THE BODY THAT TESTIFIES

1 Thessalonians 1:4,6-8

We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.

So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.

As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.

And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it,

The message is preached in word and power, the people are taught and discipled, of course the result will be obvious. They will also rise to the same, able to preach the word with power, teach and disciple others.

This is the testimony of the church at Thessalonians in the time of Paul, Silas and Timothy.

Hello brethren, what is your testimony? Is there growth in the body or is it just growth of buildings/edifices and physical structures.

Are the brethren good examples for other believers and even challenging those who have not believed or are they all in the same wagon?

See this is the time when this scripture is fulfilled:

2 Timothy 3:1-2a

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.

For people will love only themselves and their money. 

For when you listen to the testimonies we hear at the alter, it will tell you what the priorities of the church are. Definitely not the souls of men!

Listen, the all and all of the believer is in Christ Jesus, yes, for it remains true:

Acts 4:11-12

For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, 

‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

The problem is that if lies and half-truths are taught, the people cannot grow efficiently, so we have complacent people, who have no place in the kingdom business but have become slaves to human philosophies, postulations and religion(religion is man-made). They follow sects who have given their own rules on how to have eternal life, hello, only Christ can give eternal life.

Listen, you have no business with angels, dead saints or people or any other power. You don't tell God the salvation plan, He made the salvation plan, your duty as a  human is to align with it.

Mark 7:6-9

Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’

For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”

Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.

Listen again:

"No other name has been given under heaven for salvation but Jesus the Christ".

The moment you miss this you miss everything, you begin the journey round circles. The time you ought to journey bearing fruit and fulfilling God's will for you, you spend observing abultions, sacraments and other forms of self righteousness which are meaningless to the spiritual growth thus you have a form of godliness but zero power:

2 Timothy 3:5

They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

So how will you be a testimony if you are not in Christ, the testimony of the believer is in Christ Jesus. For you cannot save another, till you are saved. Selah

1 Thessalonians 1:3,9

As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God.

For when Christ is not the centre of your worship you are not far from idolatry.

Revelation 19:10

Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

Not angels, not Mary, not dead saints, but Christ Jesus who is all in all and in all. Some other idols include self, money, and other lists of the world.

Colossians 3:11

In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

No matter whoever you are, what title you bear, where you are from - Christ is all in all. He is all that matters. Get this right, you get every other thing right. That is the new birth.

So we go forth as good examples, knowing the truth, teaching the truth and living the truth that many will be saved. We are good witnesses.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

He has called all, those who will hear and answer are those who will be saved.

What is your testimony?

You have helped us Good Lord.

Amen. Come Lord Jesus.

He calls us blessed.

Love

@the watcher