In Luke 9:26, Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” [NIV,1984]
In 2 Timothy 1:8, Paul wrote, “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord …” [NIV,1984]
Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes …” [NIV,1984]
These bible passages exhort us to speak up for Christ and the Gospel in this fallen world. Below are a few of my testimonies on this subject.
I walk about 5km every day [weather permitting] and I go to the streets, shopping malls, parks, etc. two or three times a week to help people and witness for Christ. I take these opportunities to befriend and help people. When people thank me for my help or ask me why I am so happy and cheerful, I will tell them, “Jesus asks me to help you or I am happy because I have Jesus.” Sometimes, this leads to the exchange of religious beliefs or to the sharing of the Gospel.
When I give money to the poor and people with special needs in the streets, I will tell them, “Jesus asks me to give you this gift.” Often, the response is, “Thank you, Jesus. And thank you, uncle, for your kindness. God bless you.”
Once a fortune-teller told me that he saw from my face that I had a good future ahead of me. He asked me if I wished to know more about my future. I told him that I already knew my future – very bright and glorious! I started to share with him my Christian faith and that the Bible told me that I would spend eternity with my Creator God in heaven. What a glorious future I have in Jesus Christ, my Saviour and Lord! After hearing that, he told me that he need not tell me my fortune.
On another occasion, I testified to two Jehovah Witnesses how real Jesus was to me in my daily life and shared with them how I became a believer – by God’s amazing grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, my God, my Saviour and Lord. I emphasized that Jesus Christ is God because I knew they did not believe that. They were so interested in my testimonies that they had no time to witness to me. Same thing happened to two Mormons on another occasion.
When I meet up with relatives and friends, I will seize every opportunity to testify for Christ and share the Gospel. Instead of talking about the weather, how to make money, children’s education, or gossiping about others, or complaining about government policies, about bosses or employees, about family members, etc. I would testify to the many blessings we had received from God.
This prompted other believers to share their testimonies.The non-believers among us were amazed that Jesus could be so real in one’s life. Some of them started to become seekers.
I am not ashamed of Christ and the Gospel. He loves me so much that He was willing to come to this world to suffer and die for sinners like me. The least I can do is to love Him in return by testifying for Him and sharing the Gospel. We may not reap the harvest immediately when we share Christ and His Gospel. We may be just planting the seed or watering it. But God will make it grow in His time. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” [NIV,1984]
By Mr Lim Han Soon (YCKC Bulletin 25&26 March 2017)