Joel M Bradshaw

38The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.–Luke 8

Could you imagine? This guy could have been the greatest walking illustration Jesus might have ever had! The one formerly with a legion of demons inside him and now delivered. But that wasn’t what Jesus had planned.

No, he was to stay in his hometown among the very people that he had once terrorized as a possessed man. He now had a story of deliverance and freedom that was uniquely powerful among the people who knew him best. His story was to center on what God had done. In Christian circles we call this a person’s testimony. What might this man’s testimony look like?

1. His past and what it looked like.
2. How Jesus changed that.
3. What now is different about his life moving forward.

We learn from the Gospel accounts that 1 was horrible and 2 wrecked their pig economy and got Jesus asked to leave. So 3 needed to involve the man living in such a changed way that it blessed his community instead of terrorizing them.

Now consider yourself. What would your 1-3 look like? I challenge you to tell your story and to get it down to a couple of minutes.

My story essentially is: “I chose to follow Jesus at a young age, but later allowed my life to spiral into cycles of selfishness and addiction. I was living as a functional hypocrite. God then brought me through a season of brokenness and weakness, and I learned to depend upon Jesus fresh and new. During this time, I admitted I had a problem and I pursued help. I got the accountability I needed. Jesus changed me. He dragged me off of the ‘Joel’ path, and placed me on the ‘Jesus’ path. And now God uses my once messy story for His glory. I have been sober for 11 years and I now journey with people in recovery who face the same struggles. Jesus’ death and resurrection provide the basis for me to both humbly offer amends and also to forgive others. And if you want, I’d love to share with you how the Gospel can also change your life as it did mine.”

Maybe the greatest way you serve Jesus is by telling your story to others and then living differently than before. Merry Christmas!–JMB