When I became a Christian some 40 or more year ago if someone was asked to give their testimony, they would tell the story of how they became a Christian. However, as I have grown in the faith my understanding of Testimony has become much broader. I now see testimony as a touch or intervention from God, and it may be to a person, or it could be to events. Certainly, since my involvement with Healing Rooms, Testimony usually refers to a healing which may be physical, emotional, spiritual or relational. I have seen each of these over the years.
A testimony is of course something which we choose to speak out and share with others. Although it maybe something that we have experienced it does not become Testimony until it is shared.
Some definitions of a Testimony are:
- (An example of) spoken or written statements that something is true, especially those given in a law court:
- In a court of law, someone’s testimony is a formal statement that they make about what they saw someone do or what they know of a situation, after having promised to tell the truth.
- In the law, testimony is a form of evidence in which a witness makes a “solemn declaration or affirmation … for the purpose of establishing or proving some fact”.
Each of these definitions talk of “Truth” or “Fact” and that is what we believe our testimony to be, a real and undisputable touch from our Lord and Saviour and in a way which benefits us physically, emotionally, spiritually or in our relationships. This of course puts the responsibility on us to recognise these changes by speaking out and sharing. We may well ask why is it important to share testimony? There are a number of reasons for this:
- We are giving God the glory for what He has done.
- We are publicly accepting that God has touched our lives.
- It is an encouragement to other believers.
- We know that what God has done once He can do again.
Testimony as we would define it has a basis in scripture and a search revealed over 50,000 references to the word testimony in the Bible. Examples of this are:
1 John 5:11: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
John 4:39: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.”
Revelation 12:11: “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
Psalm 119:111: It is written, “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.”
Revelation 19:10: At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.
Psalm 119:111: It is written, “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.”
Revelation 19:10: At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.
From these references one can see that the biblical meaning of testimony extends far beyond mere recounting of events; it embodies a deep spiritual significance that is woven throughout the Scriptures. Testimony in the Bible often symbolizes truth and witness. It serves as a declaration of faith and a proclamation of God’s works in an individual’s life. The act of giving testimony is not merely about sharing personal experiences; it is about affirming the truth of God’s presence and actions.
At a recent meeting during a time of listening to what God has to say I had a picture of a small market stall, above which was written “Testimony Exchange”. I thought this a bit strange at the time but in sharing this I realised that sharing out a testimony is an exchange. In speaking or sharing a testimony we are saying God has touched my life. In exchange we give Him the glory and pass on faith building, spiritual messages to others that they too may have similar experiences.
Brian Chamberlain