Testimonies are far more than just convincing unbelievers
Khen Lim
Image source: newlife-astoria.com
Most of us consider that testimonies are a great way to bring
unbelievers to Christ and that is true. But if that’s all there is to
testimonies, we’re selling them short because we would be underestimating its
power to pin the devil to the wall. Testimonies, as we may not realise, are a
hidden potent tool and weapon against evil and sooner we know this, the better
equipped we are!
But
without a doubt, going to the pulpit and speaking for God is a humbling
challenge because it is in such times that we become spiritual ambassadors for
Christ, pouring from our hearts, stories that only we can tell. These are
stories that echo everything we know about God and for at least some of those
who get to hear them, their lives may change dramatically even if we are
sometimes unaware.
The act of sharing your experiences – essentially what
testimonies are about anyway – has a purpose and that is, to glorify God, to
offer true-to-life witness about His divine power, to bring edification to
those who are there to listen and to bring evidence to them that God does work
and move in our lives. In simple terms, testimonies tell those who are saved
but weak in spirit, that if one person can be healed, anybody can as well.
If
one can experience amazing out-of-the-world miracles, so can anyone else. If
one can feel the enveloping hand of the One who loves all, you too can.
Testimonies lay proof that if one of us can stand up for Christ, there is
courage for the others to also stand up for Him. To give testimony is to set an
example, to lead and to inspire others to follow suit and amplify the church’s
desire to glorify God.
The toughest part of getting a car moving is to overcome the
inertia of its deadweight. That is why the first gear is the largest cog in the
transmission box because it carries the greatest wrenching power (torque) to physically
move its total mass. When we think of giving a testimony, fear and pride are
our deadweight, our greatest enemies. We fear of stumbling and losing our
thoughts. We shudder at the very thought of freezing up. Our pride then tells
us to let others do it and not embarrass ourselves. Just sit back and let them do
it. We can save ourselves the tears and the fears.
Our pride and fear are the
kinds of deadweight that stops us from dutifully giving thanks to a deserved
God to Whom we owe our lives to, Who save us from our foolishness, Who drag us
out of trouble and Who put us at the right place at the right time. If there is
anyone to whom we have every reason to pluck our courage and speak up for, it
is God. In honour of Him, we have no excuses not to be a witness for.
Every one of us is called to be a witness. It is not about lame
excuses. It is about knowing and claiming the reason to stand up boldly and then
say, “He is my God. I am His witness. I will speak for Him with all my pride
and honour.” God is our King. He has a government and He is the supreme Judge
of all the living and the dead. And He wants us to be witnesses who will testify
for Him.
Check out what Revelation 12:10-11 (NLT) says:
“Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, ‘It
has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of God, and the authority
of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down
to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have
defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not
love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.”
This is the part of John’s revelation that salvation and
strength and the Kingdom of God and the power of His Christ has come.
Accordingly, songs of triumph are sung in heaven at the sounding of the seventh
trumpet (Rev 11:15) to proclaim the salvation and strength and the Kingdom of
our God and the power of His Christ. These are songs of triumph and they
resonate whenever the symbolism portrays any great victory of righteousness
over evil (7:12, 11:15) to signal the beginning of the end. These songs exult
over the overthrow of paganism in the fourth century.
Verse 11 shows how the
victory is won by the blood of Christ and the faithfulness of the saints. This
‘faithfulness’ is underlined in several ways. Verse 11b says as much of their
willingness to give their lives for the Son of God but the earlier part points
to their testimony for they are called to be witnesses with the courage and
faith to take the stand.
We can draw strength from Scripture of the power of
testimonies to be the tool and weapon in the End Times to overcome the accuser
(the evil one) together with the blood of the Lamb. If there is a verse that
undergirds the tremendous importance of testimonies, this must be one of them!
Testimonies are proof that God does things in our lives
because He loves us. Why should we be silent about this? Instead we should
write about them, proclaim them and speak of them to others of what God has
done to enrich our lives, to teach us and to assure us of His presence. We
should in fact run and tell the world what we know of His incredible power and
love.
If we ever need courage that we aren’t the only ones to do
that, read Scripture and you’ll find that in the Old and New Testaments, people
did not hold back what they knew of Him. They did not hide His works. Instead
they ran as far and wide as they could, telling people in distant lands and
spread the Word of God.
And all this because that is exactly what He wants us
to do and not hold it in. We are to be so moved. We are to be so excited like we
are on fire, bristling with an overpowering urge to reach out to others and to
exalt the Name of the Lord so that by our testimonies, we empower others to
praise and worship Him.
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