You cannot have a testimony unless you have been tested, the things that have happened to you in your past were brought upon you for your good, a calling card as it were, that you have been chosen before the foundation of the world to glorify God and partake in His eternal blessings.
There has always been a debatable point as to whether we have made a decision to accept Christ as Lord, for is He not Lord of all, and if all that are called by the name of His Son were chosen before the foundation of the world, as the Scriptures say. It seems to be debated the most vigorously of course by those who do not hold to the wisdom and knowledge that God alone is Sovereign, that what He chooses to do is what is going to be done, no man can take Him to court (Job 9:32) those who hold fast to the assurance of their salvation care little either way, to put it in a strange way, they would serve Him with all their heart even if they knew the fires of eternal damnation was their final place. This is the testimony of the servants of the Most High God, it matters little what has occurred in our pasts, what the circumstances are today, or what the consequences of our actions will be in the future, we will serve. You cannot sway a man of such caliber, of such fortitude, the world holds no power over him, and he is both hated and revered for it.
Their testimony is true, the Lord God reigns on high, they fear no man, they do everything in their power to glorify His name in all things, and they hate evil with a passion that few can match. You may have read some of their books, they are driven in one pursuit only, to seek the face of God, to know the mind of Christ, all else is secondary, but have you ever met one in person? You will know them immediately, they are adamant, almost to the point of being intimidating, they will search out within you the ways that they can be of assistance to you, in the physical realm to a degree, but their emphasis will be on the spiritual, the eternal, they are quite adept at the initial niceties, the informal greetings, but they will not linger there for long, they are inconsequential matters, who can count a mere ninety or a hundred years as meaningful in view of eternity. They will seek out your soul, they will help you to see that there is more to Christ, that there is a more meaningful calling awaiting you, they will show you all this and more, and you will either desire to emulate them or hate them.
Very few people enjoy looking at their faults, their spiritual inadequacies, where they could be instead of where they are, they prefer to rationalize, to accept the excuses they have taught themselves to believe over the years. When this man of God comes into the sphere of your influence, he will not hold back, he will speak in a love that you will either interpret and accept as coming from Christ, or you will hear an intimidating and contentious, but he will not hold back to those who have granted him an audience, he knows how short time is, he knows the truth that each person’s life is as a vapor, (James 4:14) and he has little time for the daily weather forecast or the latest world events.
For the lost he knows only these simple, few words, “Christ is coming back soon, or you are going to die soon, what are your plans for eternity?” To those that he can call his brothers and sisters in Christ, he seeks only to “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15) From here is where you will need to be spiritually discerning within your own soul, for this man will challenge you, he will give God the glory for how He has been using you, you will receive not one platitude in the least from him, nor should you seek it, for it is God who is to receive all the glory. You will be prompted by this man to show the proofs of your servitude to Christ, to be able to expound on the fruits of your labors, and you will either do so with joy, giving the Lord Jesus all the credit, or you will feel as if you are being judged.
If not questioned of the proofs in your life by this man, then by whom? Do you expect Paul or Silas to return from the grave, perhaps Elijah or David, to whom are you to give this account to. You know for a fact that you will do so on that final day, that day of accounting when you are standing face to face with your Lord and Master Jesus Christ. If you cannot or will not give an account to the least of one of His servants now, what makes you believe you will be able to then, what excuses have you prepared for either this man or your eternal Judge. This man of God will not deceive you with vain words, he seeks nothing for himself, his responsibility is to challenge the children of God in love, but also in firm truth, how you accept that challenge to vigorously seek the face of God is left completely up to you.
He will not be bitter or angry against you, he will neither applaud your efforts nor congratulate you, you are a fellow servant, an heir to the kingdom of God, and no man has the right to tell the servant of any other what he should or should not be doing. (Romans 14:4) This man has been sent before you to challenge you to be more for Christ, to seek Him with all your heart and soul, the one true prize which is Christ, knowing within himself the truth of Paul’s words, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:12)
The decision is yours when the Lord God decides it is time for you to meet this man, you can call him adamant, you can see him as intimidating and even contentious, or perhaps even misread him as judgmental and pious, or you can except the challenge that God has sent this man to give you. Die to self completely, leave this world behind in all its trappings, live for the Lord Jesus Christ and no other, seek the lost, edify, reprove, and correct with the Word of God His children.
These are not just followers of Jesus Christ, they are devoted and loyal servants, they are men of God, their path is clear, and they have set their face like a flint to follow it. When they are sent to you, you will know them, and the Lord God will only send them to those that He is asking to go a little further with Him, to come out of the sheepfold and prepare to give all they are. The fellowship of his suffering awaits, are you prepared to answer that call?
