The Power of Testimony

How does a post Christian society, that generally gives the scriptures no authority whatsoever, come to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior? I think part of the answer is that they experience His love in and through His people. I think another part of the answer is that they experience God Himself. And in the New Testament, healing and delivering were common ways people experienced God. These were also two of the primary things that drew people to Jesus. I try to include testimonies in our services for several reasons. 1) To praise God for the thing He has done - to give Him all the glory we can. 2) To encourage people that God does love us and He does help us in response to our prayers. 3) To give people tangible evidence - the way Jesus and the New Testament church gave tangible evidence - that Jesus really is who the Bible says He is. All over the world the gospel is advancing as people are experiencing God doing things only God can do - in Jesus' name.

Church leaders in China have estimated that there are over 100 million born again Christians in that nation. They assert most came to Christ by a personal experience of God doing something miraculous. I believe the greatest power of a testimony is that it can witness to secular people that this Jesus - in whose name this great thing has happened - is everything the Bible says He is.