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Gossiping the Gospel
The Power of Personal Testimonies |
Greetings!
Introduction
Most people view Gossip as a negative approach to spreading a word, thought, belief, rumor, or sensational report. The exact definition of Gossip according to Webster's dictionary is:
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Gossip (noun) - A person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others. -
Gossip Verb - a rumor or report of an intimate nature.
There are indeed many negative aspects to being a Gossip, or gossiping wrong messages about people. However, there appears to be a very positive aspect when gossip is used by groups of people who are simply repeating or stating what they hear and see from a sensational perspective.
In fact, Church historians have stated that the early church grew from 120 Christians to over 5 million Christians by the year 300 AD through a simple method they labeled as 'Gossiping the Gospel.' This was the exact term coined in the first century to represent the behavior of early Christians who were hearing and seeing sensational reports/facts about what the Church was all about. In essence, this was the best marketing program that could have been used to spread the new reality of what Christ accomplished via lives being transformed, healed, and/or changed. There is no evidence that the early church tried to squelch the gossiping of the Gospel. In fact, this method was what the Apostle Peter and John stated in Acts 4:20 ... "We cannot but speak the things we have heard and seen." These leaders were some of the biggest Gossips of their day; as they could not refrain from repeating and speaking about transformational power they were witnessing. They even risked their lives by repeating this transformational power in-spite of the fact that the structured religion disagreed with what they were saying.
This Spiritual Bulletin discusses the following topics:
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Transformational activity produces Gossip -
A new Internet Talk Radio show called - Gossiping the Gospel. -
The importance of personal testimonies -
Donation received to help write personal testimonies.
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Transformational activity produces Gossip | |
The early church was dynamic, sensational, and transformational. Whenever you have this type of environment, people will talk and share (gossip) about what is happening. They cannot help themselves, no matter how bad gossip may appear to be. For a very clear understanding of this concept consider what is stated in Mark 2:1-2 "When it was noised about that Jesus was in the House, they could not contain all the people." How do you suppose they noised it about? Simply put,they were gossips that gossiped about the sensational teaching, preaching, and healing that was transpiring.
A challenge to all of us may be ... do we see anything transformational or miraculous to gossip about? Is where you're hanging-out and what you're doing, transformational enough that people are talking (Gossiping) about what they see? See 1 John 1:1-4 |
Announcing the New Talk Radio - Gossiping the Gospel | |
We are excited to announce our new Internet Talk Radio Show called - Gossiping the Gospel which will air Sunday evenings at 4:00 PM (CST). Pam and I will host a 60-minute weekly program with other partners in crime (ministers) to start gossiping the transforming power of God through the personal testimonies of people from all walks of life. Gossiping the Gospel will be a call-in radio show available via phone and the Internet with each episode available via a podcast after the show.
The first show will air Sunday, August 1, 2010 at 4:00 PM via http://www.blogtalkradio.com/focusonheaven.The first show will feature the testimony of Clayton McClary. Some of Clayton's family members will be calling in and sharing the sensational and transformational aspects of Clay's life. They will gossip the Gospel with Pam and I during that first show.
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The Power of a Personal Testimony | |
The gossiping of the Gospel often starts when people start sharing their personal testimony of what has transpired in their life upon salvation, as well as their daily walk in life. Pam's testimony and mine continues to grow as we continue to see God use us, and work within us. We have a 'living testimony' that started the day we accepted Jesus into our heart, and doesn't stop until we die. The reason testimonies are so important is stated in Revelation 12:10-11: "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony."
This passage states very clearly from a reflective perspective, that there were only two things which minimized Satan's attacks upon people 1) The Blood of the Lamb, and 2) the Word of our Testimonies. The testimony we write down and share with people is a witness for Christ's transformational power. The more witnesses we have the greater chance we have of telling the fuller story of Christ Jesus. The same concept applies in the judicial system; both the accuser (plaintiff) and person being accused (defendant) want as many positive witnesses to testify on their behalf to represent the balance of the truth. As I reflect back on my Christian walk, I can clearly see that the personal testimonies of other people have helped me through very difficult and challenging times. Their testimonies have brought a clearer sense and balance of God's truth as lived out by them, and evidence through their testimony. For this very reason Pam and I have dedicated our time to helping people write their testimonies. The more testimonies that are available, the better chance people have to hear a truth pertinent to their life and circumstance. The Left Behind book series were a good warning about the last days, but a personal testimony series would be even better, as it will actually help people.
We have included the personal 25-page testimony of Clay McClary as a free download at http://www.focusonheaven.com/redemptioncenter.html. The testimony is also packaged as Journey 5 with the PearlWithin Series found at http://www.focusonheaven.com/pearlwithin.html. The Journey is entitled Exchanging Anger with Love. Please make sure to share this powerful testimony if you know of anyone dealing with bitterness, hatred or anger. |
Assistance to write your personal testimony |
We are pleased to announce that the Beatrice Kuehn family has donated 50% of the costs to publish five personal testimonies. This will include providing it in both a written and electronic form, as well as 25-printed copies. This is an excellent opportunity for you to publish your personal testimony, or a loved one's testimony. We know many people have considered writing their testimony, but do not know where to begin. Now with the help of some finances and some publishing assistance you have the perfect opportunity. We will work with the first five people who respond to us with their request.
The following quotation may help you decide to write your testimony ... 'Satan does not have an eraser.' The reason God wrote the Word of God versus trusting it to everyone's memory, is that Satan cannot erase the written word, like he can erase memory and thoughts from people's minds. This same thing applies with your personal testimony. Writing it down allows many more people to access it via paper or electronic means, versus trusting it to memory.
Please let us know if you have any interest in writing your living testimony. It's time to start gossiping your personal story and the Gospel. If you enjoy music video please listen to the following music video by Steven Curtis Chapman that may challenge you to get the word out, and start 'living out loud'. http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=dd82824a7635b469dd50 |
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We trust that this Spiritual Bulletin has been helpful in comprehending the importance of talking gossiping, testifying, and witnessing to give evidence of Godly things. We look forward to you joining in on the Talk Radio show - Gossiping the Gospel on Sunday Afternoons at 4:00 PM. Also, let us know if you are interested in sharing your personal testimony on the Talk Show and/or desire your testimony to be published, that more people might be encouraged in our day.
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