"Testimony"

Hearing some Testimonies from people in the Bible and sharing my own testimony with you.

2Timothy 1:7-8 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 8 Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God;

How important it to share our testimonies

Paul seems to encourages us to hear each other’s testimony

Hearing other testimonies shows us that we are not alone

Acts 22:3 3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. 4 “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5 “as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished. 6 “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. 7 “And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8 “So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 “And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. 10 “So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ 11 “And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. 12 “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, 13 “came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. 14 “Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. 15 ‘For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 ‘And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’ 17 “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance 18 “and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ 19 “So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. 20 ‘And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 “Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’”

Paul was everything that mattered in the ancient world at his time. Jew

Pharisee

circumcised on the 8^th day

taught by Gamaliel

zealous: He persecuted the church because he thought that God wanted that.

Roman citizen

Summary of what Paul says in verse

Peter’s testimony:

was a fisherman

called by a previously unknown teacher

He left his occupation to follow him

deny his beloved teacher, his creator, his God, his friend (probably the biggest mistake anyone could make)

Jesus called him back to him and forgave him for denying him

Peter then after Jesus departed became a very great apostle for Christ.

King David’s testimony:

started life out as a humble shepherd.

he defeated Goliath

Samuel the prophet came and anointed David to be king of Israel

Then David became one Saul’s main officers.

Saul tried to killed David because he was so jealous.

He was even said to be a man after God’s own heart.

David’s sin

Psa 51:1-19  A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

 

Exodus 3:7-10  Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are inEgypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,

and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

 

My Testimony: I was raised in the Church of Christ

To me it was always something radical

I thought unless I had a good testimony then mine was not worth sharing.

competed in bible bowls since I was ten years old.

At the age of ten I was baptized.

All through middle school I hung out with people who cussed and swore which I ended picking up till 9^th grade.

At the age of 15 I had a revelation about getting more serious about being a Christian.

My senior year I was aiming to become a business major in college.

My freshman year of college was a very big growing experience for me and I had another revelation that I needed to get even better at serving God. It was after my first semester that I decided I wanted to be a bible major

Jesus’ testimony: Jesus left his throne in heaven to come to earth to die a very painful and humiliating death. He left perfection to serve us, his creation. He gave up everything that he had to be a servant. Hebrews 2:9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Mar 15:2  And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”

 

I, personally, would love to hear everyone’s testimony. Everyone’s walk of life. If anyone would care to tell me theirs I am all ears.

 

If you have not given your life to Christ so to be able to give your full testimony to everyone. If you have decided that you want to have a happy ending come to your testimony. If you are struggling with something going on in your life. Please come forward as we stand and sing.