Don’t stop me if you’ve heard this before. I need to testify for a minute…
My relationship with Jesus began with a bus ride when I was in the first grade. I was out running around the neighborhood that fine Sunday morning. My best friend at the time, Kyle, had just gotten two brand new “jogging suits,” one red and one blue. We thought it was only appropriate that we take them for a test run. As we made our way around the trailer park, a big white bus stopped beside us and a mustachioed man with the kindest eyes and brightest smile I’ve ever seen jumped out. His name was Dale Sours. He asked us if we wanted to go to church that day. He told us we would be playing some games, hearing Bible stories, and there would be candy and prizes. I was in! I jogged myself home, asked my mom if I could go to church, and jumped on the bus to First Baptist Church of Elkhart, Indiana.
If you’re around me for very long, you’re extremely likely to hear this story at least semi-regularly. It is the single most important story I have to share.
Sometime later, I was sitting in the sanctuary of that church, listening to a traveling evangelist. His presentation included, what is by today’s standards, a video of people standing before the judgment seat of God. The video showed depictions of people in Heaven and Hell. Even with the poor production quality, the video stirred something inside of me. I was afraid. So, I ran to the safest place in the church, the back stall in the bathroom in the hall. As I sat in that bathroom, a Bible verse I’d learned came to mind. Unsurprisingly, that verse was John 3:16. It states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” There in that bathroom stall, I bowed my head, closed my eyes, and prayed for Jesus to forgive me of my sins and save my soul.
If you’re around me for very long, you’re extremely likely to hear this story at least semi-regularly. It is the single most important story I have to share. It is the starting point of what we, in church parlance, would call my testimony. It is my personal account of how I have witnessed and experienced the saving grace of Jesus in my own life. It is not my only testimony. There are several other stories of subsequent experiences when God showed up and continued to work in my life and the lives of those around me. And, I share many of these stories quite often as well, without apology.
While I certainly wouldn’t put my testimony on par with the Holy Scriptures, it occurs to me that much of Scripture, particularly the gospels, is basically the testimony and personal stories of Jesus’s original followers.
There have been some who have expressed a desire for me to share this and other “personal stories” less frequently. This request is often followed with an admonition to “just preach Scripture.” While I certainly wouldn’t put my testimony on par with the Holy Scriptures, it occurs to me that much of Scripture, particularly the gospels, is basically the testimony and personal stories of Jesus’s original followers. I have to imagine that Peter told the story of him walking on water with Jesus and Christ calming the storm at every opportunity. I’m all but certain Peter, John, and the Marys told the story of visiting the empty tomb all the time, with John making sure to add his little detail about beating Peter in a foot race. I have no doubt that Lazarus trumped everyone else’s stories with his testimony of being raised from the dead! Others may have gotten sick of hearing it, but they were compelled to serve as witnesses to all God had done for them. In fact, they along with all who have experienced the saving grace of Jesus have been commanded to do so.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” The gospels are evidence that those who heard what Jesus said in Acts 1:8 went and did it afterwards. They served as witnesses; they shared their personal testimonies of all they saw and experienced with Jesus. They certainly shared those stories over and over and over again.
As Christians today, we can and should seek to understand and explain our own experiences with Jesus through their testimonies in Scripture. But, we should also share our own stories of how God has saved and made us through His amazing grace. Just like those first disciples, we are called to serve as witnesses to the life-giving, life-changing, and life-saving power of Jesus Christ. So, whatever your story of God’s grace may be, TESTIFY, my friends!
