The Power of Your Testimony

Share Jesus. Just share the gospel. Share your faith. The power is inherent in that. I believe when the Holy Spirit of the living God dwells within us, which every true Christian is in dwell by the Holy Spirit, Romans 8.9. If you have not the Spirit of Christ, you know belong to Him. Now if you turn that sentence around, if you have Jesus, you have His Holy Spirit. So the Holy Spirit's resident within us. I believe that when the Holy Spirit of the only true living God is resident within a physical body, there's a spell over it there. Welcome to the Ignite with Barry Maguire podcast where Barry's book and passion for spreading God's love are guaranteed to ignite your life. Now listen in and prepare to have your life ignited. Welcome back to Ignite. Here my buddy Dallas Holm, we have been buddies, literally buddies since September of 1970. Dallas course was the crusade singer for David Wilker center. We've covered all that of course, but then just his fame and demand for his old person ministry, let him into doing in these travel the country ever since. And I have been in so many of those services and been convicted. You've gotten me saved. We're talking about sharing faith. That's what this is all about folks and and how much fun it is. It is fun. And Dallas, I've been doing it all our lives and we have so many stories we're going to get to some of those a minute, but you said something off camera, which struck a chord with me because it's like, how many did I miss? I try to take an inventory at the end of the day. It is move everybody every day closer to Jesus. That's our goal. It's not find one person today. That all the people you're going to be with today that are on the way to hell. How do you pick one? Yeah. How do you pick the right one? And we don't have time for that anyway. I mean, we need to move everyone every day closer to Jesus. And here's something you may not realize. Do you know that most non Christians are non Christians because of Christians? Well, tragically, yes, I understand that because we're not sensitive that everything we do and say is moving people closer further away from God, you're in full time ministry. We all are right. And for the moment you get up the more time you go to bed tonight, everything you say today, you can't get away from this once I say this. Everything you do and say today is moving everyone watching you closer further away from God. Yeah. That changes your life. That's a life change. And a lot of times, you know, I hate to say this, but a lot of times and like you I run into so many people through the years and it just breaks my heart who have such a hardness and a resistance to the Lord of the things of the Lord because someone represented him so badly. And often it was in a sharing the faith context. Oh, because they got in their face. They had a method. They had a plan. It was so it was so unloving. We got trophy hunters out there. That's what I call folks. I hear this. Hear this. It's not an argument. You don't cast your frozen for swine. You just you just you can't force people into Christianity. It's you said it earlier. It's the Holy Spirit drawing them. And you may be at the very beginning of the Holy Spirit drawing them or you may be down the line. We don't know. The thought of the comment you made that that makes me laugh and sad at the same time is this thing of how many people do we miss? Yeah. I mean, some days I feel like a pinball machine. There's four face sharing. I mean, poignant life changing face sharing experiences in the span of two or three hours. Yeah. And I'm wondering if I was more attentive would that be happening every day of my life or was it that I just just he got set it up at that I don't know what I do suspect that God sets up. They are planned our steps are ordered. He he does plan these these interruptions that are live divide interruptions and I wonder how many times I I miss it. I'm right there and I and I miss it and I'm picturing God going, boy, they I work so hard at very just blew me off. Now in the the ultimate sovereignty of God there are no accidents and there are no coincidences he either is the God we claim him to be and more importantly who scripture claims him to be we easily say God knows everything. Well, does he or doesn't he with absolutely he's got. So these these things are ordered of the Lord he's got a plan that is so specific so my new so moment by moment and you know fortunately he's merciful and grace gracious and sometimes we miss it and again there's no condemnation but the losses are when we miss the opportunity you know because we miss an opportunity God's not going oh boy well can't help that person now. No God loves that person but we've missed the opportunity in the blessing and the I guess I would say the opportunity to store up another treasure in heaven which isn't a statistical thing because what we store up in heaven we're going to lay at the feet of Jesus this is going to be our way of honoring him. I wrote a praise letter and I thought this was we've sent it on every other month and I just got it mailed to myself this morning. I'm on my belly so I can always check and make sure the grammar is okay all that but I ran across this line just before we started these podcasts and I thought if people could get this in their head it might help them a little bit it just says this it's just a little paragraph of it we