R1053B The Power Of A Personal Testimony, PT.2

You got one.

Even if you don't think Dr. Don Wilton will tell you about it in just a moment as we launch today's broadcast welcome to The Encouraging Word, featuring the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton.

Today we continue actually bring the conclusion of a powerful message called the power of a personal testimony. Yes, you have a story whether you realize it or not.

Sometimes we think our testimony needs to be something you make a big film about but now it's just the simple testimonies that sometimes are the most powerful know that you have a testimony and today as we discover the power of personal testimony gain insight on how you can share yours. Another were here to encourage you anytime.

Love to pray for you and 866-899-WORD got the number down 68999673 and connected one of us 24 hours a day. We would love to encourage you now. Today's great teacher with Dr. Don Wilton why that there are some of you that actually think that God cannot raise the dead. He was asking that question concerning Jesus because God by his power raised Jesus from the dead.

This is what Paul said in also.

Three zone? I was convinced that all to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth and that is just what I did in Jerusalem on the authority of the chief priests talk with many of the signs in prison when they were put to death. I cost my vote against many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished and not try to force them to blaspheme in my obsession against the I even went to foreign cities to persecute the Christians on one of those journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests and about. I was on the road and I saw a light from heaven.

I remember when I gave my heart to Jesus all getting to that I want to just tell you about that in a minute Paul, this is what happened before he was on the road just like you and me was taking a journey and suddenly he was confronted by the Lord Jesus. He saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions and we all fell to the ground and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic soul soul. Why are you persecuting me it is hard for you to kick against the pricks.

All the goads because I'm God. God was saying to him.

I'm not going to leave you alone because I love you, then RRC and soul who are your Lord and he said I'm Jesus whom you are persecuting. The Lord replied not get up and stand on your feet not have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you and I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles.

I'm sending you to them open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who all sanctified in me.

I want to skip all the way down to verse 24, one encourage you to read this entire account yourself. But in verse 24. At this point Festus interrupted Paul's witness. Have you ever had someone interrupt you when you're trying to tell them about Jesus, the interrupted Paul's defense look what he said you are of your mind, pull the shop to your great learning is driving you mad you ever had anybody say goodness me, you must be mad. You must be insane to follow Christ. How could you be so ridiculous You said all men that religious stuff man that all that is is a crutch get a life you don't need to worry about Jesus.

Why you getting so excited about this and this is what Paul said. He said I'm not insane. Most excellent faceless bull replied what I'm saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things and I can speak freely to him. I'm convinced that this is escape his notice because it was not done in a corner and King Agrippa said do you believe the prophets, I know you do. Then Agrippa said to Paul in verse 28.

Do you really think that you can persuade me to become a Christian in such a short space of time.

Listen to what Paul said in verse 29. He replied short time or long time.

I pray God that not only you but all who are listening may one day soon as possible right now become what I am. And of course Paul was in chains. He said accepting. I wouldn't wish you to be in chains like I am held in captivity like I am. It was a some weeks ago I was headed to a conference to go and preach for the state of Mississippi. I want to be perfectly honest with you I was a little on the tired side you know when you get on an airplane and you just worn flat out, and you're off on a business trip or you doing something.

This was a late night flight and I was just going there and back to see how far it is got on the plane and I said to myself, you know I'm going to take a little nap take a little siesta here recover a little bit put my head back, enjoy my full meal of peanuts and a Diet Coke and I'm ready to just and a young man sat down next to me and would you believe we hadn't sent down for two minutes and he asked me a question I thought.

I cannot believe this man is asking me a question.

He was a fine young man turned out he was a medical doctor and he lost me a question and he's almost the very next question was are you one of those Christians, I thought. I can't believe this wisely go to ask me that when all I want to do is have a nap. I mean, the Lord knows that this is reasonable. I you know why Lord why you doing this to me and so I will be quite honest with you, with somewhat over little bit of a run locked in part. I looked at him and we began to get he was as fine as you can imagine, and you talk about shop. I mean, a brilliant man, brilliant, and he said to me without apology. He said to me well I'm a Muslim. I said no. Tell me about well before we had gone about 10 minutes here and I began to talk and he shared with me. I mean from his heart. He was a fine man and he knew what he was talking about. He began to quote the Koran to me.

