Mensa Otabil - The Power of a Testimony
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We’re still in John chapter 4, looking at the woman at the well, the woman of Samaria who came to know Jesus Christ as Lord. We’ve covered her story extensively and how she arrived at personal faith in Christ Jesus. Then she goes back to the city to share her testimony, and now let’s look at what happens after she shares her testimony.
John chapter 4, verse 39: «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.'» The testimony of the woman was well received by the city; probably they knew her, they knew her life, they knew what she had gone through, and they knew the misery and the shame and the dishonor. Even for somebody to pay attention to her and treat her respectfully would be a miracle.
So she comes and says, «Come and see a man who told me all that I ever did.» What does that mean? It means this man knew everything about me but treated me respectfully. He knows about my life, and that is how God treats us. God knows us; He knows our beginning from the end, He knows our ups and our downs, He knows our failures, He knows our weaknesses, but He still loves us and wants the best for us. That doesn’t mean we can live our lives any way we want and treat Him any way we want, but it simply means that God’s compassion, mercy, and love go beyond our limitations.
That is what Christianity offers: the love of God that goes beyond human limitations. That is why in the scriptures, you will find that the people Jesus touched were people whom others would not touch, people whom society would discard and think were irredeemable. Their lives were beyond repair; they were too bad for any good. Yet Jesus reached out to them. Think about the woman caught in adultery; Jesus said, «I will not condemn you; go and sin no more.» Zacchaeus, Jesus said, «I’m coming to your house.» Look at all the people that Jesus reached out to. They were individuals we would normally think were irredeemable.
So the people of the village came and said, «We believe in Jesus. If He can do it for this woman, we believe in Him. He hasn’t done much for us, but we can look at what He’s done for this woman and at what other people have experienced of Him, and we believe in Him.» You know, there is a way in which your life can inspire people to believe in God so much. I don’t know what God has done for you, what miracle He’s done in your life, what change He has brought into your life, or what transformation has occurred. But your life must be such that people will thirst for the living water when they see you or hear you. Especially those who used to know you will look at you now and say, «Look at this lady; look at this gentleman. I knew him; I knew where he came from. Look what God has done for him. If God can do it for him, He can do it for me too.»
That is what this woman presented as her testimony. Yet the people had not heard Jesus for themselves, but they heard the testimony of somebody who has been touched by Jesus, and they were ready to stake their lives on Jesus because of an authentic testimony, an authentic transformation story, an authentic life that has been changed by the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray for you that your life will be like this woman’s life, that people will look at you and thirst for God. People will look at you and say, «I want to know your God.» People will look at you and say, «I want to serve the God you serve because you serve Him so well, and because He has done so much for you. I can see His fingerprint on your life, and I want the same fingerprints on my life.» May the Lord use you as an ambassador of the Gospel, as He used this woman as an ambassador of the Gospel.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, thank you for all that you have done for me. Use my testimony to draw people to you. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»