Introduction: What is my testimony? - Part I
[This is Part 1 of a multi-part article]
My recent thought: "What does it mean to have a good testimony?"
How many of us have heard or thought the following statements/questions?
- Man! I just blew my testimony in front of my co-worker when I got angry.
- When you sin, you blow your testimony.
- That Christian made a big mistake and just blew his/her testimony.
I found a website where a number of people shared their testimony and they all sounded very common and fit the modern-day definition of a testimony. They spoke of their experiences before and after Christ was revealed to them. They spoke of the contrast between their "past lives" and new lives. Is this what a Christian's testimony should be? Seems like it, right?
I found another website that actually provided an outline for how to write a testimony. At the end of the outline, the writer noted to "make sure that your testimony glorifies God". This is very sage advice but does the outline encourage that?
Maybe what we've known as a God-glorifying testimony really isn't. Maybe it is. At the very least, it's worth asking the question "What is my testimony?" Or, better yet the question should be "What should my testimony be and how do I blow it?"
In Part II of this multi-part article, we'll look at what I believe are proper, biblical interpretations of a testimony. In Part III, I hope to encourage Christians toward a Christ-exalting testimony. In the meantime, I encourage you to ask the question, "What is my testimony?"
[Part II]
