Luke 21:13
" And it shall turn to you for a testimony."
Luke
17:17-19
As the year
draws to a close, with this text, we just want to invite you to understand that
whatever God has done in your life is so that you may serve as a testimony of
God's goodness and love, to those who believe, so that their faith may be
strengthened, and to those who do not yet believe, to encourage them to turn
their hearts to Jesus. For the world needs more than ever to hear our voices
and see the manifestation of God's Grace in the lives of those who trust in
Him.
Some believers and non-believers alike wonder if God is still doing wonderful things like He did in ancient times, if He is still the God who walked with Paul and Peter. These questions arise because those to whom God has shown favour and wonderfully blessed are too shy and unwilling to share their testimonies.
Why is it important to bear witness to God's favor in our lives?
a.
To strengthen the faith of
believers
Testimonies
are important to strengthen the faith of our brothers and sisters who are still
waiting for God's promises to be fulfilled in their lives. Many of us fail to
understand that making the journey with God requires patience. Why patience?
Because one of the things that characterizes God's graces is durability/longivity; for the gifts and
calling of God are without repentance, nor does He take back what He gives (Psalms
23:6, Luke 1:50, Jeremiah 33:11 and Deuteronomy 7:9). However, the way
you will take care of this grace, preserve it and make it fruitful, will
determine how long the benefits/the joy you will gain from it will last.
Not everyone can appreciate and preserve great things, only those who are
mature and have beautiful personality. God will therefore ensure that we are up
to the great things He is going to accomplish in our lives, by making us go through
a process of training to strengthen our personality.
If you have been praying for a marriage and God has answered your prayers with a promise, He will help you acquire the qualities and type of personality it takes to have a committed, life-long marriage. For He would gain no glory from a marriage that could only barely survive a year.
If He has promised you great financial blessings, He would make sure that you understand the value of what He is going to give you, that you won't make it the center of your life, that you won't let wealth be your guide, that you won't become stingy or haughty or proud. What glory would He gain from a wealth that has destroyed you due to lack of wisdom, lack of sense of responsibility; in short, lack of preparation.
Jesus Christ, Joseph, Moses, and John the Baptist themselves went through a time of preparation. There is no reason why we should be exempt.
Therefore, those who have gone through the process of training, brokenness, and renewal to see the fulfillment of God's promises, must testify to remind others that God is faithful and upright. He accomplishes everything He says (Romans 4:21, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Numbers 23:19 and Ecclesiastes 3:11).
b. To Evangelize non-believers
Testimonies
can help convince those who still have doubts or simply don't believe. For
bearing witness is also a form of evangelization. Someone who testifies to how
Jesus delivered him/her from certain addictions can, with the help from the
Holy Spirit, touch the hearts of others who are suffering from addictions, lead
them to accept Jesus and embrace the renewal promised to them in Jesus. (Proverbs
14:25 " A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh
lies.")
c. To Show our gratitude to God
God loves gratitude. We don't experience God's blessings by merit, but by grace (Ephesians 2:8 " For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God". Titus 3: 5). One of the best ways we can express our gratitude is by "testifying" to His love and favor toward us publicly, without any kind of timidity. (Luke 17:17-19).
Let's tell the world about the goodness of our God and Savior, the God who built and restored us. We must let everybody know that He is still the same God who is above all. He is the God who loves us with a love so great that He is willing to break every chain that keeps us from being happy. He loves us with a love so great that He sent His only Son on heart for the ultimate sacrifice so that we might be saved.
2 Timothy 1:8-10
