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CURRENT RADIO SERIES God's Secrets   CURRENT TV SERIES Unchained

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  --2 Corinthians 5:21 The verse above is one of the most powerful verses in the Bible. It describes the most extraordinary moment in the history of mankind. When Jesus died on the cross, a magnificent exchange took place. Jesus, who was sinless, pure, and blameless, literally took upon himself your sin and mine… the sin of the world. As Jesus became sin for us, all the judgment of God that was intended for us fell upon him! The cross of Jesus Christ was, and still is, the world’s most astounding picture of love. It was the moment in history when Jesus took our sins upon himself and blotted out your transgression. And in that divine moment, God found the one worthy sacrifice to pay for all our sin, Jesus Christ. Let me ask you, have you recognized that sacrifice? Jesus took the death and the judgment that you deserved. And through his sacrificial act on the cross, the blood of Jesus Christ cleansed you from every sin, every stain, and every shame. Have you received Jesus’ tremendous gift of forgiveness and love? He’s waiting for you even now. Ask him to be Lord of your life right now. It’s a decision you’ll never regret. IN THAT SACRIFICIAL ACT ON THE CROSS, THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST CLEANED YOU FROM EVERY SIN.

Willing Witnesses

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
Isaiah 43:10–12

Under United States law, a person can be compelled to give testimony in a courtroom, even against his wishes as long as that testimony does not implicate him in a crime. In 2015, James Risen, a two time Pulitzer Prize winning writer for The New York Times, was turned down by the Supreme Court in his attempt not to have to testify in the trial of a government employee who had leaked secret intelligence documents, which Risen had used in his reporting. The court ruled that he had no right to not be a witness when he himself faced no legal jeopardy.
While there may be cases when it makes sense for someone not to want to testify in a criminal or civil court case, the same does not apply in the Christian life. We are called and commissioned to witness to the world of what we have experienced thanks to God’s grace. The salvation we have received should motivate us to be faithful to share this Good News with others. Paul described his motivation to witness this way: “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:” (2 Corinthians 5:14). Yet so often, Christians find it difficult to speak up and talk to lost people. But we don’t need a court order to compel us to testify—we have the command of God that we must obey.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Our love for God and for others should be all the motivation we need to be faithful witnesses of the gospel.