A Testimony-Driven Life

By Astra Williams Brantley, PsyD

A Testimony-Driven Life Biblical-Stewardship Living, Discipling Disciplers of Disciplers, in an Adversity-Centered World Our hearts weep with Christ and pray with Him in intercession for the saints for they are not "mission ready." Our hearts are grieved to agony with the Holy Spirit because not every Christian is equipped to "disciple disciplers of disciplers." The testimony of God the Father (Who is Jesus Christ), and the testimony of God the Holy Spirit (Who testifies only of Jesus) are not faithfully reflected in "the word of our testimony." So how do we inspire each and every Christian to learn/submit/commit to sharing their own testimony, at all times, in all places, to encourage other Christians, as well as to cause others to come to Christ? How can we inspire God's people to DO THE TRUTH (John 3:21)? When God does a work in us or through us, then we should give Him the glory, by sharing of our personal testimony. As spiritual beings commissioned to live out a physical existence in an adversity-centered world, God, expects much fruit, that is, for us to do just as Jesus did, go and make steadfast disciples capable of making disciples. This is the WHAT of our obedience. Our HOW is to depend on the Holy Spirit as we learn to live/love/serve like Christ (our biblical-stewardship living). WHY? Starting with our singular purpose, a testimony-driven life, that pleases and glorifies God, we know what will be the result, discipling disciplers of disciplers, but we need to understand that "biblical-stewardship living" is HOW we get it done.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098001742

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A Testimony-Driven Life

Astra Williams Brantley, PsyD and Robert Louis Brantley, MBA, PhD

Copyright © 2020 by Astra P. Williams Brantley, PsyD and Robert L. Brantley, MBA, PhD

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

4-19-2017

In loving memory of our mothers,

Mrs. Rubystene Randolph Williams and

Mrs. Frank Broyld Brantley.

Foreword: From the Hearts of the Authors

The Modern-Day Church Of The Fuzzy Why

The modern church is characterized by (1) impotence (lacking moral authority to be able to weigh in on important social justice issues); (2) church shopping (no true growth, just people moving from church to church); and (3) the pursuit of the brass ring (prosperity theology). When the church does not supply a clear WHY that resonates with individuals, human nature compels them to rely upon heart motives. Human heart motives fall on a continuum ranging from self-directedness to other-directedness.

The individual who comes to the church driven by self-directedness reflects the hedonistic desire to avoid pain and pursue the pleasurable. This is exactly what we see in most churches today. We witness congregants clamoring for services such as secure childcare, comfortable seating, central air-conditioning, brief sermonettes devoid of any reality of Satan and hell, and ending on schedule so as not to interfere with sports pre-game shows. Modernity does not highly value teaching disciplines such as tithing, fasting, intercessory prayer, altar calls, and providing opportunities to share personal testimony.

When it comes to giving testimony, many Christians are 1) handicapped because they were never taught its importance or how to share it; 2) inhibited due to their fear that other congregants will make idle gossip about the significant issues on which they are co-laboring with the triune God to overcome. Further there is no instruction in the practice of church discipline, confession, repentance and forgiveness, which are the hallmarks of a mature Christian’s walk. An observer is more likely to hear a litany of complaints about harried lifestyles and impossible schedules, rather than praise and thanksgiving for blessings. In most modern churches, there is little fellowship characterized by believers living out the love of Christ with others in the church family. Instead there is gossiping and squabbling about music or the amount of church resources being spent on outreach.

One is likely to see lots of bells and whistles incorporated into the services, so that you do not have to reference your Bible and become skilled in finding Scripture references via written text or Bible app. There will be no shortage of cell phones in use during the sermon, and socializing during the Lord’s Supper—congregants being distracted by all manner of things that are (to them) more important than doing what Christ asked us to do in remembrance of Him. In other words, the self-directed congregants ask not what they can do sacrificially for others in the household of faith, but rather, what can the church do for me to insure my comfort and convenience? First and foremost, the cry of the modern day congregant is the church cannot interfere with the all-important life that I have created for myself. Even though self-directed individuals focus upon themselves, they focus amiss. Their focus is upon creature comforts, their carnal appetites, and NOT cultivating the character of Christ. If individuals do not personify the love and character of Christ, then they will not have Christian-biblical testimony in their lives, and God is not honored!

