The Strength of your Testimony

In last week’s sermon, we looked at the testimony of the man formerly known as the leper from the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel; This leper was a man who was an unashamed witness for Jesus Christ. The main takeaway from the sermon was that the leper, by telling his story, compelled others to want to know Jesus for themselves. At the end of that sermon, and in Bible Study, I raised the questions, “Who has come to Jesus off the strength of your testimony? Who has come to worship at First Baptist off the strength of your testimony and at your invitation?”

These are challenging, but necessary, questions. Many of us lament the emptiness in the pews. Many of us lament the absence of middle aged and young people. Many of us lament the church we once knew.

But lament, without subsequent action, is emotionalism for the sake of emotionalism. In other words, our lament ought to fuel righteous action. In this case, our lament ought to light a fire under each of us to do our part to draw souls to Christ and grow our church.

So I challenge each of us this week and every week of 2024 to be UNASHAMED witnesses. I Invite each of us to tell at least one person about how Jesus transformed our lives and invite that same person to church. I believe If we do that, God will honor our witness and work miracles In our midst.

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah