Good Morning and welcome to this edition of the Berean Break.  My name is George Sinkie and I am so glad that you have taken this opportunity to join with me in a study of God's word.  On this program we use and promote the word of God as the only guide that man should use in religion.  While others strive to take people away from the word of God and lead them by their man-made creeds and catechisms, we proclaim the truth of God by calling people to His word.  Let's begin this morning with a prayer,

Great Loving and Almighty God, We thank You for this day.  We thank You for Your word.  Help us accept the fact that it is Your complete revelation to us.  Help us to reject the man-made creeds and catechisms that are so prevalent today.  Great God, we thank You for Your Son, Who died for us that we can be free.  Help us to know Your truth and obey Your truth, so we can have that freedom.  In Jesus' Name, we pray!!  AMEN !!

     Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica the following words of encouragement, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10

   6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
   7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
   8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
   9 And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
   10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed — for our testimony to you was believed.

     The idea of a testimony is important today, but we must remember that our testimony has to be in harmony with the revealed will of God.  The testimony that Paul speaks of here was his sharing of the will of God with them.  In verse 8 Paul mentions the "gospel" which was a dominate theme of Paul's writings.  Paul spoke of the gospel he preached being the death, burial, and resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

   1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
   2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
   3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
   4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

     Here in 2 Thessalonians 1 he speaks of the need to "obey the gospel."   How can a person obey the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus?  In Romans 6:3-4, Paul shows that we "obey" the death, burial, and resurrection, by being immersed, that is baptized into Christ.  Read with me,

   3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
   4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

     You can read these passages for yourself and I believe that if you are sincere you will understand them and obey the Lord.

     Today's lesson is going to deal with the idea of a testimony.  As I mentioned our testimony needs to be in harmony with the word of God.  What this means is that when we share something we need to show that it is supported by the Scriptures.  To show an example of this I want to share with you a pamphlet that I received one time in the mail and examine it just like I would any teaching.

     I'm not sure why I received this mailing but perhaps others in the community received it as well.  It was a little booklet called The Persuader and is put out by a denomination in Calvert City, KY. The cover of this booklet reads, "Victory in Jesus, Testimony of Wanda Sheppard." Now if someone was not careful and did not check out what this booklet taught by the Scriptures, that person may fall for this scheme of Satan.  Most of the booklet deals with the religious searchings of Wanda.  Since I want to think positively of Wanda, I believe that she was sincerely searching for God.  Unfortunately, rather than going to the word of God to learn how to be saved, she listened to the teachings and doctrines of men. I would like to share with you a little bit of what she says on page 16.  Wanda says,

     Early in the morning on Friday, May 1st, after wrestling all night, I moved from the couch to my bed.  I was laying there still praying and asking God to help me when I heard in my heart the words "Victory in Jesus."  At that moment, something inside me welled up with a resounding "YES!" and the burden was lifted.  I immediately turned and looked at the clock and it was 6:07a.m.  I thought to myself, "I must have been asleep and dreaming."  I said, (not out loud, but in my heart) ‘Lord, did you really save me?  Was that really you?" and I heard the words (in my heart) "'tis done , the great transaction's done."  Well, this wasn't what I had thought it would be at all.

Then Wanda says on page 19,

God came unexpectedly to me.  I did not have any idea He was going to save me when He did.

     Now I do not doubt the sincerity of Wanda's feeling that this saved her, but these feelings are not based on the word of God.  Let's consider a biblical example of someone who spent time praying and see what the Bible teaches that they had to do to be saved.  We have three inspired accounts of this change from being lost to being saved.  The first of these is found in Acts 9:10-19

   10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias;  and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias."  And he said, "Behold, here am I, Lord."
   11 And the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,
   12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight."
   13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem;
   14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name."
   15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
   16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."
   17 And Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
   18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized;
   19 and he took food and was strengthened.

     Verse 18 says that Saul, whom we know better as Paul, "arose and was baptized."  Did he have this feeling "well up inside."  NO!  Ananias, a disciple of Jesus Christ, came to him and told him what to do if he wanted to have his sins removed.  As Paul tells this story of his conversion, or as some would say, "gives his testimony," listen to what he says, in Acts 22:14-16

   14 "And he (referring to Ananias) said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear an utterance from His mouth.
   15 ‘For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
   16 ‘And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.'"

     It is plain to see from the inspired word of God that salvation comes to a person when they are baptized, that is immersed in water for the forgiveness of their sins.  Those who maintain that a person can be saved without baptism, must teach that a person can be saved even when they have unforgiven sin in their lives.  Now this washing away of sins in baptism is not a physical washing like when we throw the clothes in the washer and they come out clean, but is a spiritual cleansing of our souls by the blood of Christ.
     Whose testimony will we receive, that of Wanda Sheppard which is based on the teachings of men — or that of Paul the apostle, based on the inspiration of God?  If we will be sincere and honest with God, then we will accept and follow the teachings of Paul and the other inspired writers.  When you hear a testimony from someone, don't just accept it as being the will of God.  Check it out with the Scriptures.  If you receive a booklet like, "Victory in Jesus, Testimony of Wanda Sheppard," I encourage you to check it out with the Scriptures and then reject it for what it is false teaching by Satan.

     Just as I have encouraged you to check out the testimony of Wanda Sheppard by the word of God, I want you to check out what I have taught by the word of God.  I believe that if you are sincere and honest with the Word of God you will see that I have taught you the truth.  And, if I have taught you to truth, then I want to encourage you to obey the truth.