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On Sunday, July 21, 2019, it was very refreshing listening to the testimonies of some brethren in the church. That was after melodious songs were rendered by the choir and also, by the congregation from the hymn book. Being ‘old school’, it was not strange that I enjoyed those songs, as most of the time, though I admire the beautiful tones of the ‘modern’ ones, I may not understand the words. Trust me, I went around, shaking hands with the General Overseer, his Deputy, and all the Pastors sitting with me at the front row.
A lady, Sister Torty, testified how she was winning prizes as the best teacher in her school. She said also, that she was accredited always as the ‘best this and the best that’, even from places she never conjectured. At one time, she wanted to contest for a position, and some of her fellow contestants withdrew when they heard it. Her enviable testimonies of success were not limited to her, as her children have also been receiving awards as the best students in their schools.
Victor, a brother, testified how their Oga volunteered to drive them when they were going for a programme. At a point, the car developed a problem and would have somersaulted but for God’s intervention. He recounted how, his landlady made an uncharitable comment to him, even referring to him as a miser, for no cause, when he was leaving for a crusade at Ahaba in Isuikwuato, Abia State, with the Deputy General Overseer. It was a great meeting, in which God manifested His power, including the salvation of an occultist, who surrendered his charm to the Lord Jesus. At the end of the crusade, as Uncle returned to Lagos and was entering his apartment, his landlady’s action towards him betrayed an expectation that he would not have returned alive! He confronted her, questioning why she was looking at him like that. Aunty was speechless, perhaps, realizing that power passes power. She could not live to appreciate it as she died, perhaps, unable to exchange her life with his! Chileke!
Pastor Gloria, the National Church Secretary, testified how God added one year to her age. An unbeliever, she said, may not remember to appreciate God for that. He may rather be complaining about what He has not done for him, as if He owes him anything. She stressed the surprise packages she received from her children and from some Church members, which included I-Pad, birthday cake, et cetera. It is not in all families that we have children, who appreciate their parents and even to the extent of providing such things for them.
Pastor Ruth Toluwalawi, the wife of the former Pastor-in-charge, testified about Kemi, their first daughter, a Pharmacist, who went through surgery in Port Harcourt and came out alive. Nobody, including the doctors, ever believed that she would make it, but she did. She is still living. The sickness took her to England and even there, pessimism or not, she returned to Nigeria sound and is now doing some things she was not able to be doing before travelling.
These were the people, who informed the Service Conductor that they would testify of the goodness of the Lord that Sunday morning. For sure, there were many others in the congregation, who had testimonies of what God had done for them. In fact, there was nobody in the church, who did not have a testimony to share, if we remember that going to bed at night and waking up alive in the morning, is a testimony.
Some months ago, during the weeklong fasting and prayers, the Service Conductor asked the congregation whether anybody had a testimony to give. I came out and reminded them that I always have testimonies. I narrated how, at the US Embassy, a few weeks before that time, the crowd was like an open market. We struggled to get a parking space for our car. Pointing at the mammoth crowd, I said to a lady squatting at my left side, “See, these people are queuing and suffering themselves for US Visa, but there is a better Visa, which is free and it does not require queuing”.
Smiling, she said, “Visa for Heaven, I am a child of God”. I thanked her and still shared God’s Word with her. When I was close to the counter, I started praying and rehearsing the likely questions I would be asked. To God’s glory, the only question I was asked was the length of time I intended to stay in the US. I told the officer and she congratulated me and gave me the documents for collecting a multiple Visa! Glory!
Testimonies, as I have maintained always, is greater than the Message given during the worship service. The Message is usually what we expect God to do for us, if we behave in a particular way towards Him and His Word. On the other hand, a testimony is what He has done already in the life of someone. It therefore, encourages people more than the Message. In some Churches, much time is devoted to testimonies, but in some others, it is more of a lip service. Thank God that sufficient time was given to it in the Church that Sunday. We would have missed nothing, if the Minister did not give any message after the testimonies. And so it was a few years ago, when the then General Overseer said that there was no need for any message after many people had given their testimonies. The members went home satisfied.
“They overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the words of their testimonies,” Rev. 12:11. The devil has nothing to argue over a testimony. There is nothing he can do about it. It silences him and his agents. David used his testimony of killing a lion and a bear to convince King Saul that he would defeat Goliath. And he did! In chapter 9 of his Gospel, John recorded how the Lord Jesus restored the sight of a blind youth, a fit beyond the Jewish rabbi and the Medical Profession. The Jewish leaders told the youth that he was not blind. Imagine! If they were confused, was he? He knew that he was blind. They even took him to his parents, questioning if he was blind. They acquiesced. The Jewish leaders told the youth that Jesus was a sinner. Looking at them in surprise, he said, “Whether He is a sinner or no, one thing I know is that I was blind but now I see” – John 9:25.
Nothing could remove that fact from him. This is the power of a testimony. It is not about Church doctrine, but a personal experience. The youth might have wondered, why ‘righteous’ people like them, could not restore his sight all the years, but the Man, they called a sinner, did. It is enough to know and to stand by what Jesus has done in our lives.
For further comment, Please contact: Osondu Anyalechi: 0802 3002-471; [email protected]
