Demonstration of Testimony
Presented by Marvin Griffin
May 13, 2020
God’s Word is the greatest example of testimony – His Old Testament and New Testament.
‘Testimony’ and ‘Witness’ are synonyms. They are interchangeable.
‘eduwth’ is the Hebrew word meaning: testimony, witness. It is from the root Hebrew word meaning: To duplicate, to repeat, to testify – it has the idea of giving knowledge or restoring knowledge of an event.
‘marturia’ is the Greek NT word meaning: evidence given (judicially or generally). It is from the root word ‘martus’: a witness, a martyr (the most notable martyr may be Stephen chronicled in Acts 7). My takeaway is: to state something so true, one would rather die than refute it (take it back).
The NELSON CANADIAN DICTIONARY defines ‘testimony’ as: a declaration by a witness under oath, as that given before a court. E.g. If the judge asked me who I was, my testimony might be “I am Marvin Dale Griffin, son of John Howard Griffin Jr. (a book keeper of Westbank, BC).”
Interestingly, when Moses asked the God of the burning bush who He was, it was in a round-about way showing reverence, the answer came, “I AM WHO I AM”. That was His testimony, simple and powerful!
Let’s read: Exodus 3:1-6,13-14. Exodus 20: 1-3. Exodus 25:20 -22.
Another meaning of ‘testimony’ in the NCD is: the stone tablets of God’s commandments.
These commandments reveal the holy character of God. They also lay out the expectations of God to those He made in His own image.
DISCUSSION: Kids, you were learning the Ten Commandments in Sunday School before this COVID thing. Which one of the commandments stood out to you and why?
In our reading about the burning bush, Moses wrote down the record of an event that took place when he was in self-exile in Midian. His testimony includes: He saw a bush burning, but was not consumed. He decides to go close and see that great sight. God calls to him out of the burning bush, “Moses, Moses”. Moses answers, “Here I am”. God instructs him: not to come closer, to take his sandals off his feet, that the place he stood was holy ground, that He was the God of his fathers. Moses hid his face, afraid to look upon God. Moses was sent and commissioned by God to go to Pharaoh and say in essence, “Let My people go”.
DISCUSSION: I will state, perhaps you’ve never thought of it this way, but every Lord’s Supper is a demonstration of testimony meeting. Perhaps our brothers could find similarities and contrasts between the Burning Bush scene and a typical Lord’s Supper?
INDIVIDUAL TESTIMONY
John, the Baptist, had such a testimony. In John1:19 – 23, we read: Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.”
Jesus has a testimony, “I AM.” The many “I AM” statements in the Gospel of John and the Revelation of Jesus Christ are his!
Let us read John 3: 1 – 11.
In effect, Jesus testifies: No one can see or enter the kingdom of God, unless they are born again. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit
Much of individual testimony is unconsciously given. A faint example of someone giving testimony without realising it is:
It is 3:30 AM. You hear the sound of a car on the highway. You cannot tell where it is coming from or where it is going to. The clear demonstration of testimony is that there is someone out there awake and they are travelling from point A to point B.
In the Epistle of James 2: 14(NIV), he asks, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” Paraphrased: “Can such (this kind of) faith save him (give him a good testimony)?”
CORPORATE TESTIMONY
It is expressed in several ways:
- A building with a sign. A parking lot with a variable number of cars at meeting times (in normal circumstances)J. What does this say about us? 3. The warmth of greeting of strangers and members attending meetings. 4. The content of the meetings. 5. The reverence displayed in meetings. 6. Our out-reaches into the community. 7. An attractive and accurate website.
Read and discuss: 1 Cor. 14: 22 – 33. , Rev. 1: 1 – 3., Rev. 2:1 – 7.
Why do these things matter?
What does it mean to me?