" A Testimony Of Their Own!"

And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard." Acts 4:18-20
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I don't know about you but I love Peter and John's response after being thrown in jail and then commanded to be silent about Jesus being the source of the miracle that had healed the lame man. Actually, the truth is, I love that they took every opportunity they could no, matter what the outcome, to tell 'about what they had seen and heard.'

I had someone tell me the other day that they didn't know how or that they weren't comfortable witnessing to others about Jesus because they were unsure about what to say and how to say it. So here is my best advice and the point of today's message. It is just as simply as this, share what you know. Tell your story about what Jesus has done for you. If you'll do that God will do the rest and work in the hearts of those you share with. Your story, your testimony, about who and what Jesus has done in your life is powerful weapon!

Check out these two examples when someone did just that! The first example can be found in Luke 5:12-15
It is the account of the man with leprosy coming to Jesus and saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Jesus responded by telling him He was willing and He proceeded to touch him and heal him. He then told the guy "To tell no one ... But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded." Then the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities."  In  Mark 1:45 we see that the reason 'the report went around concerning Him' was because the man who had been healed of his leprosy didn't stay silent the way Jesus had told him to. It says that instead he, 'went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every quarter.' He talked ... Actually he blabbed ... and just a little but to everyone he could. He told them all about what Jesus had done for him and the result was ...crowds came, believed for themselves, and then they too received their own healing as well.

Example number two can be found in John 4:28-30 with the woman at the well. We know that she was at the well in the heat of the day all alone so that she could avoid contact with other people but after her encounter with Jesus it tells us that she sought them out so that she could tell about what He did for her. ' The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 'Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" Then they went out of the city and came to Him.' She shared her encounter with others and the result?  "...And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me all that I ever did.' So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Himto stay with them; and He stayed there two more days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, 'Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." John 4:39-42

Be faithful to share your testimony 'of all that you've seen and heard' because you never know what the Lord will do with it in the hearts of those who hear!  They could very well end up with a testimony of their own!