Telling How He Has Had Mercy on You

Another annual award show was staged on Sunday, the Grammys. (Not to be confused with the Grandmas.) In case you missed it, the show was as much about political posturing and taking “fashion” to the extreme as it was recognizing achievements of singers and musicians. I saw only highlights of it, but it was clearly a celebration for self-indulgence.

 

There was one exception: Jason Bradley DeFord, known by his fans as Jelly Roll, received three prestigious awards. His honors included Best Contemporary Country Album for his album, Beautifully Broken; Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song with Brandon Lake for "Hard Fought Hallelujah," and Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Shaboozey for "Amen."

 

The difference was that instead inserting social commentary in accepting his last award, the 41-year-old singer expressed heartfelt gratitude to the ones who had literally changed his life. After winning the Grammy for his album, he credited Jesus and his wife, Alisa DeFord, in a brief acceptance speech. 

 

“I know they’re going to try to kick me off here, so just let me try to get this out. First of all, Jesus, I hear you and I’m listening, Lord. I am listening, Lord,” Jelly Roll started. "Second of all, I would have never changed my life without You. I’d have ended up dead or in jail. I’d have killed myself if it wasn’t for you (Alisa) and Jesus. I thank you for that,” he said.

 

“There was a time in my life, y’all, that I was broken. That’s why I wrote this album. I didn’t think I had a chance, y’all. There was days that I thought the darkest things. I was a horrible human.”

 

Then, holding up a small Bible, Jelly Roll continued, “There was a moment in my life that all I had was a Bible this big and a radio the same size and a 6-by-8-foot cell. And I believed that those two things could change my life. I believed that music had the power to change my life. And God had the power to change my life.

"I want to tell y'all right now, Jesus is for everybody," he added. "Jesus is not owned by one political party. Jesus is not owned by no music label. Jesus is Jesus, and anybody can have a relationship with Him. I love You, Lord.!"

  

Other artists had received ovations after spouting political commentary that reinforced the prejudices of many in the audience. However, when Jelly Roll concluded there was a comparative smattering of applause. For some, their refusal to applaud signaled disdain for what he had to say. But perhaps for others, the magnitude of his mini-testimony was reverberating in their minds and hearts.

 

For all who saw his speech – it's on YouTube or the social medium of your choice – it was an unforgettable, live-and-in-person example of Jesus’ command to “…be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Even to the so-called A-list of musical entertainment.

 

Jesus told His followers – including us – that as we go about our lives, wherever we are, we’re to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16). Jelly Roll did that, giving credit where it was due – to his faithful wife, and especially to his Savior and Lord. In the process, he shined the light of Christ and sprinkled the salt of the Gospel.

 

In another of the gospels we read about Jesus casting demons out of a man who had been possessed by evil for many years. After this miracle, the former demoniac asked the Lord if he could go with Him. Instead, the Lord instructed him to, “‘Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.’ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed” (Mark 5:19).

 

This is what He’s calling each of us to do: Tell others how much Jesus has done for us. We might not have spent years in prison for various crimes. We might not have the fame and talent of a Jelly Roll. And we might not have needed to have demons exorcised from our bodies. Our testimonies might be as simple as that of the man who was healed of blindness. When questioned by the Pharisees about what had happened, he responded simply: “…I was blind but now I see” (John 9:25).

It doesn’t matter. All around us are people who don’t know Jesus Christ, how He atoned for our sins on the cross, and how He came to offer what nothing else on earth can provide: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). They don’t know there’s a vast difference between religion and having a relationship with God through Christ. They simply don’t know what they don’t know. It’s our job to tell them if they’re willing to listen. Are we willing to do our job? 

‘Show and Tell’ All Over Again

Had I been a NASCAR fan as a boy, I might have brought
model cars like these to "Show and Tell."

Do you remember “Show and Tell” day? I’m not sure they still do that in schools, but “back in the day” we had show-and-tell once a week. As I recall, it was optional and whoever thought to bring something in got to go in front of the class with their chosen item, show it off, and then tell about it.

Weapons weren’t an issue in schools in those days, so there was no concern little Billy would bring in dad’s pistol, shotgun or prize hunting knife. Most of the time featured items were things like stamp collections, favorite dolls and stuffed animals, plastic dinosaurs, something from grandma’s memorabilia, model cars and airplanes, maybe a live hamster or gerbil. I don’t think pythons were permitted.

The rules were simple: If you brought something from home at the appointed hour the teacher would call on you to walk before the class, show the item of your choice, and tell whatever you wanted about it.

Being shy, I think I “forgot” to bring something to class most of the time, but do remember taking my dad’s wartime medals to school once and explaining what each represented.

The single stipulation of this activity was it had two parts: Show – and Tell. You couldn’t go forward, face the class, and just tell them about something you left at home. And you couldn’t just show the items; you had to say something about them. It definitely was not show-or-tell. It was both-and, not either-or.

As I ponder what we often call the “Christian faith,” it occurs to me that it, too, is show-and-tell.

Over the years I’ve taken part in evangelistic conferences, events and training programs, and most of the time the emphasis is on the words: How to say the right things, or how to say things right, hopefully to persuade the hearer.

Speakers at these activities often refer to “witnessing.” What strikes me about this, however, is the Bible rarely uses “witness” as a verb. It says we are to “bear witness” (a noun) – in other words, carry testimony about our faith to those that will listen. In most cases, the Scriptures use witness not as something believers do, but rather what they are.

For instance, in Acts 1:8 we find Jesus’ exhortation to His followers: “And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” He also instructed them, “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

People within the Christian culture have become skilled in using the words of the Gospel, but perhaps one reason we’re not more effective is because of a lack of emphasis on the works of the Gospel. As someone been said, if your walk doesn’t equal your talk, the less you say the better.

An overbearing employer professing to be a follower of Christ, for example, that doesn’t treat employees with fairness, compassion, sensitivity and understanding isn’t likely to be listened to when she talks about Jesus. An employee that’s always telling people about Christ, but fails to do his work diligently and with excellence, undermines his own witness.

A husband might be a pillar in his church, but if he abuses or demeans his wife or children, he has no platform from which to speak about Jesus – at home or in public. And a physician that often talks about her faith, but uses coarse language or demonstrates a lack of personal integrity, conceals the light He wants her to shine.

We need to ask ourselves, “How’s my show-and-tell?” Whether at work, in our homes, in a restaurant, on a golf course, sports arena or wherever we happen to be – are our actions speaking louder than our words? If accused in a court of law about our “witness,” would there be enough evidence to convict us?