A testimony is a declaration or affirmation of fact or truth, such as that given before a court. It is also a public declaration regarding a religious experience.
Every true Christian has a testimony of what God has wrought in his or her life. If God is not doing a work in your life, and you have no blessed assurance of your salvation, then you are just playing religion. If you credit the church for your salvation, then it was not Jesus who saved you. The scripture states that there is no other name in heaven whereby ye must be saved; not in the name of Jehovah, not in the name of Yahweh, not even in the titles of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It is the name of Jesus whereby ye must be saved. If Jesus did not save you, you are not saved.
Well, well, my subject is the testimony of the saints. Jesus said, “We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?”
John introduced his letter by telling us: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” Paul told King Agrippa his testimony. The noble Festus accused him of being crazy. Paul
replied, “I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.
My friends, our Lord Jesus Christ changes lives. When Christ came into my life, I testified to my old friends and acquaintances, “I'm not the Betty that you used to know. Jesus saved me, and I'm not the same anymore.” It was the same with my children. They were good children, but when Christ touched them, they became even better. They were sweet; when Christ touched them they became even sweeter. They were helpful, but when Christ touched them, they became even
more considerate and loving. It is the hand and the love of Jesus that did this.
My friends, our Lord Jesus provides our every need. I can tell you many stories of this from my own experience, but it's much more fun to tell you of Sister Lowe's story. I wish you could see her face as she testified of God's provision on her behalf. She beamed with light and joy.
Sister Lowe was a widow with five children. Her oldest son was the main breadwinner of the family. She and the younger children helped by doing odd jobs in their community, but they just were just barely getting by paying rent, buying gas for their station wagon, clothing, and food—just the basics.
Her son was drafted for the Vietnam War, and they had no income after he left. One day there was no food in the house after breakfast, and she only had five dollars in her purse. They had garbage piling up because they couldn't afford garbage pickup, and the landlord was not happy about that. He demanded that either the garbage be taken out or they leave. Her older children were assigned to take the garbage to the city
dump, which was quite a distance from their home. She gave the children her last $5 to fill the tank, praying that it would get them to the dump and back. They were gone for much too long of a time, and she prayed that God would send His mercy toward them. When the children finally returned home, it was dark. The children ran up to greet her with boxes of food in their arms. They said, “Mother, you won't believe what God has done! Come and help us; the station wagon is loaded with food!” The children told her that after they had unloaded the station wagon of trash, they noticed a large van unloading the food. They approached the man who was throwing out the food and inquired about it. They found out that the food was perfectly good, so they asked the man if they could have it, and he was
glad to give it to them. There were shouts of joy and thanksgiving at the Lowe's home, knowing they had a living God who cared about their every need.
I still weep with thankfulness when I think of Sister Lowe's testimony. We have a living Lord who moves on our behalf. We each have a testimony of His love and His care for us. I know that God hears me when I pray because he visits me with His peace. He comforts me when I am sad, and He gives me understanding when I am perplexed. I know He loves me because I can feel Him holding me, and He has told me of His love in His Word and by His Spirit. I trust that Jesus is the same with you, and that you share your testimony to comfort and
encourage others with full assurance that Jesus our Lord lives today.
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