A BOAST-WORTHY TESTIMONY by Gary Wilkerson
We live in a time when biblical predictions have become visible realities. Paul wrote that in the last days perilous times would come upon the earth (see 2 Timothy 3:1). Right now things are taking place we could not have imagined a few years ago.
Jesus predicted that men would become lovers of themselves, lovers of money, hateful and arrogant. Today our nation’s leaders cannot agree on the most basic common principles. If someone has the nerve to mention sin, he is called a bigot and made an outcast. As God’s Word is moved to the sidelines of the culture, sin becomes more and more prevalent.
Pastors feel the spiritual bombardment. Week after week, I learn that another marriage may be falling apart. Kids cut their own skin out of self- hatred. Drugs are more widespread than ever. And there are fewer voices of help, as each month 1,500 pastors leave the ministry.
As Christ’s Body, we cannot be asleep to these things. The Old Testament speaks of the sons of Issachar, a group that had a knowledge of the times and skill in dealing with the world (see 1 Chronicles 12:32). Can the same be said of Christ’s Body today? If we discern the times, we know this is not a moment for half measures. The only way for us to “deal with the world” is not to let church be business as usual. Jesus said of certain demonic spirits, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21, NKJV). In these times, our prayers must be fervent—because without spiritual change, things look too bleak.
In the midst of darkness, Jesus calls us to be light. And here is our message for such a time: “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4, KJV). God has done awesome works in the lives of His people and each one of us is called to proclaim His glory through a boast-worthy testimony.
What does a boast-worthy testimony look like? Here is the kind of boasting I am referring to: “As the Scriptures say, ‘If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord’” (2 Corinthians 10:17, NLT). To do the kind of boasting Paul describes, we have to have a boast worthy of God’s glory.
Jesus predicted that men would become lovers of themselves, lovers of money, hateful and arrogant. Today our nation’s leaders cannot agree on the most basic common principles. If someone has the nerve to mention sin, he is called a bigot and made an outcast. As God’s Word is moved to the sidelines of the culture, sin becomes more and more prevalent.
Pastors feel the spiritual bombardment. Week after week, I learn that another marriage may be falling apart. Kids cut their own skin out of self- hatred. Drugs are more widespread than ever. And there are fewer voices of help, as each month 1,500 pastors leave the ministry.
As Christ’s Body, we cannot be asleep to these things. The Old Testament speaks of the sons of Issachar, a group that had a knowledge of the times and skill in dealing with the world (see 1 Chronicles 12:32). Can the same be said of Christ’s Body today? If we discern the times, we know this is not a moment for half measures. The only way for us to “deal with the world” is not to let church be business as usual. Jesus said of certain demonic spirits, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21, NKJV). In these times, our prayers must be fervent—because without spiritual change, things look too bleak.
In the midst of darkness, Jesus calls us to be light. And here is our message for such a time: “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4, KJV). God has done awesome works in the lives of His people and each one of us is called to proclaim His glory through a boast-worthy testimony.
What does a boast-worthy testimony look like? Here is the kind of boasting I am referring to: “As the Scriptures say, ‘If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord’” (2 Corinthians 10:17, NLT). To do the kind of boasting Paul describes, we have to have a boast worthy of God’s glory.