The book of Revelation is fascinating. The Apostle John who wrote it, gives us a vivid picture of heaven, not just to inform us of the future but to impact the way we live today. In chapter 12 he talks about Christians who have victory over Satan, our adversary. He observes that they didn’t make it to their eternal home through their own strength or effort, but through “the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11).
Jesus, the Lamb of God, shed his precious blood on a cross to redeem us from our sin. This is the bedrock of Christianity and what the bible refers to as “the gospel” or “the good news.” And it’s this good news that is the power of God for salvation to all who believe as Romans 1:16 tells us. The shed blood of Jesus changes everything.
Why then does John also say, “and by the word of their testimony.”? Do you and I somehow add to what Jesus did on the cross to contribute to our salvation? Of course not! We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. “The word of their testimony” is simply referring to what happens when God’s grace is at work in the lives of Jesus' followers. The “and” is the ripple effect of lives that are being changed by Jesus…So what’s a testimony? Simply put, a testimony is an individual providing proof to the reality of something they’ve witnessed.
The word of our testimony is proof that Jesus still changes lives. How has Jesus saved you? How is Jesus at work through your obedience to be baptized? How is Jesus working through your story of infertility and your journey toward foster care or adoption? How is Jesus at work as you strive to live as an everyday missionary in your neighborhood or workplace? How is Jesus bringing restoration in your marriage? How is he at work on the other side of your divorce? Not every story has a happy ending because the author isn’t done writing it yet, but what our stories ultimately point to isn’t the perfect circumstances that we have been led to but the perfect Savior who leads us through high peaks and low valleys. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 73–our heart and flesh may fail, our circumstances and aspirations may fail us, but not the Lord. He is the strength of our heart. He is the hero of our stories.
And there are thousands of stories that God is writing in the lives of those who make up CrossPoint Church to showcase his greater glory and story of redemption. Over and over again, Jesus takes our mess and turns it into his message. The powerful and precious blood of the Lamb is still at work changing lives, marriages, homes, workplaces, and communities, and I don’t know about you, but I want to overcome. I want to make it to heaven’s shore when I breathe my last. And if the bible says that we need to share stories of how God is at work to get there, then I want to implore the church to share them. Jesus does the heavy lifting of saving us, but it’s on us to share it with others. You have a story worth sharing, and we would love to help you tell it.
If you feel God prompting you to share your story, I encourage you to go to crosspointchurch.com/stories and take the first step of sharing your story by filling out an application form.