The Power of Your Testimony 

Our Christian faith has gone from 11 people in AD 33 to roughly 2.6 billion, almost a third of the world, as of 2026. As opposed to other political movements, belief systems, or revolutions, our faith did not spread by the sword, government enforcement, or coercion. It did not spread by promises of fortune or fame or worldly power. In fact, for many thousands of Christians, it meant just the opposite. Persecution, ostracization, and, for many (including 11 of the 12 Apostles), certain death. How is that possible? How do 11 men go from fearful deserters of Jesus, and 1 other (the Apostle Paul) a rabid persecutor of Jesus’ followers, to fearless advocates for the gospel? How do countless others begin to leave the religions of their ancestors, cut against the grain of culture, endure persecution, mockery, and even brutal deaths for their newfound faith? Primarily, this was because of the transformative impact people experienced after encountering Jesus. Last Easter Sunday, at all of our campuses, we experienced a beautiful service reflecting on the resurrection of Jesus. We talked about how this event was rooted in history, how it signified God’s triumph over death and redemption for mankind, and how the empty tomb moved its earliest observers from sorrow to joy, fear to peace, and doubt to belief. Far from the empty tomb being the end of the Christian story, it was merely the beginning. The same empty tomb is moving people today, and the same Spirit that rose Christ from the grave remained active then, is active in everyone who believes in Him today, and will continue to draw millions more lives out of spiritual darkness into the light of the gospel until He returns. What unites modern Christians with the earliest proponents of our faith is something we all share that cannot be taken away from us: our personal testimony. The word “testimony” comes from the Latin word testimonium, meaning to witness, specifically in a court of law. Rather than give legal witness in a courtroom to the events of a crime, we are called to give witness in the court of the world to how Christ has transformed our lives.

I remember being on a construction job site and seeing day after day, this strange man going around passionately speaking with people, and then, toward the end of the conversation, sticking his tongue out at them. Bewildered by this, I went up to speak with him and quickly found out he was a Christian. He told me how he was in a near-fatal motorcycle accident, was put in almost a full body cast, and, worst of all, had completely bitten off his tongue in the crash. He was not a believer at the time, but his friend who came to visit him at the hospital was. As his friend was sharing the gospel with him, he felt compelled to pray for his healing. As his friend began to pray, he (very bravely) felt compelled to reach inside his friend’s mouth, and he soon pulled out a brand new, fully formed tongue. He was healed! By sticking his tongue out at people, what he was really doing was sharing his powerful testimony: “See for yourself, Jesus gave me a brand-new tongue!” Jesus may not have given you a new tongue, but he has, no doubt, done something in your life that reflects a transformation. Maybe he has healed you physically or mentally, repaired what appeared to be an irreconcilable relationship, financially showed up for you when you were at a dead-end, taken away your resentment or bitterness, or He has simply brought you immense joy and unshakable peace. Whatever he has done for you, He does not want you to keep it to yourself.

When Jesus healed the demoniac, a man possessed by a legion of demons that caused him to cut himself with stones, the man begged to follow Jesus after his deliverance. This was quite an admirable request and one that we would expect Jesus to agree to. Yet, Jesus does not do what we would expect and instead tells the man, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” Jesus’ “no” was not a rejection of the man, but a redirection of where the man could better serve God’s Kingdom. We too can often think we know where we will serve Jesus best and are shocked when our plans are redirected. Yet the healed man chose God’s will over his own and did what was commanded of him. His hometown, the Decapolis, would be one of the first majority-Gentile regions reached with the Good News of Jesus. Jesus was starting to show that the Good News was not limited to Israel but a message offered to the entire world. Despite the town begging Jesus to leave following this miracle (not everyone was thrilled about losing their pigs!), we see a big shift later in the story in Mark 7 when Jesus returns to the region. This time a crowd gathers to greet Jesus with expectation and rejoices in His further miracle-working power. It appears the man was faithful in sharing his testimony! The town was probably shocked. “Was this not that crazy guy who lived in caves and cut himself with rocks and snapped chains?” Seeing the transformation in this healed man lent huge credibility and receptivity to receiving the One who transforms. “If he could do that for this man that everyone else gave up on, maybe I should listen to His message; maybe he could transform me!”

We have been looking at the heroes and heroines in our “Hall of Faith” series out of Hebrews 11. Chapter 12 begins by encouraging us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith”. This great cloud of witnesses (those who give a testimony!) all showed their faith by doing what God had asked of them, and the result was not just that God showed up and moved powerfully, but that they obtained a testimony that lives and encourages us today. The same miracle-working God that gave Abraham and Sarah a child out of barrenness, protected Noah and his family during the flood, brought Joseph from slavery and imprisonment to becoming a ruler of a nation, or redeemed a harlot to a heroine of faith is still transforming lives and providing for his people today. As the author of Hebrews would go on to say, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever! (13:8). Just as we take encouragement from the testimonies of these biblical figures, so too does our testimony encourage others not just to believe but to keep believing and finish the race Christ set before us.

In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John’s apocalyptic vision of the end times, we read about how the Devil’s stronghold over souls and his accusations of humanity are broken: “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death” (12:11). The blood of the lamb is the gospel message of salvation: Jesus, the lamb of God, who shed his blood on the cross at Calvary for the forgiveness of sins and the redemption of humanity. The word of their testimony is the effect on our lives when we have received that gospel message and invited Jesus into our hearts to become Lord of our lives. The best combination for winning souls in the Kingdom and showing people the light of Jesus is not just sharing the gospel message but showing it as well. Both are needed! When family, friends, and co-workers can see and recognize your transformation, “They used to have so much fear and anxiety, but now they have so much peace.” “They used to swear and cut down others, but now they encourage.” “They used to have that addiction; now they help others to get sober.” All of this prompts a question in their minds: “What changed?” Suddenly, the cross of Christ is not just an event in history one should believe in but an event in the present that has active power to transform you. People can argue all day about your belief, but no one can argue with a changed life. That is compelling stuff.