Theme: Our testimony about Christ
Text: Is. 49:1-7; 1 Cor. 1:1-9; Jn. 1:29-42
The Scriptures begin with the well known verse “In the beginning God”. Everything begins with God and the Word of God is a revelation about God and His love for His creation. God’s revelation comes in various ways in different situations that others can also relate to. These revelations are not only for our benefit but are also to benefit others through our testimony. Testimonies do not only lead to transformed lives but also bear witness to the truth of God’s Word. Every believer has a testimony about what Christ has done and how Christ has changed their lives. The more Christians come forward to talk about how God has intervened in their lives, the more people will realize that God is real, miracles do happen, and prayer works. Our testimony about Christ will inspire others to also seek Him.
The basis of our testimony is always Jesus Christ. There is no greater testimony than that of Christ’s love and His atoning death on the cross. His death saved man from Satan, sin, death, and endless torment. Jesus did not only die, He was buried and He also rose from the dead. The resurrection of Christ on the third day proved that God had accepted His sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. His shed blood has imputed to us His righteousness. It is this righteousness that gives us access into the presence of a Holy God. The death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ made it possible for all men who believe in Him to be saved. According to the Scriptures “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit”. (1 Cor. 15:45)
Adam brought in death and mortality through sin; Christ brought in life and immortality through His sacrifice.
Our testimonies lead others to the truth of Christ as Scripture declares “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their soul until death.” (Rev. 12:11) Testimonies are always focused on Christ. When Jesus healed the blind man in the gospels, the blind man shared his testimony to the glory of God. The man was not afraid of the religious leaders as his parents were and answered them with the words “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see”. (John 9:25) When they continued to press him he answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” (John 9:26) Testimonies declare the truth of God that leads to life as the Scriptures declare “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. (John 8:32) The testimony of a believer preaches a sermon. Is your life witnessing about what Christ has done for you? Is Christ being revealed in your life?
Our testimony about Christ begins with our life before meeting Christ. The apostle Paul gave his testimony by talking about his early life before meeting Christ, both the good and the bad points. How as a Pharisee he persecuted the Christians till Christ revealed Himself to him on the Damascus road. He gave a vivid description of how Christ appeared and spoke to him. He described how he was blinded by the brightness of His appearance and the manner his sight was restored. He talked about his time spent in the desert with the Lord and the purpose of his calling. He then spent time talking about his life since his conversion, about his preaching to the Gentiles and all the suffering it entailed. People want to know what kind of a difference Christ makes in our lives. Like Paul, we are to be honest and authentic. We should not try to make our testimony look better than it is, or to make our past sound worse than it really was. God blesses a truthful testimony.
There is power in our testimonies. The Samaritan woman’s testimony after her conversation with the Lord at Jacob’s well led many to belief in Christ. “Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did””. (John 4:39) A sinful woman who avoided the people of her town was completely changed after her encounter with Christ and brought many to Him through her testimony. Christ changes our lives to give us a testimony. We cannot enter into the abundant blessings of Christ and keep the good news to ourselves. We need to share the good news with others.
Our testimony draws others to Christ. When John the Baptist testified about Jesus two of his disciples were drawn to Christ. Their question to where He was staying revealed their desire to spend time with Him and get to know Him better. Jesus’ response, come and see, is an open invitation to a relationship. It is a call to discipleship. It is a call to have your eyes opened to God’s truth. The call to come is a call to transformation through following Jesus Christ. The disciples answered the call and came and their lives were transformed. When you spend time with Jesus your life will never be the same again. Time spent with Jesus always leads to a changed life. Andrew immediately realized that he must share his good news with his brother, Simon. We cannot spend time with Jesus and not share the good news.
John the Baptist displays the ultimate aim of the proper witness when he directs his own followers to Jesus. John simply wants others to see Jesus, not him. After identifying Jesus as the Messiah John pointed his own disciples to Jesus and accomplished his goal when they became His disciples. We should also point those closest to us to Jesus that they also become His disciples. Everything we seek can be found in Christ. The world is searching for fulfillment and contentment but they are searching in the wrong places. They look to money, power, drugs, alcohol, and sex. They are searching in the wrong places. Genuine and lasting satisfaction only comes from Jesus Christ. What are you seeking this morning? Is it Happiness, contentment, or peace? Is it stability in your marriage? The fulfillment is only found in Christ. Our witness is to bring people to Jesus. We cannot change people, but Jesus can. We cannot make unfaithful spouses quit cheating, but Jesus can. We cannot make alcoholics quit drinking, but Jesus can. We cannot make drug addicts quit using drugs, but Jesus can. We cannot make abusive parents quit their violence, but Jesus can. Our witness is to bring the people to Christ.
Our testimonies bring people to Jesus who changes lives. Jesus takes Simon, a fisherman and makes him Peter, a fisher of men. Jesus takes the sinner and makes him a saint. Jesus takes the drunkard and makes him sober. Jesus takes the prostitute and makes her clean. Jesus takes the spiritually sick and makes them well. Jesus takes the spiritually blind and makes them see. Jesus takes the dirty and makes them clean. Jesus takes the unclean and makes them pure. Jesus changes lives. Jesus changed my life. He made me righteous and gave me His Holy Spirit. When Jesus changes your life, you want to tell others. You want your friends and family to know. You become His witness. Your testimony is unique and others want to hear it. It can even be more effective to the unbeliever than the preaching of a minister. The unbeliever sees the minister as a salesperson but sees you as a satisfied customer. Let us use our testimony to witness about Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to convict them to the praise and glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
