Last night a friend of mine called and left a voice mail asking if I wanted to meet “Putin”. The only “Putin” that came to my mind was Vladimir Putin, the current leader of Russia, so I thought that perhaps I’d heard him wrong. I called and sure enough Vladimir Putin of Russia is who he was talking about.
Huh?
I didn’t get it, why would Vladimir Putin, one of the most powerful men in the world, possibly want to speak with me???
He went on to explain that Putin has a fascination with American businessmen and likes to meet them. Well okay, that’s just dandy but I’m not exactly a big important mega successful businessman; I’m running Honey Lake Plantation Resort and Spa and not General Motors. In fact I’ve never run a huge international company. I’m just a lowly self-taught redneck from Greenville Florida who can’t wait for spring turkey season to open this Saturday.
So why me?
My buddy said there may be an opportunity for two people to sit down with him. He is recommending that I be one of them and I would accompany another fellow that he knows who truly is mega successful. He went on to tell me that the guy I would accompany also happens to be a Christian who loves the Lord with all of his heart and I was selected because of the uniqueness of my saga of overcoming the tremendous obstacles that I faced and my love for the Lord.
It’s a long story but the long and short of it is that the Russian guy who is trying to setup the meeting is a Christian and is hopeful that during this meeting we can triple team old “Vladimir” with Christian testimony and maybe the Lord will stir his soul.
My flesh says, “Fat chance of that ever happening”. My spiritual side says, “All things through Christ”. I’ll be praying for the opportunity and hope you’ll fire one up and run it by the Boss as well…
Yesterday I had lunch with a fellow who told me he had a story very similar to mine but he’s never shared it with anyone. He was keen to know when and why I first started sharing mine. After all it has to be personally humiliating and also embarrassing to my family to expose my darkest secrets to others and expose my terrible sins to the world at large.
My answer to my new friend was that God enlightened me that my testimony does not belong to me; it belongs to God. (So does his testimony.) So many people think their testimony is a private matter between them and God and is nobody else’s business.
Wrong!
God did not deliver me just so I could personally enjoy the good life. He has a purpose for me and that is to be an inspiration to others and give them hope. My message is simple, if Jesus could change my horrible life and fill it with His glory. He can change anyone’s in similar fashion.
In essence I don’t own my story. God owns it (and me). He created me for His purpose. I wince every time someone comes up to me and tells me they just read my book, Miracle on Luckie Street. That means they know about my drug addiction, alcoholism, criminal activity, sadistic twisted sociopathic tendencies, immoral activity, weaknesses and so forth and it’s embarrassing.
On the other hand it also means they know that they know that Jesus Christ is merciful, loving, compassionate, forgiving, wonderful, kind, and capable of changing someone for the better.
So should I bury that testimony deep within my closet, or get it out there where it might do some good?
Who knows maybe even old Vladimir Putin will relate. He may say “nyet”, or he may recognize that life is like a vapor, and one day it will dissipate and he will find himself kneeling before Almighty God giving an account of his life. Just maybe my testimony will play a small part in encouraging him to decide that before it’s too late that he should follow the Messiah and get a seat at the golden table too.
We are commanded to share our testimony in vivid, clear terms. Jesus said, “But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven”. In fact in all four of the Gospels, the last thing recorded was Jesus telling His disciples to go throughout the world telling others the Good News. Do you think it just might be important?
Duhhhh….Yo!
Consider the Apostle Paul. The same man who wrote 2/3rds of the New Testament. He had formerly persecuted Christians to their deaths. He willingly shared his testimony to those evil deeds in Acts, even though it had to grieve him greatly to relive, much less share his sordid past with the world.
Not many have a testimony that compares to Paul’s, but every Christian has been saved from sin and can tell others of God’s grace. There are times when someone will not read the Bible or even a tract, but hearing your testimony of how you came to know Christ and the difference it has made in your life makes all the difference in the world to them. I’ve seen it work with the most hardened folks one can imagine as well as those who’ve neatly tied their goodie two shoes forever and a day.
I can share my testimony because in a sense it enables me to suffer a little too. This kind of masochism I enjoy. Try it – You’ll like it…Witness to someone you know today.
2 Tim 1:8
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,