Keep Telling your stories
Psalm 107:2 says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."
This call to share our testimonies is more than just a suggestion; it’s a spiritual discipline that can transform our lives and the lives of those around us. Whether in church, in Griggs groups, in daily conversations, or even on social media, sharing our stories is a powerful practice. Here’s why…
1. It's Biblical
The Bible is filled with exhortations to share what Jesus has done in our lives. Psalm 66:16 says, "Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul."
Similarly, Psalm 40:10 declares, "I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation."
Psalm 34:1-3 says, "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together."
These passages highlight the importance of verbalizing both our experiences in salvation and sanctification. Sharing our testimonies is, at least partly, God’s will for what we talk about.
2. It's Evangelistic
In our daily interactions, we’re going to encounter differing beliefs and opinions on the supernatural.
Take, for instance, a conversation I had once as a teenager with a lady in downtown Indianapolis who said, “Whatever your soul believes, that's what happens to it when you die.”
She was saying that if your soul believes in reincarnation, then reincarnation happens for you. If your soul believes in purgatory, then that’s where you wake up in the afterlife. If your soul believes heaven is an eternal choir loft you float to after getting your wings, then get your harp ready.
I felt ready to poke 1,000 holes in her logic, but confrontation isn't always an effective response when you want someone to “taste and see” the good news.
Jesus calls us to be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves" (Matthew 10:16). Testimonies offer that opportunity. When we share what God has done for us, we preach good news without unnecessarily closing the door on the relationship.
We aren’t presenting ourselves as superior to others. Instead, we’re admitting our moments of need. We’re saying we needed a good God to intervene on our behalf or else we’d be lost. And he did!
This authenticity resonates with people because having a sense of need is universally relatable. We free others from a feeling of being attacked, yet challenge them to consider the power of the gospel.
3. It's Helpful
While sermons hold a unique power in delivering God’s word, testimonies offer a different, and necessary kind of impact.
Sermons might be likened to constructing a great room. With the context of a passage, you lay a foundation. With each verse, you build walls to hold up God’s truth. Then you furnish your space with biblical application.
While having a fancy room is great, if you don’t turn on a light, it doesn’t do you too much good. No one is going to be able to find a place to sit down and admire its beauty.
Testimonies, then, are like windows that let light into that room, providing illumination so that others can see what the Word says, means, and does. It helps people experience the grandeur of the Word.
Jesus understood this power and often encouraged His followers to share their stories. In this way, his help for one person would in turn help the multitudes.
For example, in Luke 8:39, after healing a man possessed by demons, Jesus told him, "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you."
Everyone in his neighborhood knew how powerful his demons were, and they were afraid of them. I’m sure his story helped his neighbors with those fears and gave them an experience of a greater power - the power of the word of God.
Let’s follow that man’s example and keep telling our stories!
