People dont get saved because of your bad testimony

[MrsRow]

Do you believe that?
I dont!
They can claim that. i've heard them say that. "if they're a Christian, i dont wanna be one."
The lost can lie and use whatever excuse they want , but Christ tells us the real reason.
One of my favorite Preachers quoted Ghandi in the past few weeks "I'd be a Christian, if it weren't for Christians"
I guess Ghandi had it right, the real reason ppl dont get saved.

These unregenrated heathens that refuse Christ, whose father is the devil,the maker of lies, they must know something that God doesn't know right?  they must have the true real real REAL reasons why they're not getting saved.

No, i know why they dont get saved, Jesus told us why men dont get saved in John 3:19, 20.
As i was listening to the preacher accuse the congregation of causing others to reject Christ, those verses rang through my mind.  No, men reject Christ because their deeds are evil, because they love darkness.
I just dont believe that my bad testimony or anyones bad testimony causes someone to reject Christ.  Just like i dont believe that my good testimony causes someone to come to Christ.  yea, they may not believe you take Christianity seriously, but when they come face to face with Gods living word, dividing them asunder, they don't think "wow.. y'know.. that MrsRow is such a sweet Christian, i'm just gonna go ahead and believe in Jesus beause of her glowing testimony."  They may be more willing to listen to me when i talk if i'm kind and have an approachable spirit , but it's not because of how i lived why someone accepts or rejects Christ.  I just dont believe that.  I believe Gods word plainly tells us why ppl reject Christ and it aint cos i smoked a marlboro, cussed at my dog or didnt smile at the neighbor.

 

[Biker]

Matt 5: You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Only the saved can glorify the father. To be the light of the world,you'd let your light shine in a way they can see your good works.

Romans 10:17 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

So your testimony via your good works and light being shown, combined with proclaiming the truth, is the way of salvation eh?
Cause that is what it says...least for those who do respond to his calling. So yes our testimony is used as part of their path to salvation

 

[prophet]

I was in jail, with the brother of a former girlfriend. 
We hadn't seen each other in a couple of years.
We were friends, good friends.
I had finally begun to understand some of God's leading in my life.
As I have done many times, I spent several hours going through The Scriptures with my friend, showing him Salvation.

He said that it made sense, and that he believed that God would save him....
But:

"We all knew you were different, and we looked up to you.  And know I find out that you were saved all along.  The things that I have seen you do, and done with you, are things that you are telling me God will forgive me for.
I can't ask God to save me, so I can be like you.  Not here, not with you."

This is the only friend I had, growing up, who I witnessed to, who didnt get saved.
The conversation haunts me.
It jarred me awake, to know that I had permanently damaged others, when I "lived for myself".

This is my testimony, I'm not asking you to hang doctrine on it.

 

[subllibrm]

I was in jail, with the brother of a former girlfriend. 
We hadn't seen each other in a couple of years.
We were friends, good friends.
I had finally begun to understand some of God's leading in my life.
As I have done many times, I spent several hours going through The Scriptures with my friend, showing him Salvation.

He said that it made sense, and that he believed that God would save him....
But:

"We all knew you were different, and we looked up to you.  And know I find out that you were saved all along.  The things that I have seen you do, and done with you, are things that you are telling me God will forgive me for.
I can't ask God to save me, so I can be like you.  Not here, not with you."

This is the only friend I had, growing up, who I witnessed to, who didnt get saved.
The conversation haunts me.
It jarred me awake, to know that I had permanently damaged others, when I "lived for myself".

This is my testimony, I'm not asking you to hang doctrine on it.

I have no doubt that we have all missed opportunities or left bad blood behind. I agree, the regret is painful. And I agree that such does not make doctrine. Your friend will only have his own decisions to answer for. Your role, positive or negative, is irrelevant to his standing before God. In fact, knowing that he knows you as well as he does, it is a credit to you that you didn't use your own failures as an excuse to not share the gospel with him.

 

[prophet]

I was in jail, with the brother of a former girlfriend. 
We hadn't seen each other in a couple of years.
We were friends, good friends.
I had finally begun to understand some of God's leading in my life.
As I have done many times, I spent several hours going through The Scriptures with my friend, showing him Salvation.

He said that it made sense, and that he believed that God would save him....
But:

"We all knew you were different, and we looked up to you.  And know I find out that you were saved all along.  The things that I have seen you do, and done with you, are things that you are telling me God will forgive me for.
I can't ask God to save me, so I can be like you.  Not here, not with you."

This is the only friend I had, growing up, who I witnessed to, who didnt get saved.
The conversation haunts me.
It jarred me awake, to know that I had permanently damaged others, when I "lived for myself".

This is my testimony, I'm not asking you to hang doctrine on it.

