Pass It On

Has God helped you recover from an illness? Given you a financial blessing? Provided you with comfort in the time of mourning? One of the best ways to show thanks for what God has done for you is to share your testimony with someone else. You never know when sharing your experience of God’s awesome power can bless the person next to you.

Back in the day, many churches had a testimony service. As part of the regular program, time would be set aside for people to stand up and testify. The witness would begin with something like, “Giving honor to God who is the head of my life…,” and then the praise would begin. Even as a kid, I remember listening to the powerful accounts and realizing how awesome God is.

Some have speculated as to why the testimony service has dwindled away. Perhaps it took too much time away from the other aspects of service, like altar call. Maybe it created too much pressure for members of the congregation and made them feel “put on the spot.” Maybe people simply lost perspective of what testifying is all about.

Throughout the Bible, God instructs people to pass on the testimony of their deliverance to others. Moses recounted the exodus from Egypt over and over to the children of Israel, and they passed it on to their children. Jesus also encouraged people to declare their testimony. In Mark 5:1-20, after healing the man who had been possessed by demons, Jesus told him to share his story with others. He did, and as the Word tells us, “all the people were amazed.”

Sharing a testimony is not bragging. It is an opportunity to give God praise. It is also not a story about what someone is “going through.” A testimony allows people to look back and declare what God has done in their lives to encourage others. And finally, a testimony is not long-winded or verbose. The purpose of testifying is not to spin a tale of intrigue and suspense, but to acknowledge the ongoing power of God at work in the world today.

I’m going to pass on the good news of what God has done for me!