At the other extreme position of the continuum are the other-directed individuals. They should, on the surface, appear more Christ-like than self-directed individuals. The origin of other-directedness is prideful service rather than being like Christ and displaying authentic love and care. At the most severe presentation, they seem pious and demand service and sacrifice as proof of holiness. These churches feel like throw-backs to some by-gone era when creature comforts were not yet invented. These churches are characterized by ultra conservative dress, separation of men and women in different seating sections, thus older women teach only younger women and children, but never men. Women are often forbidden to wear make-up, jewelry and pants. Young people are taught that dancing and computers are tools of Satan.

The less extreme sibling of the aforementioned church in the paragraph above, is a breeding-ground for co-dependents. Thus it cannot help its congregants learn vital information about destroying the cycles of physical, sexual, mental, and emotional abuse, or addictions in their families. This church creates suffering saints who are applauded for their capacity to suffer. When one encounters church folk who are subtly or overtly taught that enduring pain or discomfort is a badge of holiness, they say things like God has not told me to leave yet (which is also consistent with their church leaders guidance to stay and pray). How many women have ended up with STDs or AIDS because of church direction to stay with a philandering husband? How many wives have watched the physical abuse move from them to their children? How many husbands are overworked and in poor health due to trying to keep up with the Joneses, and the lack of personal prosperity is perceived as a mark of Satan? These church folk are often taught that professional helpers such as doctors, social workers and psychologists are in Satan’s army. (Do we really think that God does not have the wisdom to have professional helpers in His army?) These congregants may hold healing services, and hear the testimony of other believers; all of which confirms their belief in God. However, they do not have faith in God for the healing of the generational curses in their own lives. Yet Christ says his followers will be known by the love, NOT by their codependency, or by their degree of personal suffering they have tolerated.

Being Christ-centered, operating within the will of the Triune God who wants all of our actions to be motivated by the limitless love that He has shown to us, helps believers avoid the extremes of the self-directedness/other-directedness continuum. One of the strongest descriptions of the Christ-centered church is found in the Tony Evans 2016 book entitled Horizontal Jesus. As Christians, we are to act as Christ’s arms, hands and feet demonstrating His love on earth. As such, Christians should never be motivated to bring attention, praise or glory to themselves. Dr. Evans explicates the Theology of It based on Luke. The Theology of It suggests that all Christians in the family of God should pour into other believers based upon the bounty from life experiences and subsequent personal testimony that co-laboring with the Triune God provides. The depth and integrity of a Christian’s fellowship with other believers will reciprocally enrich his or her fellowship with God. This brings us back to where we should start: our co-labor with the Triune God to face life challenges (biblical stewardship living) provides the source of testimony to inspire, encourage, and sustain other believers in their Christian walks or sanctification, toward the defeat of Satan, and to the honor and glory of God. This in capsule form is God’s Kingdom agenda.

The modern-day Church of the Fuzzy Why has lost its clarity, meaning, and direction. It has lost its filter through which it makes decisions, every day, to bring its cause to life—the actualization of God’s Kingdom Agenda on earth. Without clarity, meaning, and direction the modern-day Church of the Fuzzy Why has no real construct for capturing its desired unique contribution and impact on God’s people, and in the world. The ongoing discipling of disciplers is WHAT the church should want to achieve in this adversity-centered world. Biblical-stewardship living is HOW that contribution/impact can be achieved. The living of testimony-driven lives is WHY we, the Church, should do what we do, the way we do it, in this sin-saturated adversity-centered world. The Church of the Fuzzy Why needs to refocus and find its way back to WHY, with biblically-inspired passion, ethics, and logic.

How Do We Inspire God’s People To Do The Truth?

Our hearts are broken over the suffering of God’s people, and over the apostasy of God’s Church—for it is neither adaptive nor overcoming. Our hearts weep with Christ, and pray with Him in intercession for the saints—for they are not mission ready (Robert Brantley Dissertation 2015). Our hearts are grieved to agony with the Holy Spirit—because not every Christian is trained, submitted, and committed to discipling disciplers. The testimony of God the Father (who is Jesus Christ), and the testimony of God the Holy Spirit (who testifies only of Jesus) are not faithfully followed by the word of our testimony.

Overcoming the devil, through His children, is the purpose of God: We overcome him by the blood of The Lamb, and by the word of our testimony. However, the Church of God is not overcoming, because it is not adaptive to the eternal teachings of the Holy Scriptures—but rather has adopted the ways of the world. Through church growth and other misdirected priorities, the Church has focused on making Christians rather than on making disciples—and making disciplers of disciplers. The Church has not made our people mission ready by teaching them and training them and disciplining them to share the word of their testimony, which is the primary purpose of every Christian.

