Boldly Tell Your Testimony

“Boldly Tell Your Testimony”

2 Timothy 1:8

Intro: What will it take to Refresh your Vision for God?

Letter from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus---

commanded of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

To Timothy my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy and peace

Timothy Charged to Oppose False Teachers

Command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer

Nor devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. (saved because their grandfather was a Jew.

Rather advancing God’s work—which is by faith.

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk.

2 Timothy 2: Appeal for Loyalty to Paul and the Gospel.

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God,

which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,

but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.

Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

None of us like the word “Ashamed.”

1. Horn on Car that Played 25 different songs "La Cucaracha"

2. Lady had cooked meal for dinner guest tomorrow evening.

When finished she realized she had fell asleep and left sauce it set out all night.

So she called poison control center they advised her to refrigerate

and reheat to 165 degrees before serving

That night the phone rang during meal so she let the answering machine get it.

It was a call back from poison control center wanting to know how she would rate the customer service about her recent questions about food preparation for her dinner.

Embarrassment…, guilt…, timidity…, ashamed…

What about sharing the grace given to us by the Lord?

Loyalty---same word as pledge allegiance to the flag

Show up for duty!!!

Jesus gave his life to forgive our sin. Not for country…, but for your soul salvation!

Jesus suffered shame for us.

1. Called out for his teaching in the synagogue

2. Scolded for talking to sinners

3. Shunned for touching outcast

4. Mocked for healing on Sabbath

5. Cursed for forgiving sin

6. Spit upon

7. Beaten

8. Stripped of clothes

9. Crucified for offering salvation

Truth is not much makes us blush any more…

I. How do you feel when you Publicly Proclaim Your Faith

At hospital called out to a code blue.

A code blue means that a patient has stopped breathing.

Pastor was talking with the family when the doctor came into the waiting room

and said that they did all they could do, but he didn’t make it. He died.

As you might expect, the family went into hysterics.

After a few minutes, Pastor asked if the family would like to pray.

One of the sons of the man who died became very angry and upset.

He said, “You want us say a prayer to God!

The same God that took my Father!

No!” Then he got up and stormed out of the room.

Those are difficult times to prayer

Difficult to proclaim faith Publically.

We are called upon to witness our faith during difficult times.

Could you do it?

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God,

which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Can you proclaim your faith publically during the CALM???

II. What Changes Need to Be Made in Me

So that I Will Lead Someone to Pray the Prayer of Forgiveness

How do we encourage the least, the last, the unchurched, the abandoned by the church,

the outcast, the stranger, the foreigner, the lost?

Book called Tips from Homeless shelter.

Woman named Karen started program called “Beauty Within” (free haircuts to the homeless)

Take a straggled haired person, knotted, and dirty.

Wash/styled

Guys cut/shaved

Look like a new person. Came in detestable, loathsome, odious

Walk out fresh, clean, smiling, delightful

Why did she start the program. Because of her faith, Christ showed her that could be any of us.

Cheat cleaning, throw stuff in closet

Sweep dust under rug?

Throw dirty clothes in corner and cover with a quilt.

That is the way society does some people.

Easy to sweep them quietly under a rug

Ignore them in a corner.

It takes work…, hard work to get the lost accept Jesus as Saviour

Leading an unsaved person to prayer is a takes effort.

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38