Dear Church,

Some of us may feel uneasy about what I am about to express. We should encourage more testimonies in our church.  While we value expositional preaching, corporate prayer, and ordinances, we need to strike a healthy balance with testimonies.  Recently, at a women’s conference, four women from Immanuel shared their testimonies, leaving a significant impact on the attendees.  In John 4:39, it is noted that many Samaritans believe in Jesus because of the Samaritan woman’s testimony.  

Throughout the Bible, God’s people have publicly talked about His mighty work in their lives.  Consider David’s words in Psalm 40:9-10: “Proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.” Notice here that David is “proclaiming God’s saving acts in the great assembly,” adding that he did not ‘seal his lips’and ‘conceals God’s love and faithfulness’. Here are the benefits of sharing testimonies:

1.     Worship: It’s an act of worship when we exalt God (John 4:28-29;
        Psalm 40: 5; 77:10-20; Isaiah 42: 10).
2.     Edification: It edifies the church (Acts 15:30-31; 1 Peter 2:9;
        Colossians 1:3-8 3:15-17, Psalm 22: 25).
3.     Evangelism: It is one of the sure platforms for evangelism (1 Chronicles
        16:24-27; Luke 8:38-39; 24:46-49; Acts 1:21-22).

Our faith is living, meaning Jesus’ life in us is evident through what He did, does, and will continue to do in our lives. This should not be a secret but declared from the rooftops. Each of us has a unique testimony to share. Your story is not just yours, but God’s story written in your life to be proclaimed in the assembly of the people.  So, the questions to consider at Immanuel are the following:

• Can we encourage every believer to write out their personal testimony and be able to share it in 3-5 minutes?
• Can we move towards creating a culture where it is “ok” and “normal” for people to share their unique stories where God was so real in their life?
• Can we create a culture at Immanuel where every time we meet we encourage people to share how they have seen God work in their lives?
• Can we document and publicize how God has worked faithfully in the life of our church and make it available for people to read?
• Can we Include testimonies during corporate worship? (testimony Sunday has had wonderful impact)
• Can we encourage a culture in families where they sit together and share testimonies of God’s working in their lives?

Now, I know some of us may not be comfortable to stand before an audience, if that is the case you don’t need to do this. There will be occasions with different formats where you can share your testimony like one on one, in a small group, sharing with close family, in an email, or a blog to name a few.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 John 1:1: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” There is a reason why, in the New Testament, believers were called “witnesses” – they shared what Jesus did in their lives. Can we do the same?

Be encouraged,
Mathews