TESTIMONY TIME

 

Ps. 66:16-19 Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my LORD would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.

     Don’t you just love these verses? The Psalmist is inviting all who know the Lord to come and listen to his testimony. It is good for us to share with others what the Lord has done for us. I have fond memories of those times in my earlier walk with the Lord when we actually had testimony time in our worship services. It has been quite a while now since that has been done. I don’t really know why the church has gotten away from it. I know some churches still do it, but they are in the minority. It seems odd to me that we think we don't need it anymore. If we can’t testify of what the Lord is doing in our lives before the body of Christ, how can we expect to do it in the world? If we don’t encourage one another by how the Lord is working in our midst, where are we going to find the encouragement we need to remain faithful? If we don’t allow time to praise the Lord for His working in our lives in church, when will we be given opportunity to thank and praise Him?

     It is good for others to know that we found forgiveness at the throne of God’s mercy. It is good for others to know that we are not perfect and are in need of forgiveness. It is good for others to know that the Lord still is in the forgiving business. It is good for others to know that we all need to seek the Lord and confess our sins.

     Note that the Psalmist said that if sin was not acknowledged and confessed, nothing would have happened; there would be no forgiveness to proclaim. It is very important that we do not miss this truth. In order for our sins to be forgiven, they must be confessed before the Lord.

     The church exists to edify those who are in Christ. We are to build one another up in faith and spur each other on to greater faith. What better way is there to do that than to acknowledge that the Lord is actively working in our lives to make us holy?

     It is good food for the soul to share what the Lord has and is now doing in our lives. We must be witnesses for Him and the church is the perfect training ground for us. Let us not neglect talking about our Lord in His house.