verb ( -fies, -fied) [ intrans. ]
give evidence as a witness in a law court : he testified against his own commander | [with clause ] he testified that he had supplied Barry with crack.
• serve as evidence or proof of something's existing or being the case : the bleak lines testify to inner torment.
John 15:26-27 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning"
Acts 10:42 "He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead."
Acts 20:24 "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
2 Timothy 1:7-9 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace."
So many verses command us to testify to who Christ is and what He did for us. The passage in 2 Timothy is especially outstanding in my mind. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord..." Paul is, in an essence, saying that God want's us to testify and he has equipped us with the tools to do so.
Ok, so I know I am supposed to testify. But how? When one normally thinks of testifying they think of speaking vocally about something - much like someone testifies in court. But is that all there is too it? Am I to just go around shouting out testifications about the Lord to whoever is near? Not exactly my style.
One notion present in the testimonies during the church service - is how we need to be authentic. (you might think I am on a different track with this, but hang in there, I am not). One member explicitly stated that we need to be real - we need to share our stories and share them with even the not so pretty details. She said that it is much more powerful of a testimony if someone was to speak about their journey through "rape" rather then "a dark time". Even if no other details are mentioned - the fact that we are being humble and real enough to speak to the situation without concealing it, becomes much more powerful. Can these two notions be combined? Can our life stories become a way to testify to Christ and the things he has done?
There is an unspoken rule that I have encountered in churches - everyone must be happy and "everything is ok". As Christians, we are not supposed to discuss our times of trouble to those around us. Joy is what needs to be seen. Those "dark times" are things we share at camp during campfire or similar situations. (To really testify that Christ is real! He saved me from this! Right??) Its not stuff we discuss sunday morning. This seems so contradictory to me. We are to testify - the bible commands it (and yes we are to testify outside of the church) but are not to testify to each other? Should we not be discussing even those "unhappy" moments in our christian walk? We all know they exist!! So why not share them more often? What would be wrong in actually letting people know that no everything isn't ok and I am not overly happy this morning. Would we find that our walk maybe comes a little more personal and deeper? Especially with each other? Or is this just way to awkward and far from our normal stereotypes?
My last point - the two people (that sunday morning) who mentioned (a) being sexually abused and (b) being in a sexually impure relationship were the two people I would never have thought they walked a dark path in their lives. They always looked like life was good, nothing was wrong, and their walk with Christ was stronger then ever. By their being straight up and telling how it was - I was definitely moved and it really solidified my struggles. I am not the only one who struggles and is living in an "in between" state. (if you are reading this and don't know some of my background this prolly wont make sense - but ask me and I will share)
Be real. Is it possible? Is it testification? When is it appropriate or do some social rules just need to be broken and reshaped??
5 comments:
Thank you for this post. It is always a great reminder that we need to testify about are troubles and "confess our sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 5:16. So many times we as the church miss opportunities to minister to those who need it and allow true and robust healing by Christ because we hide it in shame. So again thank you for sharing this Steph.
One question: You said, "Ok, so I know I am supposed to testify. But how? When one normally thinks of testifying they think of speaking vocally about something - much like someone testifies in court. But is that all there is too it? Am I to just go around shouting out testifications about the Lord to whoever is near? Not exactly my style."
So what is your style. Now I know you made a quick statement that we need to testify outside the Church, but how do you do this?
Again, I don;t want to diminish the point of this post, as its main point was to challenge us in the Church. But just curious about 'your style' outside the Church...
Well said! And some big questions!
I think your right, I think we need to be more real with one another we are to bear each others burdens and confess our sins to one another and weep with those who weep, that's Biblical. unfortunately we have contrived a very proper and respectable social network in the place of the church and many who are part of that 'network' aren't really interested in being part of the church.
We do need to give testimony to one another and to the world. The only caution that I have, is that postmodernity has come to make honesty and 'being real' such a high priority, which isn't wrong at all, but we need to separate 'being real' and testifying sometimes. Hopefully being real does testify to the greatness of God by showing the darkness that we have walked through AND His grace throughout in building us, teaching us, and lifting our affections to Him that we may glory in Him even through the worst of suffering, making His name great. But sometimes our being real leads us to share our wrong attitudes and our wrong hearts and our selfish motives and our lack of faith. not that we shouldn't share that, we MUST share that so that we can encourage each other daily, but that testimony does not glorify God in the same way as the first. I guess all that to say, its not JUST about being real. Its about ordering our hearts so that through all trials and troubles of every kind we see that we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us and we cherish Him and His grace above even life itself and being honest about that as well. that's the ultimate goal. and that is the testimony that speaks the loudest and it often speaks without words, and encompasses all human 'styles'.
Just some thoughts....
Graceandpeace,
Jon
Well said Jon!
I just realized that I never actually responded to your comments. Sorry! I did read them...
Drake - I don't think I know what my style of testifying is...as you know, I am not a vocal person. I would be way too shy to just strike up a conversation with someone about Christ unless I knew them well enough (and even then I don't do it very often). So in light of that, I guess I would say that I would hope that my lifestyle reflects Christ and the gospel.
But is that really a style of "testifying" it seems more to me a cop-out. Because how different are we really as Christians or not Christians? I know plenty of people who live lifestyles and have attitudes very much like mine - yet they are not "christians". So really...
Jon - thanks for the words of caution. I definitely agree with you that we need to be careful what we are testifying about is testifying Christ and not worldly attitudes. I was talking of the former and not the latter, but its good to point it out (which I didn't! So thank-you)
I am glad for your response. It is a hard thing to overcome the fear, and so I don't want to seem trite.
But yes, I agree with you that I think that that is a cop-out. Now of course, not all will be the street preacher (for a many number of reasons). But if we honestly believe that those who have not been saved by Christ will perish in eternal torment in hell, would not the most loving thing to do be to warn them of that.
Show them their shear hopelessness of saving themselves, that they are not good people and deserve to go to hell. And then... and only then the good news is revealed about the cross the substitutionary payment that Christ made in our behalf. That now, we can legally be wiped clean, because He paid the debt.
There is no good news, if there is no bad news.
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