are all well aware of the many who perish daily all around the world due to war famine crime and disease. What if somehow there was a daily death toll posted that accounted for all who had perished without Christ what if that list contain the locations of those who died how many would have perished in astonishingly close proximity to where we live. What if there was a death toll we could a list we could look up on our computer this many people died today not just in the world but in our own community in our own neighborhood this many and we're aware of this I mean Linda died a couple years ago as we got a little older we started. Saying every time the phone rings okay who's got cancer who died because as we get older as we move along more and more people are perishing people are perishing all around us all the time if that doesn't you know inside us to do something say something be Jesus I don't know what will. It's just astonishing how much I'll be real careful here we talked about this the other day I'm a church person I believe every Christian should be in a good Bible teaching community of believers question I've traveled this country I've been in 22 countries around the world I've been in every denomination you can think of literally from Catholic to Quaker and everything in between so it's giving me a pretty unique perspective on the church little see you know in how it operates. We spend bazillions of dollars to get this the most agreed intellectual pastor the most talented worship leader the most innovative programs the greatest technology we've got all this going on. And we do so miserably poor in reaching the lost outside of the work the walls of our church. The church is not to be as I study scripture with the new testament church model that was not an evangelistic soul saving station now certainly there were people who came in were invited by family whatever and they heard the gospel may they came to faith in Christ but the church's job is to equip us you and me believers build us up the knowledge of the word so that we have a consensus. Get out of the church and go make a difference for the kingdom of not being done it's almost nonexistent today and it's the it's it's not only one of the most it is the thing it's the only thing God calls us to do and we're not doing it it's crazy. Yeah all the things we could discuss and debate again the logically doctorly a lot of issues in scripture that you are not real clear things that scripture is silent on that we can only kind of guess that there's one thing that scriptures absolutely not silent on and at the very end it's like an exclamation point at the end of Christ ministry on earth. Oh this one last thing guys disciples I want you to go into all the world and preach the gospel and make disciples one translation says when you look at the original language it really reads a little better to say as you are going in other words it's not a it's not a command to geographically move from here to there not might it might entail that to go might mean across the ocean might mean across the street across the table across the hallway. But I like that I like the translation that and as you are going in other words in the course of your day as you're going as you're moving about as you're living your life preach the gospel now that's not a sermons on a homological presentation just share the truth of the good news. Absolutely. If someone said the loudest sermon you'll ever preach is your life live for Jesus and then make disciples that's where we especially in the church fail miserably we're not replicating ourselves we're not discipling men and women showing them teaching them example into them what is a Christian look like what are Christian values how do I respond to these areas of the growing folks that is as you're going in your regular life. It's not that you decided to go on a missions trip right and you may do that you may talk about every day as you're going throughout your regular life breakfast this morning with your family. You know interactive with your boss and your employees and your workers and meeting people at Starbucks or it goes on and on as you're going realize you're in full time ministry nothing secular for you there's nothing secular. And even the Christians around you need ministry to so it's full time I mean this is this is what it's about and it makes like every day's an adventure when you're watching for it and you receive more back than you're giving. Because I mean every time you walk away from that and you've even had one experience you know this you're probably talking about five years since you did it after it was so excited was so excited why don't you do it every day. You can do this every day and we're running out of time we need to be doing this every day eighty percent of our population America lost. I know they're doing crazy things but they haven't excuse. They're lost and they're not going to church and they're only hope is you. Us were there only hope they have no heart apart from Christians. Loving on that they have no hope. Again the opposite of love is it's apathy is not hate is just a genius don't care. God help us to care help us to move everybody every day close to Jesus that's what this thing is getting night and start having some fun. Like an explosion in your life. Well I love the point you made in fact just in the last few days as I was thinking about praying