Go and Tell
We must begin preparing our hearts to share Jesus. The harvest is ripe. Our dear friend and amazing author, Quin Sherrer, always seems to be so practical in her teachings and writings, as is, the following exhortation. It is also very powerful:
“‘I am an ordinary Christian, not an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher,’ a woman wrote me. ‘When I couldn’t go to church during the pandemic, I was fed by sermons and posts like Dutch’s Give Him 15; they also gave me guidance on how to pray outside my comfort zone. But what else can I do to make a difference?’
“I immediately thought about my friend Suzanne. One day she asked God what her new role was now that all her children were gone from home. She felt He gave her a question, ‘What can you do for Me that no one else can do?’ She answered back, ‘Tell my story.’ And she began to do that.
“Peter, the disciple, wrote to the early Christians: ‘But you are the ones chosen by God…God’s instruments to do His work and speak out for Him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference He made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted,’ (1 Peter 2: 9-10 The MESSAGE).
“A testimony is ‘to tell something you know firsthand, or to authenticate a fact.’ When we share our testimony, we can testify to what Jesus has done for us and hopefully help influence others for Christ.
“Think on this Scripture: ‘That which we have seen and heard we declare to you…that you may also fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ,’ (I John 1:3).
“Being a witness for Christ doesn’t have to be complicated. We declare what we have seen, what we have heard! You never know who is listening when you tell a story, or what the results might be.
“One afternoon my friend JoAnne and I were in a big city attending a Christian conference and decided to have some tea. As we sat at a counter in an old-fashioned drug store, she began telling me the story of a recent miracle she had heard on a Christian television program. I asked pertinent questions to get the full picture. A man sitting two seats down from us held a newspaper in front of his face. He was obviously not reading it, but was listening to JoAnne tell how Jesus is still doing miracles today.
“Suddenly the man threw the newspaper across the counter and loudly shouted, ‘All right, already, I will get baptized. Sunday, I will.’ And he ran out of the drug store. JoAnne and I looked at each other in amazement. We offered a short prayer for the man who was obviously on his way back to the Lord.
“There are more than 500 references in the Bible related to the word ‘tell’ including these: tell the people, tell your son, tell your brother, tell the good news, and many individuals who are instructed ‘to tell.’ Jesus often said, ‘I tell you the truth.’ The New Testament is full of instances about people who shared their stories. They looked for opportunities...and told!
“A young junior pastor asked his Care Group audience a pertinent question one recent Wednesday night. Then he called to tell me their shocking reply.
“‘How many of you have told your testimony or led someone to Christ in the past year?’ he asked. Only two raised their hands.
“‘Well, teach them how,’ I responded. Then I shared with him what my pastor, Peter Lord, taught us years ago.
“Pastor Lord challenged us to practice telling our story. The idea was to zero in on how we had changed after we made Jesus the Lord of our lives. He suggested we practice telling it in different reasonable time frames: ten minutes, five minutes, and just one minute.
“Standing before a mirror and imagining we were speaking to just one person about our transformation, we practiced talking about the most important change we’d undergone. He cautioned us not to tell our whole life story in one bang-up speech. Instead, he suggested we stick to one theme -- whether it was freedom from an obvious sin, or perhaps a hidden one such as unforgiveness, judging others, occult involvement, pride, lying, or any number of issues that were displeasing to God.
“‘Just tell what Christ did for you and the freedom you now enjoy. Make it so interesting others will want to know how Christ can impact them too. And they just might want you to share more of your testimony,’ he urged.
“Ask yourself, ‘What is my story to tell? How can I speak it with such clarity that I hit the bullseye --- the intended target? What can I say from my own life’s change that might lead others to know Jesus personally?’
“Let’s look at some Biblical examples.
“Jesus delivered a man possessed by legions of demons. The evil spirits ran into pigs, who then plunged off a steep slope and drowned. Herdsmen who saw what happened ran to tell those in nearby villages. The man, now clothed and in his right mind, begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus told him to go home and tell others how much He had done for him--- how God had shown him mercy. The man obeyed. He even went to Decapolis - a region of ten cities - to proclaim his deliverance. And the people marveled at his testimony (see Mark 5:18-20).
“‘It is a wonder of grace that Jesus used a man who once had thousands of demons to bring God’s truth to thousands of people. He became a missionary evangelist,’ writes a Bible commentator. 1
“After a Samaritan woman had an encounter with Jesus at Jacob’s well, she ran to tell the townspeople. Scripture says, ‘Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did,’” (John 4:39). Not only did they accept her story, but they also invited Jesus to their village. After two days with Him, many more believed He was the Messiah. Spiritual multiplication.
“Philip sought and found Nathanael and told him that they had discovered the One whom the prophets wrote about--Jesus from Nazareth. ‘Come and see,’ he said (John 1:45-46). When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem, they told the church, apostles, and elders all that God had accomplished through them (Acts 5:4).
“On the morning when the women found Jesus’ tomb empty, they hurried to spread the news, and ‘were telling these things to the apostles.’ Their story appeared as nonsense until Peter ran to investigate for himself (Luke 24:11,12 NASB).
“Amazed. Marveled. Astonished. That’s how the ‘hearers’ responded when they heard some of the testimonies recorded in the Bible.
“God is still saving, delivering, and healing people. He is restoring families and rescuing lost loved ones. We just need to stay sensitive to what He wants us to share. And be open to doing it.
“So, let’s rejoice over our own niche in life and look for ways to share our personal testimony. Let’s bring encouragement and hope to others by assuring them He can do something great for them, also! Let’s make a difference.”2
Pray with me:
“Dear Father, forgive me for thinking I did not have value because I do not have the giftings I recognize in other people. Thank You for the way You have changed my life since I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Help me be bold to share my testimony when the opportunity comes—and not hold back because I don’t think what I have to say is important. Please bring the people into my life who can be blessed to hear my testimony. Thank You too for those in my past who did not hesitate to tell me about Jesus and His love for me. Amen.”
Our decree:
“I will tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love for us; and especially I’ll tell what He’s done for me.”
Today’s post was contributed by our dear friend and author, Quin Sherrer. You can learn more about Quin here.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
__________________________________
1. Brian Simmons, The Passion Translation Bible, 2020 edition, (BroadStreet, commentary on Mark 5:20), p. 104.
2. Portions excerpted from “Cast Your Shadow: Influence on Purpose” by Quin Sherrer. Her website is QuinSherrer.com
Comments