I have no doubt that we have all missed opportunities or left bad blood behind. I agree, the regret is painful. And I agree that such does not make doctrine. Your friend will only have his own decisions to answer for. Your role, positive or negative, is irrelevant to his standing before God. In fact, knowing that he knows you as well as he does, it is a credit to you that you didn't use your own failures as an excuse to not share the gospel with him.

I was too stupid to realize that there was a such thing back then.
I assumed he would be glad to hear of God's forgiveness.

 

[praise_yeshua]

I was in jail, with the brother of a former girlfriend. 
We hadn't seen each other in a couple of years.
We were friends, good friends.
I had finally begun to understand some of God's leading in my life.
As I have done many times, I spent several hours going through The Scriptures with my friend, showing him Salvation.

He said that it made sense, and that he believed that God would save him....
But:

"We all knew you were different, and we looked up to you.  And know I find out that you were saved all along.  The things that I have seen you do, and done with you, are things that you are telling me God will forgive me for.
I can't ask God to save me, so I can be like you.  Not here, not with you."

This is the only friend I had, growing up, who I witnessed to, who didnt get saved.
The conversation haunts me.
It jarred me awake, to know that I had permanently damaged others, when I "lived for myself".

This is my testimony, I'm not asking you to hang doctrine on it.

I've had similar experiences. Its not easy to face the consequences of our own sin.

However, I realized years ago..... that such comments are nothing more than excuses.

Every Jew that lived under Roman oppression ..... COULD.... shake their fists at God because of their condition. Thank God.... some didn't....

We all can come up with excuses. I was mad at God for years and I refused to deal with it. I finally realized it was ME...... and not anyone else. Its a GOOD thing to come to this realization. Some come to this realization rather easily... others it takes a life time and they still don't get it. In fact, God can and DOES use such. Its about ANYTHING else... its just about US... and GOD alone. Everything in this life points to this Truth.

The best thing a person can do when confronted with a situation like you detailed above........ is to say

Guilty!!! Guilty!!! Guilty!!!

Then you have an opportunity to witness to God's loving Kindness to His Own.

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

Jesus saves. 

Your testimony, good or bad, doesn't save.  Jesus saves.  If He uses someone's testimony as part of the process, that's up to Him, and he'll do that in spite of someone else's bad testimony.  Nobody, through their rotten testimony, can prevent Jesus from saving His own.

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

Jesus saves. 

Your testimony, good or bad, doesn't save.  Jesus saves.  If He uses someone's testimony as part of the process, that's up to Him, and he'll do that in spite of someone else's bad testimony.  Nobody, through their rotten testimony, can prevent Jesus from saving His own.

You must be one of those believers in the sovereignty of God people!
The uninformed might call that a Calvinist! 

 

[subllibrm]

Jesus saves. 

Your testimony, good or bad, doesn't save.  Jesus saves.  If He uses someone's testimony as part of the process, that's up to Him, and he'll do that in spite of someone else's bad testimony.  Nobody, through their rotten testimony, can prevent Jesus from saving His own.

You must be one of those believers in the sovereignty of God people!
The uninformed might call that a Calvinist! 

That's why I am a Spurgeonist!  The like him.

 

[praise_yeshua]

Jesus saves. 

Your testimony, good or bad, doesn't save.  Jesus saves.  If He uses someone's testimony as part of the process, that's up to Him, and he'll do that in spite of someone else's bad testimony.  Nobody, through their rotten testimony, can prevent Jesus from saving His own.

You must be one of those believers in the sovereignty of God people!
The uninformed might call that a Calvinist! 

Both of you are sadly mistaken.

Calvin formed a theology of convenience.

I'll ask you a very simple question.

If God has "freewill"..... and desired to create a people LIKE... Himself.... Then why would he deny "them".... freewill?

 

[praise_yeshua]

Jesus saves. 

Your testimony, good or bad, doesn't save.  Jesus saves.  If He uses someone's testimony as part of the process, that's up to Him, and he'll do that in spite of someone else's bad testimony.  Nobody, through their rotten testimony, can prevent Jesus from saving His own.

You must be one of those believers in the sovereignty of God people!
The uninformed might call that a Calvinist! 

That's why I am a Spurgeonist!  The like him.

Spurgeon was a little confused on the matter himself!!!

 

[prophet]

Jesus saves. 

Your testimony, good or bad, doesn't save.  Jesus saves.  If He uses someone's testimony as part of the process, that's up to Him, and he'll do that in spite of someone else's bad testimony.  Nobody, through their rotten testimony, can prevent Jesus from saving His own.

Yes, I am fully aware that my friend stands accused before God, alone.

I am referring to the use of me as a stumbling block, by Satan.

I have never since heard someone say that they believed God would save them, but that they wouldn't accept Him, for someone else's sake.
I've heard many say that they aren't ready to give up their own sin.

