Saturday, January 30, 2021

 

Do You Have a Personal Testimony about Jesus?  


As I listened to the tributes given to baseball legend Hank Aaron upon his recent death, I was reminded that I was privileged not just to know about him as a figure from the past but to have witnessed his exploits and to have been impacted by them. I grew up in the Atlanta area as a youngster at just the right age to idolize such a sports hero during the prime of his career. I was there in the stadium on a few occasions to see him hit some of his round-trippers. I was there glued to my TV set the night he hit his record-breaking shot. I experienced regularly opening up a newly-purchased pack of baseball cards, hoping it might contain that elusive, grand prize of a Hank Aaron card. It’s one thing to hear about someone from the past or to watch video clips of their career highlights, but it’s another to have been an eye-witness who lived through those times and was influenced by that person.

The Apostle John emphasized that aspect of his relationship with Jesus. He wasn’t just reporting secondhand information. He hadn’t drawn his conclusions about who Jesus was based on what other people had reported or because of what historical records said about Him. He had been there. He had seen it all for himself. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (I John 1:1-3).

John was there to see Jesus hit His homeruns. He heard the powerful Sermon on the Mount. He saw Jesus hit it out the park as He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, and even raised the dead. John saw how Jesus overcame the opposition of the religious leaders of the day. He experienced the heartbreak of apparent defeat on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, only to witness the grand slam of the empty tomb a few days later. Jesus wasn’t just some legendary, mystical figure to John. He was a very real person whose life and exploits John had witnessed firsthand.

Of course, none of us were there as John was when Jesus was on earth in the flesh. However, have we personally encountered Jesus for ourselves and been impacted by His life-changing power? Or is He merely a spiritual hero, a historical figure, or a legendary idol whose example and teachings inspire us? Even though Jesus died long ago, we still have the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Him. We can know Him. His Spirit can live in us and work through us. He can enable us to experience victory over sin in our lives. The home run He hit at the cross can still score us peace with God, forgiveness of sin, and cleansing of all unrighteousness. We can have a testimony similar to John – “I know what Jesus can do, because He has done it for me. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. He has changed my life.”

Let’s make sure that we know Jesus as more than simply a legend from the past, but as our present living Savior whom we’ve personally encountered and who is still hitting home runs in our lives today. 

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