So how do we inspire each and every Christian to learn/submit/commit to sharing their own testimony, at all times, in all places, to encourage other Christians, as well as to cause others to come to Christ? What will inspire God’s people to embrace the centrality of sharing their personal testimony to their very faith in Christ? How do we stop the heart-breaking, heart-weeping, and heart-grieving Church apostasy that prevents the Church from becoming adaptive and overcoming, and the people of God from becoming mission ready? How can we inspire God’s people to DO THE TRUTH, according to the Scriptures in John 3:21: But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are worked in God. You see, when God does a work in us or through us, then we should give Him the glory, and bring Him the honor by the sharing of our personal testimony.

As Christians, our Christian world view should include a unique vision of our lives, a distinct mission for our lives, and achievable/measurable goals in the living of our lives. Our life vision should be seen in terms of our purpose in God the Son—as the redeemed of the Lord, to give honor and bring glory to God the Father through our testimony-driven lives. Our life mission should be manifested through our biblical stewardship lives under the power of God the Holy Spirit. Our life goals should be measured by our God-given passion for the people of God, and for God’s Church, to become mission ready, adaptive, and overcoming disciplers of disciplers. But where do we start?

We should start with WHY. Many Christians know WHAT to do, and some know HOW to do it, but not enough know WHY we do Christianity, and do it through a Christian world view. We discovered a fresh paradigm that resonated with our paradigm of vision, mission, and goals—Simon Sinek’s The Golden Circle (2009).

The Golden Circle—Start With Why

The popular British-American author, speaker, and consultant, Simon Sinek, has a formula for feeling inspired and inspiring others: START WITH WHY—the purpose, cause or belief that inspires you to do what you do, and articulate your unique WHY STATEMENT. Simon says, Every person on the planet knows WHAT they do. This is your job title, function, the products you sell or service you offer. Most people know HOW they do it. These are the things they do that make them special or set them apart from their peers. Very few people know WHY they do what they do. The WHY is not about making money—that’s a result. The WHY is a purpose, cause or belief. Your WHY is the very reason you exist (2009).

Biblical stewardship living in an adversity-centered world delineates how Christians should go about performing the things that Christians should do to make them unique expressions of our Lord Jesus or set them apart from their peers. Discipling Disciplers is WHAT mature, informed, edified Christians who are mission ready do every day. It is their job title, function, the primary service they offer to the children and Church of God. However, few Christians understand WHY they do what they do. It is not about making Christians. God makes Christians, by His sovereignty, by His election, and by His grace. The Great Commission that Jesus articulated, according to the Gospel of Matthew, was to make disciples, not to make Christians. In fact, what Christians are taught in Scripture is to disciple disciplers, as Jesus did. As individual Christians, and as the Body of Christ on earth, our impact is determined by the condition in which we leave the people and the world around us. God’s people who are mission ready must engage in determined and relentless discipling of disciplers so that His church can function according to His adaptive and overcoming Kingdom Agenda.

Intentionally living "a testimony-driven life is the WHY for Christians and the Church. The reason we exist, individually or congregationally, is to express and share our individual unique personal testimonies with each other and to the world—giving God honor and bringing Him glory. Testimony (actually sharing testimony) clarifies our identity, purpose, and direction. Our identity rests solely in the fact that we are gifted with redemption by God, for the purpose of living testimony-driven lives, toward His glory and honor and pleasure. Our gift to the world is our gift from God that we gift back to Him when we share with other saints and sinners the unique expression of Christ that is the tableau of our testimonies, which are consistent with the wall of our lives, engraved on the palms of God’s hands—and He will never forget us, for we are forever before Him (Isaiah 49:15–16). You see, God has a perfect plan for each of His children, and He has engraved each plan on the palms of His hands. What delights Him the most is when His children, each of us, lives our testimony-driven lives, sharing our testimony with others, and our testimonies are consistent with what He has already engraved on His palms. The wall of our lives is the collection of our own testimonies that are consistent with what God has already desired for us—His perfect will for our lives. Now, we, by our choices under His permissive will, don’t have a perfect record. However, God is pleased by our desire, by our efforts, and by our occasional hitting the mark of the wall of our lives," to His