You have to realize the absolute horror I felt.
God had brought many young men across my path in my childhood and adolescense, who I had witnessed to, and were added to the church.
This was a total shock.
Of course, strangers had rejected The Gospel, and I was there to witness it, but never someone who I thought God had brought to me to hear.
Everyone prior to that, who I'd ever known well, that I'd ever had a serious conversation with, always wanted to know.  This man was no exception.
But he was mortified to find out that I was  already a Christian, when he and I had spent time together in high school.
He had a charismatic background, obviously, having been abused by some "now you have it, now you don't" Grandma, or something.
He seemed delighted to learn about eternal security, but suddenly froze, as he realized that I believed that I was a child of God when I was living for myself.

My bad testimony was a total stumbling block in the hands of the deciever.

I hold out hope that my friend will let the planted seed germinate.

I posted this to show cause and effect, not to build a doctrine.

Please see the difference.

Jesus saves, but uses witnesses

Rom 10:13-17
13 For whosoever shall call on the name of the lorde shalbe safe.
14 But how shall they call on him on who they beleved not? how shall they beleve on him of whom they have not herde? how shall they heare with out a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written:how beautifull are the fete of them which bringe glad tydynges of peace and bringe glad tydynges of good thinges.
16 But they have not all obeyed to ye gospell. For Esaias sayth:Lorde who shall beleve oure sayinges?
17 So then fayth cometh by hearynge and hearynge cometh by the worde of God.
(TyndaleBible)

 

[prophet]

Jesus saves. 

Your testimony, good or bad, doesn't save.  Jesus saves.  If He uses someone's testimony as part of the process, that's up to Him, and he'll do that in spite of someone else's bad testimony.  Nobody, through their rotten testimony, can prevent Jesus from saving His own.

You must be one of those believers in the sovereignty of God people!
The uninformed might call that a Calvinist! 

That's why I am a Spurgeonist!  The like him.

Spurgeon was a little confused on the matter himself!!!

Yeah, he wasn't a very good Calvinist.

 

[Bruh]

Jesus saves. 

Your testimony, good or bad, doesn't save.  Jesus saves.  If He uses someone's testimony as part of the process, that's up to Him, and he'll do that in spite of someone else's bad testimony.  Nobody, through their rotten testimony, can prevent Jesus from saving His own.

You must be one of those believers in the sovereignty of God people!
The uninformed might call that a Calvinist! 

I'm not a Calvinist and I would have to say, I agree with TRT. 

 

[praise_yeshua]

Jesus saves. 

Your testimony, good or bad, doesn't save.  Jesus saves.  If He uses someone's testimony as part of the process, that's up to Him, and he'll do that in spite of someone else's bad testimony.  Nobody, through their rotten testimony, can prevent Jesus from saving His own.

You must be one of those believers in the sovereignty of God people!
The uninformed might call that a Calvinist! 

I'm not a Calvinist and I would have to say, I agree with TRT.

Explain the difference?

 

[Bruh]

Jesus saves. 

Your testimony, good or bad, doesn't save.  Jesus saves.  If He uses someone's testimony as part of the process, that's up to Him, and he'll do that in spite of someone else's bad testimony.  Nobody, through their rotten testimony, can prevent Jesus from saving His own.

You must be one of those believers in the sovereignty of God people!
The uninformed might call that a Calvinist! 

I'm not a Calvinist and I would have to say, I agree with TRT.

Explain the difference?

Well, I did read and post in haste, I didn't see where he said "His own".  Of course I do not believe we are His until after Salvation. 

Now, on the other hand, it does hurt when my testimony is not what it should be with the lost.  But at the end of the day, when a lost person stands before God, they cannot say my testimony hindered them from EVER getting saved. 

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

Of course I do not believe we are His until after Salvation. 

37 All that the Father gives me [they now belong to Jesus] will come to me [future tense, they haven't come to Jesus yet but they already belong to Him], and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

 

[Bruh]

Of course I do not believe we are His until after Salvation. 

37 All that the Father gives me [they now belong to Jesus] will come to me [future tense, they haven't come to Jesus yet but they already belong to Him], and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

The Father knows the future, I agree with that. 

 

[rsc2a]

Of course I do not believe we are His until after Salvation. 

37 All that the Father gives me [they now belong to Jesus] will come to me [future tense, they haven't come to Jesus yet but they already belong to Him], and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

The Father knows the future, I agree with that.

"...saved from the foundation of the world..."

 

[Bruh]

Of course I do not believe we are His until after Salvation. 

37 All that the Father gives me [they now belong to Jesus] will come to me [future tense, they haven't come to Jesus yet but they already belong to Him], and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

The Father knows the future, I agree with that.

"...saved from the foundation of the world..."

Yes the Father knows the beginning to the end, I agree.