about you know doing this podcast and what are we going to talk about and what's important what's not essential. That was one of the main things I thought about because I realized especially after I quit touring and I still take a few dates but as far as touring I just don't do that anymore I toured for 50 years and God just kind of. Close that that season by the way your podcast how do we get to your box he's a good podcast you gotta you gotta get a joy how do you find your podcast right quick. Oh it's a Dallas home dot com is our website and our podcast comes on every Wednesday it's called here we are your favorites on yes and my daughter and I usually do it will have everything we got some throwback videos back from the 70s old videos that we throw in it's great it's a lot of fun. It's for the whole thing I realized spirits ministry in a bus share my podcast Dallas does leave your tears I mean it's from the heart it's it's Holy Spirit driven so what you said about sharing the faith is not just. I think we've done damage to the whole concept of the statement sharing the faith because that that has been often ill defined as oh that means you go on a witnessing campaign or you pass out this piece of information or you do this and it's only to the lost people. What I find myself is I probably am sharing my faith more with Christians or wounded Christians that I am non believers I that it's not up to me to sort out which comes across my plate. But as I've stopped touring it became real obvious probably in the last year especially I'll get a phone call get a letter I'll get an email I'll run into someone just just a week ago a gentleman and I don't know if he's a Christian or not. We just met we started a clock he knew who I was and he said. Would you be willing to just meet with me for lunch he said I've never been disciple I never had anybody just gotta walk me through the basics and I said yeah next time we get together which we've got a date set up let's go grab lunch nowhere that a lead I don't know but I think he said believer but he's a wounded believer that that's walking on you know spiritual crutches he just is not real you don't have a firm foundation. In more and more another another man called me not too long ago would you would you help me understand how to teach scripture how to be how do you say how to be the man of God in my house how do I how do I share the word of God with my family I said absolutely let's just sit down it's so easy it's so practical don't think you got to preach sermons just again it's just that sharing love on that. Of course you don't know you're my disciple by your love not by your ready not by your building. Code scripture by your love and God's love flows through you and I point out the most prolific of all. Face shares are new Christians yes and they don't know scripture they have a love of God he's their first love and the love of God is flowing through them and they're changing lives all around not because of their expertise and coding scripture or knowledge just God's love speaking through them supernaturally speaking through them I care and I you know I mentioned our age and we don't feel all what I mean we feel like we're in our 50s but but our whites are changing the point that we have four four punos in in 10 days right now. I don't know what's happening. But the fact the matter is that. We need to make sure by is in the right place going the right direction and I don't have one regret of saying I should have talked to them about the Lord. Everyone said I have to know I knew I should have got back I missed that God nudged me and I didn't do it. And it breaks me we have these opportunities every day and I love what what Peter said to the Thessalonians he says so what do I get out of it. So what do I get out of it. Well I what would be my rewards we hear about crowns and rewards so I saw the people that he led to the Lord. So what so what do I get out of it. It's you it's you my crown my rewards in heaven are those I led to heaven to Jesus Christ that's my reward. What will be your reward when you get to heaven. You want rewards and get off the bench in the game and start having fun and the rewards will be innumerable. You can't stop it. It's just it's now and later because right now you're going to be having the time of your life. Listen to us and we've been through some stuff both of us. Yeah well and you said some a moment ago that triggered a thought. When we were brand new Christians I say this way when we were brand new Christians we did so many things so right. Now that we're educated mature and down the road we do so many things go wrong. Initially we had an unbridled passion we didn't care what people thought of us we didn't care what it cost. We just fall in love with the king of the universe what do we care about anything else. And we just shared our testimony we shared our faith unapologetically. Now some people say well but you know that's just a testimony the operative word there's just that well that's just a testimony. In the book of Revelation inspired by the Holy Spirit John writes this the enemy is overcome by two things. Number one the blood of the lamb yes okay what could possibly be on the same show of the same level as the blood of the lamb. And he says the word of our testimony never ever ever underestimate the power of a testimony it's not our ability to articulate. Now I try I was good