Most of these testimonies are exaggerated to make it appealing for the audiences. Some testimonies truly bring glory to God but many don't. Let us analyse the following testimony that I saw in a TV channel recently. The interview went on like this
Interviewer : Praise the Lord brother. It is a great privilege to have you with us on our show.
Celebrity : Praise the Lord. I greet you in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Interviewer : Can you please share with us about your testimony.
Celebrity : I was a notorious sinner. I used to be one major rogue. People were scared of me. I was the hit man of my place. My hands used to do the talking and I used to settle disputes with my power. During those days I was a big drunkard too. I used to get drunk every night and some nights I would be lying down on the road. Some one would take me to my house. I was a disgrace to the family. I used to smoke 50 cigarettes a day and I taught many college friends to smoke. This is how I was leading my college life.
Interviewer : Oh No! Then what happened
Celebrity : Then when I was in final year of college, I started taking drugs and I became a drug addict. I was always high on drugs. I started stealing money from my home, friends to buy drugs and I had contacts with all the drug peddlers in town.
Interviewer : That was really bad.
Celebrity : Yes! It was really bad. Then one day I was so depressed , I decided to smoke some weed. I ran out of rolling paper . So I searched for a paper that I could use to roll the weed and I found a small bible in the corner of the room. The paper in the bible is soft and I decided to tear a paper to roll the stuff and smoke.
I opened the bible and I saw John 3:16. Immediately tears started flowing from my eyes and I surrendered myself to Christ. I confessed all my sins and submitted myself to God. I even took the decision to become a pastor and lead people away from sin. If Jesus can cleanse a great sinner like me, He sure can cleanse anyone.
Interviewer : That is one of the best testimonies we have heard in a long time Pastor. Now tell me how your life is after you accepted Jesus as your personal savior.
Celebrity : When I was in sin, I was a complete loser. People hated me. Now everyone loves me. God has blessed me too. I used to be a pauper who did not have any penny on me. But now I own a BMW and God has poured his blessings on my family. When we put God first he will bless us and prosper us. His plan is to prosper us and give us a hope and a future. I was once without any hope. Now Jesus is my Hope and Joy.
Interviewer : Praise God for that. Dear Viewers, I am pretty sure that this testimony of our dear pastor would have inspired you to accept Christ. We will meet again with yet another testimony next week. Till then, Good bye; Stay Blessed.
Did anyone find anything wrong in this testimony?
The celebrity talks about his past and also about his present life. In the past life, he talks about his defeated sinful life; but when he talks about his present life, he talks about the earthly blessings. He is not talking about how he is overcoming sin in his day -to-day life. Earthly blessings does not fit into the picture at all because if earthly blessings are equated as blessings from God then all the non believers in the Forbes top 100 richest people in the world are the most blessed people in the world.
When we share our testimony, let us not tell lies. It has become a fashion to say "I was a drug addict in the past". Some one who smoked weed in college doesn't become a drug addict. Drug addiction is a different department in itself. Just to attract audiences let us not exaggerate our past life. Some of the testimonies that we hear really make me think that those celebrity preachers should actually be behind bars.
Testimony is all about showing it through our life.
Testimony is all about praising him.
Testimony is not about trying to portray myself as a good man.
Testimony is all about Truth.
Testimony is not about Lies.
Even a single ounce of Lie in a testimony make it a whole Lie.
How is your testimony?
-Shielded in God's Love
Watchmen
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