The power of testimony

John 4:39 and v42

'Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony'

'They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”'

The woman in this passage gave, 'testimony' . First of all, what is testimony? It is - a formal declaration or statement of an event, evidence or proof of something. 

So, the woman declared what she had seen and heard of Jesus. She gave evidence to what she had heard. She told people what she had witnessed and heard from Jesus. 

The result?

The were intrigued. The people went to see for themselves. They heard His words, and realised that he is indeed, 'the Savior of the world.'

Jesus demonstrated who He is to this woman, she understood who He is, and saw how he knew her life. Then, she told others about him. She recognised who He was, because He knew her. 

There is power in testimony. 

If someone close to you tries out a new cleaning product and tells you how wonderful it is, you're probably more likely to try it out than by watching the most exciting new advert with a catchy jingle. 

Personal testimony is effective, and what this woman by the well, and what I am talking about, is much more effective than the worlds most powerful cleaning product! So, we better get talking about it!

It's not just about telling people the mind-boggling miracles that occur, but by sharing God's faithfulness in the everyday things. This lady from this passage, what did she really have to tell? She didn't see any mountains move, she wasn't healed of any disease or see any miraculous event at that time. She simply saw that Jesus knew her. Really, her testimony was pretty simple. She listened to Jesus and discovered that He knew her, He knew her life. 

Then she began to believe what he was saying about himself. 

This must of been the message she gave to others, not a mind blowing transformation or miraculous event, but the fact that she'd met Jesus, and He knew her. 

This is a message we all can bring to other people.

We can tell them the simple, seemingly small things that Jesus has done in our lives. That's what testimony is. We can share about how God has been there, shown us things, known us, and still wants to know us! We can let our friends know that we had peace in financial difficulty, we can share how our kids have overcome some things because Jesus has been their friend. How we have got the: house, family, job, education, friends, holiday we have. That we have become more: patient, loving, generous, kind because we pray. Don't underestimate the power of your testimony in the everyday matters. 

This lady shared that Jesus knew her. 

The people, were intrigued. They came to see what she was going on about, and they, for themselves, discovered who Jesus is. 

Her testimony was a part of her community's journey to faith. 

Your testimony is a part of someone else's journey in faith.