at grammar when I speak I try to speak intelligently I try to articulate well I try to use the English language hopefully with some degree of mastery. But the packaging of the message Paul said I'm not ashamed the gospel for it is the power not my presentation of it inherent in the message of the gospel. And I don't mean message as in just words but the gospel that we preach that we show that we demonstrate yes that we speak. The power that is inherent in the message itself just share Jesus just share the gospel share your faith the power is inherent in that. I knew that when I was a sinner when I was lost there were people that were full of God's spirit love and kindness and kind of drove me nuts sometimes. But that was the power of God and we have that within us then when we can take and articulate that and please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I believe we must be built on the foundation of the word of God because yes it's kindness it's joy it's exempling out. But as you do this there's going to be conversations that ensue there's going to be questions that will be asked specific questions. We need to be able to give an account to be ready in season and out of season as Paul said always be prepared to respond. But when we just come up to people and hit him over the head with the Bible or we got some programmer some method it is I would say generally counterproductive. They just want to see Jesus everybody what they really know who Jesus is everybody loves Jesus how could you not love someone who's. The absolute embodiment of love peace joy kindness. But as I said earlier they've been impacted so often by representatives of Christ who didn't know how to show the show the love of Jesus they had an agenda they were trophy hunters I wanted to rack up another notch on their pistol you know it's just so it's so wrong so yeah it's about God it is about God's love and you know people say you are this people afraid to share the faith they're going to get persecuted and all this stuff I've been doing this since nineteen. 73 folks. That's over 50 years I've never been persecuted. Now that's going on around the world but I'm talking about American Christians right now you know people they don't get mad at you when you tell them God loves them. Absolutely I don't point out their sin I go and I hug them right and I let God know God loves them and I walk them you do it in love and a couple of the quick thoughts. I am more and more being with successful younger you know 40s young people younger professional Christians. That are money that are supporting great causes. That the thought of leading somebody to Jesus Christ has never entered their mind. They know what they're doing to support this ministry and that and that ministry is giving them a big room with the hotel or on that cruise ship and they're celebrating and with their language and their lifestyles. All wrapped up into one they're feeling so good for doing something for God and. I'm reminded Jesus said to those that said haven't I done this in your name I was in a department I don't even know who you are we but the church is being preferred at the highest levels. By forgetting what it's all about and it's not about we need to support all those things of course. But if we're doing all those things and not and not broken for so holes we've missed the whole point of our existence. Dallas is not always when you're at the mountaintop. In fact I have a problem my you know my biggest impediment is well if I had Barry's company and beautiful wife and cars and I'd be happy too. Why shouldn't he be happy right that hurts me you know in my most powerful testimony was with my daughter died. Yes when I was in the hospital they gave me up for dead they said I couldn't make it then my words had power. Yes and you walk this I mean I lost Nicole you love Nicole we lost her 49 years of age a prolific fate share. Yeah you know I'm Linda was just huge talking about a saint man and you two had fun together you enjoyed life you laugh the forest of life but boy. God walked you through the valley for a lot of years can you speak to that and what the impact your lies naturally loving God to keep your joy has had on other people. Yeah my wife Linda we were married for 54 years we dated for five years before that so we know in love each other for almost 60 years she's the best. She's the best Christian I've ever known she was beautiful outwardly but he's more beautiful inwardly she battle breast cancer for 37 years. There's no way she should have lived that long medically but just by God's grace and she really enjoyed. Relatively good health through all that journey but she had surgeries chemotherapy radiation more chemo more surgery more radiation more scans more needle bricks and we could even count I mean she's been through all of that. And always I mean right up till the end had a smile on her face true joy manifest from within she's an amazing woman. You know I can tell story after story I could go through all that but this is the reality of life because your Christian doesn't buy any means mean that oh well you're not going to have any the problems that other people do. I've never told people give your life to Jesus you won't have any more problems I've told people give your life to Jesus you'll have some brand new problems. If you're not going to go through the problems with you God does his best work in our