I would also him and he would on summary. After a while he looked at me and he said you know, it seems to me you know what you're talking about and I looked at him and I said well it seems to me you know what you're talking about and all of a sudden the truck became irrelevant because we began to get this man a grown up in another country. As I had and he was a he told me as far as he was concerned he couldn't begin to imagine why we would believe things like this. He told me that in his religion.

They very much respect Jesus and of course in our discussion he told me that most certainly, Jesus was not the son of God. In fact, even told me what I already knew that in his religion.

He believed that Jesus was a Muslim and our same team will of Jesus was a Muslim. How did you arrive at that point and he said well it's quite simple. He said Jesus obeyed God.

That's what Muslims do Muslims obey God. So Jesus obeyed God yard that made him a Muslim. Of course my next question was now who is your God will of course he was talking about his God, Allah, I began to talk to him about my God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and why believe these things, and he said well in that case, where the jewel God come from.

I told him so I say team will why don't you tell me where your God came from and where is he now. And he explained to me about Mohammed the prophet we talked about 630. We talked about his death.

We talked about all those kinds of things and he readily agreed with me that Mohammed was dead. I pointed out to him that my body in fact was not that he's alive, he began to quote chapter and verse out of the Corolla and I began to quote chapter and verse out of the Bible. We got to a point where it became somewhat interesting to say the least, and we had a friendship going. There was no question about. He looked at me and he said to me well. He said I tell you if I could sit around with someone like you. He said you the first one is ever bothered to sit down and explain it to me without threatening me.

I said, I'm not sure to threaten you, my friend, I'm just here to tell you about something that really has nothing to do with anything because it's about someone and it's about the Lord Jesus. What we finally approached where we were going and I realize we were running out of time and so I looked at him and I said to him I want to ask you a question you're listening to Dr. Don Wilton our teacher here on The Encouraging Word.

Please don't go away back in just a moment to complete today's message the power of a personal testimony of Dr. Wilton insist we are up to remind you this is not just a presentation. It's a conversation we have had the joy all day long 24 hours a day already praying with friends connecting on our website. Websites TW online.org a great place to sign up for resources like the free daily email from Dr. Don wonderful, powerful, insightful encouragement from Chuck Colson's final book, my final word again all those resources are on the website it TW online.org like to call to get a copy could use her phone number is 866899 word that's 86689673 cannot only order those resources but you also ask us to pray for you. It would be our honor 24 hours a day we hear for you at 866899673 or on our website TW online.org that's TW online.org now back today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. I want you just to imagine for a moment before we land that plane is going to go down we not going to make and I said you're a Muslim, you got five minutes what would you say to me and very respectfully, he said, basically, to think, one good luck. I said good luck. He said yes. I hope you survive the wreck. But he also explained to me that if I had been willing to go to work, that according to his religion that they would be a possibility if I complied with the rules and regulations that was sent out according to his custom and religion that I would find some kind of afterlife.

According to a set of rules and regulation. Then he turned to me and he said, now you've got five minutes and I looked at him and I said to him I want you to know that I was born to a most wonderful set of parents and I had a very interesting life but you know for many years in my life. I had a real emptiness just a big something missing and I said you know I did a lot of things. I had a wonderful home and I went to wonderful places and I said if you would've looked at me, you would've said well you know surely he must be happy.

I had moments of happiness. But I had a deep longing was likely was something missing and one day I ran headlong into the Lord Jesus in my journey of life and all of a sudden realize that what the Bible says is true that God loves me so much that he would give his only son, the Lord Jesus to die on a cross. And you know the Bible says in Romans that if I'm willing to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and then actually believe in my heart, the impossible that this God has the power because he's God to raise Jesus from the dead, that I would be saved and so I came to the point in my life. My friend where I turned to God and through Jesus who gave his life for me. I invited him to come into my heart and I explained to him how I done that in a very short space of time and then I seen Tim, you know. Since that time, I want you to know I can tell you about more blessings than I could probably imagine told him about you got people that love me and people that I love in places that I go to opportunities.

