By Pastor Brandon Young
According to the Nielsen Marketing Group, 92 percent of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all other forms of advertising. Sixty-four percent of marketing executives indicated they believe word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing. No billboard, newspaper advertisement, or commercial will ever be as powerful as a testimonial from one who has experienced something first hand. This information will make or break a business. You may be wondering what this has to do with Christianity, and honestly it has everything to do with it!
The Word of God speaks endlessly about the words of our testimony. Let’s take a close look at why our testimonies are so important. First, where do words come from? Matthew 12:34-36 says, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
Words come from our hearts, and whatever is in our hearts will come out of our mouths. When we speak we expose our heart! Idle words are words that do not profit anyone. If we are speaking about the goodness of God, our words are never idle.
Testimonies are the second most powerful substance on earth. Revelation 12: 10-11 says, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
The most powerful substance on earth is the blood of Jesus because it washes away all sin and makes us children of God, but our testimonies are second in power because they reveal to the world how we were made a new creature by the blood of Jesus. We overcome Satan when we testify of the greatness of God, and his transformational power! Words contain life and death: Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue:” When we use our words wisely to speak of the goodness of God, we are speaking light to a world filled with darkness.
Declaring God’s word produces faith. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Individuals believe when they hear, and we all are ministers of the Gospel. If we share how God convicted us and saved us we are sharing the gospel of Christ, and those words will draw others to Christ. Therefore, Satan wants to keep Christians quiet. Our words are powerful, and Satan does not want Christ disclosed.
Look at this example from the scripture. Jesus has just cast out demons from a man that lived amongst the tombs. He was unable to live a normal life due to the evil spirits inside him. Luke 8:35-40 reads, “Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.”
This man went into his city and published what the Lord had done for him, and these words caused others to receive Christ as well, and when Jesus came back to the city, folks were waiting on his arrival. The word of mouth played a major role in the scriptures, and is still doing the same today. Let’s allow the world to know what Jesus Christ has done for each one of us! Go tell it on the mountain, and in every valley, that God is good all the time.
Confessing the Lord is of utmost importance. Luke 8:32-33 says, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” When we let people know that we know Jesus, Jesus lets the Father know the he knows us! Psalm 107:1-2 says, “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;” We the redeemed, must let everyone know that we have been delivered from the power of Satan and death, and we walk in the newness of life. King David said in Psalm 66:16, “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul.”
During the time Jesus was on earth, that’s exactly what happened. Jesus would work in someone’s life and they would simply share that story with others. When Jesus healed the blind man, the blind man said: I know this: “I was blind, and now I can see!” (John 9:25) When Jesus forgave the Samaritan woman she “told everyone, Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Messiah?” (John 4:29) The people of her village later told her, “Now we believe because we have heard him ourselves,” (John 4:42) These were simply common people telling an extraordinary story of Jesus working in their lives. That’s why Jesus told His disciples “you must also tell others about me” (John 15:27).
It is time we stop complaining, murmuring, and gossiping and we begin to share how Jesus Christ is the solution to all of life’s problems. We do a whole lot of talking every day, but only a small portion of our words are pointing others to Christ. The only advertisement that Jesus needs are our testimonials. Once we begin to spread Jesus by word of mouth, many will be drawn to him.
(The Solution Column is provided by Pastor Brandon Young of Harmony Free Will Baptist Church, Hampton, and his associate, Hunter Greene.)