Day 29
Testify
To Start
Sit in silence. Quiet your mind, but pay attention to your body. Is your heart racing? Do you feel heavy? Light? Do you feel like something’s wrong, but you don’t know what it is? Ask God to help you understand what you’re feeling.
Pray
Yahweh, give me eyes to see Your love; then move in me to testify to it. Fill me with Your Spirit; let Your Spirit make me brave.
Read
Read John 15:26-57.
As you read consider:
Who is the Counselor? Where does the Counselor come from?
What does the title “the Spirit of truth” tell us about the work of the Counselor?
How does the Spirit testify about the Son? (Consider the Spirit’s activity in the book of Acts.)
Consider the word “testify.” What does it mean?
Does Jesus’ assertion that “you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning” apply to us? Or is this an apostles-only thing?
Jesus says, “You will testify.” Do you often testify? Is testimony a part of your walk with Jesus?
John 15:26-27 (CSB)
26 “When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father —the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me.27 You also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.”
From JL
The Greek word translated “testify” appears 16 times in the book of John, far more than in any other book of the Bible (add “testified” or “testimony” and the number jumps). Though Acts comes in second with 7 occurrences of the word, First John is next. John is somewhat obsessed with testimony.
In chapter 1 of the gospel of John, we read about the apostles first discovering Jesus. A few appear to be disciples of John the Baptist. One day John the Baptist sees Jesus and alerts his followers, “Look, the Lamb of God.” Then “John testified” to seeing the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove. He concludes his short speech with the words, “I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” When the apostles leave John and go to Jesus with questions, His answer is “Come and see.” Why “come and see”? So that they might bear witness and testify.
John’s whole book is an act of testimony—Here is what I saw and heard.
Later in I John he’ll use “testify” or “testimony” 7 times in 5 verses:
The Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth… If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
We know the word “testify” as a legal word. A witness testifies to what she’s seen and heard. An eye witness is a powerful thing.
Are you an eye witness?
Perhaps I’m showing my age, but as a child I often accompanied my grandfather on door-knocking campaigns. We’d grab a bunch of flyers (usually invitations to an upcoming gospel meeting) and walk the streets of our town knocking on doors, inviting people to church. On a good day we’d talk to three people.
This method of evangelism didn’t seem particularly effective.
Later in life I’d take an evangelism class at a local church. It involved two inch binders, hundreds of multi-colored pages with questions and references, and a twelve week conversion plan. I almost used it once, but I chickened out.
These days the churches I find myself in encourage members to prepare a succinct “gospel presentation,” something reliable to whip out at the water cooler. They sometimes practice on one another to make sure they’re doing it right: You’re a sinner. Jesus died on the cross to save you from your sins. He was buried and then raised so that you can live with Him forever…
It’s a bit like having a pitch deck for Jesus.
Which isn’t bad.
Having a plan for sharing the gospel isn’t bad.
Having a method to lean on when someone shows interest in the gospel isn’t bad.
But sometimes all these plans and pitches and scripts lead to a de-personalized gospel.
John shared what he saw and heard. John the Baptist did the same. The Spirit testifies to what He knows—the truth of lived experience—and the apostles would testify in the same way. In Acts we read about Peter and John being arrested for preaching about Jesus. They tell the court, “We are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” On the road to Damascus Jesus tells the Apostle Paul, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth, since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.”
All I’m trying to point out is this: Your testimony is the story of what you have seen and heard. It is not a distillation of a story you’ve been told second hand. It is the proclamation of a story you’ve lived.
The Spirit will lead you into all truth—part of what that means is that the Spirit can give you eyes to see and a heart to understand the truth of God’s love for you. He can lead you into your own experiences and reveal to you Jesus’ presence and work.
If you have walked with God, you have a story to tell. But in order to tell it, you have to let the Spirit lead you.
Process
Testimony is a huge part of my life’s work. I’m convinced that God has put me on this planet to tell the story of His love for me in order to help others experience His love for them. It’s why I created The Happiest Saddest People, and it’s why I never, ever teach without revealing the way God’s truth has affected my life.
If there’s one thing I wish more Christians would do, it’s share more about their experience with God. Should that experience be grounded in God’s truth? Of course. I’m not encouraging you to make something up. I’m encouraging you to come to your life alongside the Spirit and let Him show you what God’s been doing in you to love you, to give you life, and to bring Himself glory.
Today, ask the Spirit to lead you into the truth of your experience with Jesus. You might choose a specific moment or memory to consider with Him. You might ask Him to reveal to you a moment that meant more than you’ve understood up to now.
Then, consider to whom you might tell your story. Who needs to know about what Jesus has done in your life?
In the comments
Testify, friends! You’re welcome to share something long, but you’re also welcome to share a 90 second pitch ;) (As long as it’s less pitch and more story).
Who has Jesus been to you? What have you seen and heard?
As I have aged with disability, I have learned that brokenness is the key to finding true freedom and testimony. When I am weak, He is strong; when I fully realized my brokenness (inside and out, spiritually, mentally), I began to see how much Yahweh was able to work, within my own weaknesses. I was also awakened to see that the only thing I could do was to share of what Yahweh did in my brokenness. I found this to be freeing, yet, the freedom came within so much brokenness. There is hope in that. I began to see who Yahweh was, and that He could make dry bones come alive; move mountains. So often I ponder the literal part of those words from the bible wondering how was it possible to move a mountain. Through my brokenness, I saw how these were the mountains in my life, and the dryness of my humanity. When I share my weakness with another, and the goodness of Yahweh's touch, someone found hope. It reminds me of a football game that requires a goal. We may be the defense, someone needs to throw the ball, another catches it, yet Yahweh make the conversion (some plants, some waters, some harvests). To me, all of our testimonies, even if we think they are small, are all part of the relational engagement with Yahweh and with each other. We all have a part. I am always humbled when my brokenness clears a path. Our stories matter!
Yes, the story I’ve lived makes the best point because it can’t be debated! I’ve found that it needs to be a complete story, not just the happy ending, but I need to include the dark, not so pretty chapters as well. Those chapters are the ones that attract people the most because we’ve all had them, and by sharing them, people feel safe to share theirs. Then we can get to the “solution.” But even so, nowadays it’s often a slow process and I must be prepared to spend the time. My pastor often says to change some people may take a thousand gospel conversations. Some plow, some sow, some fertilize, some nurture, some reap, and the harvest is for God!