Testimony Time!

God Sunday. What is God doing?

Psalm 66:16 ESV

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

I remember sitting in chapel one time in Bible college. I was in second year, not quite half way through. I was struggling with some stuff in my life, particularly some sins that had held me captive for a long time.

The student council president that year got up, and began to share her testimony. As she shared, I learned that she also had had some struggles and sin habits in her life. Her story was that God had totally taken it from her, releasing her from that. How amazing! Even though my story wasn’t quite like that, to hear how God had freed her gave me hope.

Not long later, I was asked to give my testimony. I talked about some of the stuff I struggled with. I honestly shared, and afterwards I had a guy come up to me and thank me. He said if I hadn’t have shared, he wouldn’t have had the courage to come forward and ask for help on stuff he had struggled with.

Your testimony is important.

It is important for three reasons:

It Glorifies God

To glorify means to praise or honor something. No one is more worthy of honor and praise than our God. He alone is praise-worthy. When we step out and say “this is how God has moved or is moving in my life, we are bringing glory to Him. Consider another part of ps 66:

Psalm 66:1–7 ESV

Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

Do you notice how, in this Psalm, there is a call both to praise God and consider His marvelous works? At no point does this Psalm turn and start praising man. Rather, it pushes us - it forces us - to look up at God.

We place the emphasis back on God and encourage people to lift their eyes up. We bring glory to Him when we testify about how He is moving in our lives.

It Encourages Believers

When you choose to share what God has done, you don’t know who needs to hear. Maybe your story is about how God provided for you in a time of need, or how He has been restoring your health, or relationships. Maybe your story is about how God granted you peace or strength in time of trouble. Whatever the story is, whatever trial you could be walking through, you don’t know who might need to hear your story and be touched.

Acts 4:23–31 ESV

When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Did you notice how, upon hearing the testimony of the apostles, the early church responded with prayer for boldness? God answered their prayer, pouring out a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit upon the early church.

Testimony time opens a door for God to work in hearts and encourage and challenge us in our faith-walk. Perhaps in that moment there will be a spark lit by the Holy Spirit: “Hey, if God can free this person, maybe He can bring freedom in my life too.” Or “Wow, God moved in this person’s life. Maybe I can trust Him to move in mine too.”

It Speaks to Those Who Need Jesus

When we talk about what God has done in our lives, the Holy Spirit can use that to stir people’s hearts toward Jesus.

Think about the Samaritan woman at the well - in John 4 - when she had seen Jesus and started to realize “oh, this is the Messiah!” She ran back to her village and said:

John 4:29 ESV

“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

Scripture records than many came because of her testimony, and believed. Wow! Can you imagine what would have happened if she hadn’t have told people?

Or how about the man who was possessed with 1000 demons? No one could get control of this guy, until Jesus came along. He totally freed this man. Then we read this:

Mark 5:18–20 ESV

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

Jesus told the man to go home and tell his friends what God has done in his life, and the mercy God has shown.

What happens? The man goes home and starts giving his testimony. People start marveling. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to meet some people in heaven who first heard about Jesus through that man in the days, weeks, months, and years following that moment in his life.

Conclusion

Your testimony is important.

It brings glory to God

It encourages us in our faith

It speaks to someone who might not know Jesus yet, but needs to.

Sharing your testimony, or even a Scripture that God has used, or anything like that is opening up a door to have God do amazing things in this church.

So the invitation is open. We have a few who have committed to coming and sharing how God is working in their life today. I am hoping there will be a number more here who would come and share. If you are willing, there will be a mic here for you.

Let’s praise God together and get excited through this time.

Other Scriptures

Acts 4:23-31 - The believers hear the apostles’ testimony and ask for boldness.

Acts 12 14 - Peter released, Rhoda’s joy.

John 4 29 - The testimony of the Samaritan woman.