worst times that unconvinced up say that again. His greatest purposes when we feel like we're just at the bottom of the mountain you know life we talked about mountain top experiences before. Occasionally God gives us what we might call a mountain top experience I've been at the top of some mountains I'm an outdoors person I've been 14,000 feet in higher. It's always exhilarating but the reality is there's nothing going on up there there are no elk walking around the top of the mountain there no deer up there at 14,000 feet. Most of our down in the valley the tallest trees grow the deepest valleys the greater mountain wildlife is down. No life is lived in the valley and honestly when we go through these times of loss and grief and struggle the most intimate relationship we ever have with Christ is in the fellowship of his suffering. It doesn't get any more real than that and yeah that could be persecution that can be physical things it can be any number of things but when we suffer and God knows what he needs to do. Sometimes we're a little wippy you know we say well you know maybe God allows some of these things but a good God would really you know in his mercy and grace would never really causing these things to happen. I'd like to point you to Isaiah 45-7 where it says this is the Lord speaking I caused the light and I create the darkness I make well being and I cause calamity I the Lord God do all these things. Here again we have this sovereign God he will do whatever it takes to get our attention and we know this from Joe you know here's the most righteous man on the planet receives God's own endorsement. In what does God do he takes away all his possessions his ten children seven sons three daughters lose their lives they're gone he's a physically afflicted his wife shows up says honey just curse God and died but you know that made his day. But Joe says in faith yeah faith perfected by the sufferings he says I know my redeemer lives and though you slay me kill me if you want yet I will trust you and I think God got up off his throne and one yes you know and that's what God's up to in our lives he he brings us through some his belly experience it's all the testing of our faith it's bringing us into the closest realm of relationship with Jesus through the fellowship of his sufferings. And this this life you know part of it's just the older you get but part of it is the more you understand the grace and the goodness of God you've walked with him further this whole life is barely a blip on the radar screen it's just here and it's gone make every moment count and I look back and I go I could have done so much more but I can't change that but I can change what happens today when we have this compete. I've got a mission today as I go out when I go get the oil changed on my car which I'm going to do this afternoon I'm going to look for the young lady that's going to check me in and she's going to tell me if my cars ready or not is there any way that I can be a blessing to her is there any way that I can move her just a little bit closer to Jesus I got to stop get some groceries and things at the drugstore I mean it's just so fun apart from the responsibility and the call and all it's just fun. Every day now you know what by myself I had my wife is is in heaven so hey part of my adventure now is like I said I always been a hunter I love to hunt love the outdoors love the fish love the challenge now I'm hunting for souls I'm tracking them down the aisles I'm looking for opportunities. It makes my day full and fun. Oh my Dallas we're out of time yeah I love you brother we have to do some more of these but I would bring us back to Romans 828 okay all things yes the passing of Nicole our daughter the passing of Linda the bad things are lies all things all things work together for good for those who love God and livery his purpose his purpose to see could save the loss you understand that folks but how does that work how do I work that all things work together for good and Linda 37 years yeah and died how's it my daughter who went through teen challenge had abuse problems use those for God's glory led more people the world that anybody I know quite frankly and we lost her how works the good we have no idea the good you know good to God is how many people are brought to him or entered into heaven because of the those experiences how many people have followed the ministry of Dallas and Linda home and have loved on them and prayed for them and with them have witnessed their testimony and their joy to the very end the Dallas standing up with that funeral were weeping the love the Thanksgiving coming out of Dallas at the funeral and I did it and the course funeral 20,000 people watched the course celebration of life that's good a few more moments on earth that is good we'll never know until we get to heaven how God has used the bad in our lives because of how we reacted to the bad and praise God right on through it and trust him through it and that's what lights all about that's the message that you're hearing from these two guys he's he's a tech said he loves to go ahead and fish out there I couldn't shoot an animal I'm a business man but we are one mind yes because we serve one God and we won purpose it's God purpose seek a save the loss that's your purpose don't forget that see you next time night your faith see you next time on the ignite with Barry McGuire podcast