Pastor Mike Mizell mentioned as part of his message tonight that sometimes we give too much attention to those who were saved out of some wretched background versus someone saved from a good background. Indeed, you can do the national speaking circuit if you were the high priestess of a coven, a warlock, a pimp, drug lord or gang leader. In fact, if you communed with aliens or cast spells on people you can also write a book about your conversion and maybe retire off the royalties.
However, if you were born into a saved family and grew up in the church being basically a goodie-two-shoes in the eyes of the world and the Church, it is highly unlikely that your testimony would gain much of an audience or that your book would sell more than some copies bought by relatives to encourage you. It would be too blase for the folks that are like those on Mars Hill that wanted to hear new things that were exciting or different.
I had a conversation with my then pastor, Frank Morse, when I was saved only a few months. He had grown up the saved kid that never got into anything, but what might be seen as the boring sins. Maybe he pulled his sister's hair or ate a cookie before dinner or said the vulgar version of manure. All in all a blah testimony for the tabloid age. He said that he wished he had a testimony like mine. I told him if I were not a Christian right then, I would smack him in the nose. I said I would give up an arm to have his testimony. While he was still a sinner who needed to be saved by grace, he did not have the pain, scars and guilt that I had. I told him that his testimony of God keeping him out of the gutter was just as powerful, if not more so, than mine of how God saved me out of the gutter.
When I ministered at the Dallas County Jail with my dear brother, Mike Zapata, he was always careful to say that he did not what to give props to the devil so he only told what had to be told to share his testimony. He spared us from hearing many gory details. I had to follow that tract of reasoning as well. In the many sessions I have been involved with when speaking to strangers and saints I often heard far more than I needed to hear. At times, while they did not mean it to be so it would sound like some of the saints missed the "good ol' days" when they were participating in various sins.
Yes, God does show us the failures of many of the people He saved and used in the kingdom. We all know Samson's issues and David's. Paul called himself the Chief of Sinners and I often feel like the Assistant Chief of Sinners. Yet, He also mentions the righteous men like Job and Noah. John was the disciple Jesus loved and he seems flawless in the Word though we know that he had some sins.
Mat 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
This lad did do all he knew how to keep the Law, which would have included obeying and honoring his parents. He felt like he had kept all the ones Jesus mentioned so all in all, he was a good kid. Had he come to Jesus very little would have changed in his outward life, but his heart would have dramatically changed because he had a strong love of money, which is the root of all evil. He was materialistic, much like many folks we have today. No murder or theft in their life, but a bad cast of covetousness, which is idolatry.
Luk 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
A wonderful couple and as good as Jews as they came. They were given a son, called John, but would be known as John the Baptizer or John the Baptist. They were given quite an honor as Jesus said about their son they raised that he was greatest prophet.
Luke 7:26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
John was living a very holy and sacrificial life. His holy preaching cost him his head, but he will be great in Heaven because of his holiness.
2Ti 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Though Timothy had a Gentile father, his Jewish mother and grandmother made sure that he was tutored in the faith and he was an obedient child and ended up as a spiritual son of Paul and mentored by him. He became the pastor of the Ephesian church when he was around 21 and unmarried in a culture where a man was not considered a full adult until he was 30 and married. We forget about him sometimes and his example to not let age be a factor when calling a pastor.
Philippians 3:4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
As far as the Church was concerned, Paul was a bad man before he was saved because he persecuted it. By Jewish standard, he was as near to sinless as one could expect and more zealous than his peers when it came to his faith and service to God. When He was saved, that same zeal was quadrupled and though he had some anger issues he was the reason we are saved today in the sense that he was sent to the Gentiles to win them to Christ. Yet, as we saw, he considered himself as the Chief of Sinners and as one born out of due time as an Apostle.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
It would seem more appropriate to downplay some of our more notorious converts. In fact, for many celebrities, we exalt them while they are novices and pave a way to failure and many do fall away quickly. Some may not have been truly saved while others became prideful and fell.
1Timothy 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
Before we put them on the circuit, they might need to be discipled for a year or two. They may not be pastors of a church, but we exalt them too quickly while they are still young in the Lord or before we try their spirit and know for sure they are saved and not a tare the devil raised up to discredit the Church and cause men to blaspheme the name of Christ because of their fall.
Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
I would be remiss if I did not caution the goody-two-shoes. Stay humble and praise God that He kept you from many snares and pits that could give you the Hollywood style testimony that comes with Texas sized scars and guilt. Do not get snooty over the brethren who came from the seedy side or up out of deep pits. Remember that except for the grace of God you would be in the same shape. Even as a Christian, you are not beyond temptation until you are dead and home in Heaven. Be very, very careful of where you point your nose and about what you sneer. The wrong time and the wrong place and you could easily fall into the same sin that you think is the most despicable as satan loves to make snooty, self-righteous people fall.
Luke 7:41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
While on a human level, some people seem to have more that needs to be forgiven that others, we are all sinners and fifty pence of sin will send an unbeliever to Hell as much as five hundred pence. Sadly, the only difference between a fifty pence saved sinner and a five hundred pence one is zeal. The five pence one can take their salvation for granted since they were not as bad as the five hundred pence one. Quite often they can become the Pharisee, though a few five hundred pence folks can join them.
Many times, the five hundred pence will have a hard time feeling that they are as good as the other folks. They may even question if they should be in Church. As I told one person that felt that way, "When you see them kick me out then you can worry. If they keep me, you have no issue." He later told me that he often looked to see if I was still there. He is now a worldwide missionary.
Both the five and five hundred pence sinners are washed clean at the Cross. Both are given gifts and a place in the Kingdom. They are equals. They choose what do to with those gifts. They can use them or put them on the shelf. The five pence may shelf the gift by pride and the five hundred pence one by failing to grasp his/her new identity in Christ. If you see a person serving faithfully and zealously, it will be more often than not a person who was the five hundred pence sinner that is gloriously grateful for his forgiveness. Thankfully, at times the five pence sinner will also be doing all he/she can because they are grateful that it was only five and not five hundred.
Be it a five pence sinner or a five hundred the props go to Jesus. All glory belongs to Him. Praise Him for the one He pulls out of the gutter, but do not exalt that person over the one God saved from going into the gutter. All testimonies of God's grace are glorious whether they need to be filtered for adult content or could be shared in Junior Church. Alleluia! Maranatha!!
