Testimony

This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.   For there are three that testify:  the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.  Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.   1 John 5:6-12

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:  “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and he authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.   They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.  Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!  He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”  Revelation 12: 10-12

These were the verses we focused on at our last Bible study.  I admit that I am not spiritually mature enough to appreciate the depth of these passages.  Our leader asked us a difficult question, however.  What is your testimony?  I immediately thought of my “being saved” story as my testimony, but he questioned us further.  What is your testimony of what God is doing in your life today?   I was stumped.  Kind of pathetic that I’m such a mess that I had no idea what he is doing in my life right now.    I’ve been pondering it all weekend, and I keep feeling this pressing on my heart: “this is My church”.  Yes.  My Lord is teaching me what it is to be a part of His church–a REAL family.  I had no idea what a healthy family or what a healthy church family looked like.  To me, church was a building that you hated going to, but you went anyway.  You pretended to be way better than you really were.  You left before you got stuck talking to anyone, and fellowship was a foreign word…a foreign concept.  Now, when I’m at my lowest and highest, I seek the church.  These people know me more intimately than any other human ever has, and they still want to be around me.  They still love me, help me, guide me, hold me accountable, and laugh with me.  As a teenager, I hated spending time with my biological family.  Not real unusual for a teenager, I know.  When it was my birthday, I got to spend it with whomever I wanted.  When I was a younger child, it was with friends; as I got older, it was with friends or a boyfriend.  As an adult, it was with my husband.  On a day when I could choose anyone, I never ever chose my pastor, Sunday school teacher, elder, or anyone who was a “good” member of the church.  This past Friday, it was my 35th birthday.  I chose to spend the evening with my church family at home where we had “house church”.  This is a beautiful illustration–not of me, but of my church family.  I see Christ in them, and I long to be around them.  We ate together, worshiped together, studied together, prayed together, and worshiped some more.  Thank you, Jesus, for showing me your love through Your people.  Unlovable Beloved.