Want to see a miracle? You’re looking at one right now. This blog post Tell Them Your Story is just five short paragraphs. Five paragraphs is a miracle? Yep. You see, I am so passionate about the subject the five paragraphs could have easily been five pages. It is a miracle that I was able to limit the post to the five paragraphs. After reading this post, you will understand my passion.
For those ministering to children and youth … you have a powerful ministry tool available that you have probably never used… it’s your testimony. Week after week, the children/youth see this really cool person (that’s you) that has their act together, is in love with Jesus, has no trouble sharing their faith, and did I mention is really cool? That is all that they know about you. And, to most of the children/youth, you have always been this way. To them, you came out of your mother’s womb with your hands raised towards heaven and immediately gave a message from God in perfect King James English. They haven’t heard the whole story.
I was reading earlier today that God told Israel in Deuteronomy 6:20-25 to tell (testify to) their children about what He had done for them. God wanted the next generation to know that what they were seeing at that given moment isn’t the way that it has always been. Their testimony would show their God as an awesome deliverer, provider, and keeper.
I come back to what I wrote earlier. Those in your ministry have no idea about God’s mighty work in your life. They just see the now picture. Hold on. Before you become defensive, I am not suggesting that you go into all of the sordid details of your past. They aren’t needed. But what is needed is that you show how God changed your life. Just like the Psalmist David, your testimony might put God’s miracle-working power on display when he wrote “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God …” (Psalms 42:2-3). My testimony is quite different. I was born again at the age of 6, fell in love with Jesus, was baptized in the Holy Spirit at the age of 10, and, because of God’s keeping power, I have never walked away from God. Both types of testimonies are powerful examples of God’s goodness. The testimony moves God from the black and white text in a Book to being a transforming today God. The result of sharing your story will bring about the final words of verse 3. “… many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
One more thought about sharing testimonies. Once a month have a Throw-Back Sunday or a Way-Back Wednesday when one person on your ministry team or a person from the congregation takes 5 short minutes to share their testimony. Try it. You’ll thank me!
