I have heard it said that the most dangerous lie is the one that most closely resembles the truth. I believe this to be true, because these kinds of lies go undetected. They rest on our minds and hearts and we rarely consider the impact they may have. They are like a sickness that goes undiagnosed for many years, and once discovered, the damage is quite significant.

I believe one of these lies has permeated the Church.

What lie am I talking about? Well it goes something like this:

“Tell me your testimony, how did you come to know Jesus?”

John Doe: “Well, for the longest time I was living in sin. Steeped in drugs and depression. I slept with women to numb the pain. Then finally this guy just kept nagging me to go to church. I finally did and after a while Jesus just showed up and became very real to me. I accepted Christ and have followed Him since then.”

Jane Doe: “Well, I was raised in the church and accepted Christ at a young age. My conversion story is not that radical.”

Do you see that?!

My conversion story is not that radical.

 Listen friends, this is a lie. This is a lie that I have believed and repeated countless times.

Let me prove it to you-

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,  in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.  But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

Ephesians 2: 1-6

You were DEAD.
Done.
Finished.
Helpless.

And now you are ALIVE.
New.
Holy.
Redeemed.

What once was dead, is now alive.

What is more radical than that?! In both cases, each person was DEAD in their sin, and now they are ALIVE in Jesus.

So here is another question:

WHY do we believe this lie? WHY was this lie even told in the first place?

Here is why:

 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 Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
 who accuses them before our God day and night,
 has been hurled down.

They triumphed over him
 by the blood of the Lamb
 and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much  as to shrink from death.

 Revelation 12:10-11a

 Just pause and let that sink in. The accuser is defeated by the Blood of the Lamb AND the word of our testimony.

 Well of course he wants our testimony to be diminished, it is a tremendous weapon!

We are in a battle, and the enemy is spewing lies at us left and right. I pray that you would be bold in sharing your testimony, recognizing that Jesus redeeming your soul is radical no matter what the circumstances were.

This is good news. This is the Gospel. Go tell the world.