I said but you know the bottom line is you know that hole that I was talking about that emptiness. Jesus filled it up because he's the living water and I said, just in case our plane crashes. I want to ask you, would you like to give your heart to Jesus. I wish that I could tell you that he said yes but he did, but we certainly switched emails. I told him how respectful I would be of him because he was a medical doctor, man, very busy medical doctors don't like to be disturbed because they spend all week taking care of people like me then I told him I said I'm I'm not going to worry, you know, II would I would like to continue this conversation, I began to study this again lost soft very simple question. What is it about the power of a personal testimony and I came to understand again that personal testimony really has three components number one who you were before Jesus came into your heart Bible says all of us. Simpson, all of us.

You see this Muslim man told me that he didn't believe in original sin. In fact, he told and I respected him. He told me that he had never ever send. I told him I respected but I wanted him to know that because of the sin of Adam that I was a son, that the Bible says all about Simpson. Well, there is a second component and that is how you gave your heart to Jesus, I quoted Romans chapter 10 verse nine and 10 for you. Just a moment ago, but there's 1/3 component.

What if you become since Jesus came into your heart.

You say there's a coup and how and what I want to ask you today. Would you like to give your heart to Jesus. Would you just bow your heads with me for second want you to know that I deeply respect you today are on your upbringing, your culture frame of reference. I'm no better than you are my friend. I want you to know that I do not consider myself superior in any way.

In fact, the very opposite is true.

But I gave my heart to Jesus and I want to invite you to give your heart to Jesus to the best friend that you will ever have. When you give your heart to Jesus you come in your life and you know the first thing that you do. He will forgive you for all your son and then you fill up your life and you give new meaning and purpose because God created you with a wonderful and here's the other thing when he comes in your heart. It means that he will take you to heaven to be with him.

Now that's a guarantee you don't have to work for the you not have to follow a line comes because God loves in your work. What you do for Jesus comes because you love him, not in order that you might have see everything that he does for us is based on him is not based on us.

I just want to do everything I can for him because I can't even begin to imagine that he would love me so much. Would you would you pray a prayer with me today. It's very simple prayer. If you want Jesus to come in your heart and love to help you today to invite Jesus in your heart. Just pray this prayer with me. Dear God, I know that you love me.

I believe that you are God and I believe that Jesus is your son. I believe Jesus died on the cross gave his life by shedding his blood just for me and he loves me today. I just am so sorry for my sin. I accept and acknowledge that I am a son. I'm separated from you not I want I want to come together with you again. I want you to be in my life and I just repented this, I confess my sin and I trust you as my Savior invite you into my heart right now by faith in Jesus name. If you've given your life to Christ today when invite you to follow through. Chris Tejada no way I would've been without moms and dads, wives and husbands and base friends and neighbors just mean a lot to me. We want to mean a lot to you today. That's why we have a church like this is why invite you to come if you worshiping today) the century. I'm going to invite you to come today but I want to just pray quickly.

Some I just saw small hints about a nice close if you're saying right now Pastor that's me. I pray that you pray for me. Would you just lift up her hand quickly. Just put it up so I can see God – you today my dear friend, God they should just put it up in the balcony where of your just say that's me I have given my life to Christ. God's mission.

God bless you back there.

I love you and would you look at me for a moment power for personal testimony. I wish I could say you know it's the it's all about just how good we put all the sermon together.

You know how much we study you whether or not we've done the right thing because I wish it was all of that. It's just all about him as indeed it is all about Jesus. Listening is Dr. Donna's been teaching and preaching from acts 26 today.

Now, as he steps into the studio.

Please open your heart to what he wants to share next you just a moment ago you prayed with me to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. I rejoice there again.

Maybe you hesitated just say that second divides you time and eternity. Do it now pray with me right now. Dear God, I know that Jesus loves me and that he died on the cross for me, I give my heart and life. Faith. I repented myself and I receive you into my and I pray this in Jesus night, my friend, if you prayed that prayer I just welcome you with the love of Jesus, you see a number on the screen. You could call you can make the throughout where I want to be able to sustain that right and you my brother, my sister God bless and neither started on. We would love to connect with you to do that a number of ways and if you just gave your life to Jesus Christ. Rededicate your life today. Dr. Wilson has some free resources he once you have absolutely free if you call us at 866899 word 866-899-6733 commuters on the website as well.

At T.

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