Powerful Testimony

The early church confronted so many mountains from its first inception. The Pharisees and the Jews tried as hard as they could do to stop the spreading of the Gospel. They threw threats and fears all around Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin were in full control to destroy the faith of Christ’s followers. Even though lots of mountains coming along their way, the disciples never give up! Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to move their mountains one by one. The early church grew bigger day by day by the grace of God! As the mountains were moved, Peter and John gave us a very important example to follow. They used a powerful testimony, a powerful word, to overcome and destroy the mountains. The same powerful testimony is a must have for all believers nowadays. There is a power in the mouth of believers! As we are in our way to build the church at the end times, we will confront with so many mountains as well. The same Holy Spirit will empower us to move our mountains in these modern days. God is Alpha and Omega, His power will never ever change! Let’s learn from Peter and John how they used their powerful testimony to move the mountains.

TESTIMONY IS NOT ABOUT WHO WE ARE

What makes our testimony become so powerful? A good testimony is never about the eyewitness, but it is about the content of the testimony. Our testimony as the disciples of Jesus Christ must not be focused in us but in Christ alone, Christ-exalting, and how Jesus worked out everything in our life! Peter and John were uneducated and untrained men, but they had a very powerful testimony because they believed in Jesus and they let the life of Jesus overtake their life!

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. Acts 4:13-14 NKJV

Who are you and who am I? We are nothing! Compared to other people around us, we may be found as uneducated and untrained men as well. But that conditions are not a hindrance for us to deliver a powerful testimony about Christ! When people mocking at the disciples at the Pentecost day, Peter standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them: “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses Ac.2:32.” Even though they were foolish people according to the people at that days, but they were the witnesses of someone powerful and amazing, the Creator of this universe, God of gods, King of kings, Name above all names, JESUS, and that is enough to make their testimony become very powerful! Even God said that He like to choose those who love Him, no matter if they are the foolish things of the world, to put to shame the wise, He like to choose those who love Him, no matter if they are the weak things of the world, to put to shame the things which are mighty! Believers must understand and realize how powerful is our God so that we will confident with our testimony about Jesus! Paul said: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us 2Cor.4:7.” Never be frightened to testify about Jesus, about His miracles, about His promises, about our love to Him, because what we need to do is just let that excellence of the power coming out through our life!

²⁶ For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. 1Corinthians 1:26-29 NKJV

TESTIMONY MUST BE AUTHENTIC

So, what makes our testimony become very powerful? Peter and John always like to say that they cannot but speak things which they had seen and heard Ac.4:20. The disciples circulated their testimony among people at those days confidently because they had very precious also direct experience with Jesus! John wrote: “Which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us, which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ 1Jn.1:1-3.”

As the disciples of Christ, we must pray so that we can have the same experience with Peter and John, we must see and hear with our spirit so that we may have a personal yet very strong experience between us and Jesus! David wrote in Psalm: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him Ps.34:8!” We will be able to have that same experience if we always put our trust completely in Jesus. Even though now we are not able to see and hear Jesus physically, Holy Spirit will enable us to always have a direct, a personal experience with God, so we will also have an authentic testimony to share, a powerful testimony to move our mountains! Holy Spirit will quicken everything that God already said and recorded in the Bible; the Spirit gives LIFE 2Cor.3:6! Holy Spirit will work within the life of believers to create an authentic and always fresh testimony so that we will be able to be a brave witness, testify the power of God to our problems, and move our mountains! The works of Holy Spirit will become abundant in our life as we open our heart for Him.

TESTIMONY MUST BE INTEGRATED

A powerful testimony is about powerful words that proceed out from our inner life. Jesus said that out of abundance of the heart the mouth speaks Mat.12:34. To be able to move our mountains with our testimony, it is very important to be very careful to keep our heart with all diligence! Proverbs said that out of our heart will spring the issues of life Pr.4:23. Jesus said that those who believers in Him, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water Jn.7:38. If we keep our heart in holiness and righteousness, then out of it will flow rivers of faith, rivers of strength, rivers of joy, rivers of peace, rivers of wisdom, rivers of health, rivers of everything that we need to make our life become more LIVING! Sometimes, believers may do a very serious mistakes about their mouth so that there is no power, no living, no faith, from their mouth. James said that we must dedicate our mouth for God, otherwise there will be no power from it!

⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear fig? Thus, no spring yields both salt water and fresh. James 3:9-12 NKJV

Our testimony must be integrated with our life. Otherwise, our testimony will be very weak and there is no power to move the mountains in our life, even the name of God will be blasphemed among peoples because of us Rm.2:24. We must pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach us, to hold our hands, to guard our mouth. David prayed: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies Ps.141:3-4.” An integrated testimony is a powerful testimony that consolidated with our life. Christ-powered testimony against our mountains must be followed with Christ-focused life. When God created us, He put the biggest strength not within our muscles but in our mouth. Psalmist wrote: “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger Ps.8:2.”

Let’s get ready to use our mouth to proceed a powerful testimony against our enemies. In the day of Pentecost, with many other words Peter testified and exhorted people, then those who gladly received his testimony were baptized; and that day about 3,000 souls were added to them Ac.2:40-41! Do not afraid with all the scoffers who will come in the last days 2Pet.3:3. Just like how people mocking the early church at the day of Pentecost, so that people will keep mocking the disciples of Christ in the last days when God bring His church into perfection. We have power to move that mountains with our words, with our mouth, with our testimony. Even God Himself will bear witness together with us both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His will Heb.2:4. God will be working with His disciples, confirming the word through the accompanying signs Mk.16:20.

CONCLUSION & CHALLENGE

What it’s all about?

The disciples of Christ have the huge power within their mouth to move any mountains that come hindering their ways to fulfil the heavenly calling. The powerful testimony is not about who we are, but it is about Christ who has the excellence of the power inside our earthen vessel. The powerful testimony must be authentic and Holy Spirit will assist believers to quicken the Words of God and produce an original yet strong testimony. The powerful testimony must be integrated with our life. We must dedicate our mouth to bless God alone, not defiling it with any curse toward anyone!

Insights and impressions:

Revelation 12:11 told us how we can defeat and overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony! The blood of Jesus is the precious blood that redeem us from the everlasting condemnation. And our testimony is a powerful weapon to overcome the deceit of Satan.

Next steps:

It is important to pray a wise prayer from David, asking God to set a guard over our mouth, to keep watch over the door of our lips, and also to guard us not incline our heart to any evil thing. That ‘guard’ is the Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and guard us. Whenever we find a mountain exist in our way, let’s open our mouth to testify the promise of God; to testify the works of God; to testify about God who we already seen and heard. AMEN.

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