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I was born into a religious tradition that made much of believers sharing their spiritual experiences and relationships with the whole church on Sunday. I’ve spoken before of one young man who stood up on Sunday morning and said, “Saved, single, and satisfied!” Yet mostly the testimonies rang true and were a great encouragement to other believers. “And they conquered him

[Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11 ESV) was a verse often quoted to justify “testimony time”.

John Wesley initiated this system of faith and practice (this was why they were called “Methodists”). Part of his “method” of encouraging the new and old believers was to insist they attend a midweek meeting and every person in the room had to report on their spirituality during the past week. In many respects it is a shame that this exercise lost favor and died out.

Another aspect of encouraging them was in the words of the gospel songs they sang, particularly later in the revivals of the 1800s. Not only was doctrine reinforced by music (we remember the songs but not the sermons!) but also a believer’s experience of the outworking of the grace of God was reinforced in songs of testimony. I just opened an old hymnbook at random and this song by James Well caught my attention:

I care not today what the morrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain.
The Lord, I know, ruleth o’er everything,
And all of my worry is vain.
Chorus:
Living by faith in Jesus above
Trusting, confiding in His great love;
Safe from all harm in His sheltering arm,
I’m living by faith and feel no alarm.

Or how about this more recent song by Rhea Miller:

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand
Chorus:
Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

We need to get back to the heart-felt, Bible-believing, soul-satisfying faith of our fathers, and use every means available to teach “sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (Paul, in II Timothy 1:13 ESV).