintance told you about it you ask them about their personal experience and how effective this has been in their life.
This is instructive for the process of sharing the Gospel. When we share the Gospel with people the first thing they want to know is does it work? How effective is it? What changes will it produce for the better? Why do I need this? We must start with why and often times that “why” starts not with some deep dive in doctrinal discussions, or some esoteric theological conversation but with what God has begun to do in me (there is a time and place for those other conversations, but the beginning is usually not it). Paul says, “the Gospel is the power to salvation” (Rom. 1:16), do we present it as such? The power to deliver someone from the domain of Satan and bring them into the kingdom of light. The power causes the blind to see. The power to raise from death to life. People, especially those who we know and already have a relationship with, want to know how has that power been at work in us.
As we studied Sunday morning when looking at the story of the man liberated from Legion, Jesus brings about powerful and demonstrable change. This man was brought from the land of the dead to that of the living, from lunacy to soundness of mind, from destructive raging to serene sitting. Likewise, if we are going to demonstrate the power of the Gospel, that power must evident in our lives. Like the formerly demon-possessed man, we must “sit at Jesus feet” that is we must learn from him and become his disciple. We must “change our clothes” that is - put on new habits and a new lifestyle. Finally, we must “tell our story” or proclaim all God has done for us. We all have been plagued by certain evil forces in our lives, perhaps not in the same way as this man, but we have been or are in the process of being liberated no less. Let us proclaim what God has done in us.
For this, we need 1) an honest introspection of our past. 2) A grateful appreciation of where God has brought us at present. 3) And a hopeful appreciation about what heights He will lead us to in the future.
What are you “demons?” Did you/do you struggle with greed, pride, discontent, lust, envy, rivalry, gossip, slander, anger, depression, anxiety, homosexual tendencies, promiscuity, drunkenness, or any such thing? Are you, by God’s strength, doing better with these things? Has He made you more loving, less prideful, more pure, less profane? More peaceable, more pleasant? How have you grown? People want to know that, nay, people need to know that.
Find a way, even in the present situation, to share your story. Go to your front yard and get to know your neighbor and talk about how your life is being transformed by Christ. Call up an old friend, or a family member that knew you in a former life, catch up, let them know what’s changed and why. Feeling brave enough to be really vulnerable. Share your story on social media. You never know who might relate, who might feel that they’re the only ones struggling with those demons. Who might hear (read) your story, and think “I’ve got to tell them mine.”
In all of this, our focus should be on God not on self. This is what He has done! These changes are only possible because of Him. Let us not attribute the power in our lives to our intellect, skill, or circumstances apart from God. This is not an exercise of bragging in self, but of boasting in God! Let us tell our story, or perhaps better put, His story in us!
