The Power of Testimony in Evangelism

Evangelism tends to be fairly terrifying for people. So we're trying to make it less terrifying. We're trying to make it a bit more approachable and easy. So we're going through the acronym habits. Who can remember what H was? Hospitality. A. Somebody who's not Rachel. Come on, work with me here. Thank you, Rachel. B. Really? Being a Christian. Being Christian. I. Yeah, people were ready. I love that. I love that. I don't really remember that one. I was ill last week. I did preach it, but I don't really remember it. And today we're up to tea, which is testimony. And so we are talking about testimony. And I was kind of like really stuck in my head about how to communicate this one today. Because testimony is story, really. We're talking about story. And so I felt like, okay, surely I want to talk about story. But the more I dug into it, the more I found it difficult. Because I was walking around last night, just around the streets of Sefton Park, the mean streets of Sefton Park, and just sort of practicing my testimony out loud. And I found it incredibly difficult. And it took me ages to work out why. Do you know why? Because I wasn't talking to anybody. I was just trying to say out loud to no one in particular, this is what my testimony is. But your testimony requires context. You're not just saying it into the void. You're sharing it with a human being. And so there's a connection point that is needed when we give our testimony. [00:52:49] (88 seconds)  #TestimonyNeedsConnection

Every true and good story is ultimately the story of Jesus. Every true and good story. That's where they live. That's where it lands. So what is a testimony? Testimony is basically an eyewitness account of how God rescued you from sin and death through Jesus Christ and changed your life as a result. That's what your testimony is. [00:55:38] (22 seconds)  #JesusIsEveryGoodStory

Don't fear others, honor Jesus first in your heart, be ready to share your faith when you're asked, do it in an appropriate way and then he kind of says the same thing again don't fear others don't worry about how other people will respond don't worry about that just honor jesus share your faith when you're asked do it in a way that makes sense and don't worry about it that's the wisdom in short from peter it's good advice. [00:58:23] (27 seconds)  #HonorJesusFearNoOne

Paul shares the testimony of Jesus in the first place because his heart is broken for the people around him. He doesn't look around him. He doesn't look around him at the people bustling around in metropolitan Athens and go, these people have their lives together. I bet they don't need Jesus. No, he looks around him at the idols in the city and his heart breaks for who they don't have. [01:05:51] (23 seconds)  #CompassionDrivesEvangelism

Every person you walk past on any day has one of these things deep beneath them driving them beating in their heart whether they know it or not and a few quick questions and you can usually scratch the itch and find out what is underneath so paul sees the existential longing in the people of athens they are looking so hard for something more than life they've turned everything into god it breaks his heart but it drives him to share the gospel. [01:08:39] (32 seconds)  #ReachYourGodGivenPeople

Everyone is valuable. Everyone has the image of God on them. Cashiers, customers, baristas working on barista machines, sorry Jess I couldn't resist that, patients, students, strangers, simply give them your time and see what God wants to do. Here's the beautiful thing: like 80% of your interactions with strangers will require you to say how are you and smile and they'll say good and that'll be it. Like introverts exhale, it's not that hard. It is literally just making eye contact with someone at the checkout. Yes, a human at the checkout. Just give them the time of day because sometimes you'll catch something and they're actually looking for someone to connect with and that's when you just need to pause and give them a bit of time. Make margin for this stuff. Every human matters. You matter to God. That's why you're in this room. That's why he's called you home to Jesus. Make time for other people because they're all special. [01:10:51] (60 seconds)  #FaithfulPersistenceTransforms

Paul used the culture to reach the culture. Paul looked at what was in the culture and he notices the idols and he uses the Greek poet Epimenides to help them connect to what he's saying about God. This is what Karl Barth, the Christian thinker, used to say. Take your Bible and take your newspaper and read both, but interpret your newspaper from your Bible. That is to say, pay attention to what's going on in the culture. Read your scriptures, but let the scriptures interpret culture, not the other way around. [01:14:10] (29 seconds)  #TestimonyCenteredOnJesus

Pay attention to the gospel. This is the secret source. The secret source of our testimony is this. It's only a testimony if it's about Jesus. If you're just telling a cool story, you're just a bit of a narcissist. At some point, it's got to come back to God. [01:14:45] (17 seconds)  #JesusChangesLivesNotUs

Your story is to help them understand that the story of Jesus is the thing that will change their lives. Your story might be nice. That's not going to change their life. It's what Jesus has done for them through His life, miracles, death, resurrection, and ascension, and coming judgment that will change their life. It's not you. It's Him. [01:17:28] (20 seconds)  #DrawPeopleCloserWithLove

Because your story is unique. Nobody else has lived the life you have lived. And because of that, you are uniquely able to reach some people. The sufferings that you have been through are testimonies out the other side for others. Because of what God has done, of how He has carried you through. Everything you have been through points forward to the grace of Jesus. Nobody else has known His grace in the exact same way as you. It's the story of Jesus that has given you a story to tell. But it's still your story to tell. [01:21:59] (34 seconds)  #GodFillsTheEndlessVoid