The blind man in John
Chapter 9 reminds me of many mountain folks I know. His words were simple, few,
to the point, and powerful. We at Brevard Community have been "asked"
to write out our testimonies. Some folks have become anxious and have fretted
over this. This man was born blind and Jesus had given him sight. I believe
this provides us with a great example as he tells how Jesus opened his eyes. Here are the points of the simple outline the
church has provided to help us write our salvation story: my life before
Christ, how I realized I needed Christ, how I committed my life to Christ, and
the difference Christ has made in my life. These are all covered as he tells
his story of receiving his sight.
His life before he met
Jesus was obvious. He was blind as he states in verse 25, "One thing I do
know, that I was blind." He also talks about his hopeless condition (his
need) in verse 32, "Since the beginning of time it has never been heard
that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind." He describes the
event of gaining his sight (believing Jesus) in verse 11, "The Man who is
called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to
Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and received my sight." For the
difference Jesus made in his life we go back to verse 25. "One thing I know, I once was blind
but now I see.” What a simple story of how Jesus changed a man's life! Simple
yet powerful as it gave evidence of the power of Jesus every time he
told it. It affected the man's family, those who had known him from
birth, and the religious rulers of the day. And none of these people could
refute the power of God, which was demonstrated in this man's life.
Although this is not
the blind man's salvation story, it certainly gives us an easy example to
follow in writing ours. He becomes a Christ-follower at his second meeting with
Jesus. The man was thrown out of the synagogue (church) for giving Jesus glory
for giving him his sight. Jesus then came to him and asked the man who could
now see a simple question in verse 35, "Do you believe in the Son of
Man?" The man then asked a question that I believe millions of
people around the world are asking today. He asked in verse 36 "Who
is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" Jesus said to him in verse 37,
"You have both seen him, and He is the One who is talking with you." The
man said in verse 38, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped Him! That's when
the man born blind was spiritually born!
In writing your
testimony, don't make it harder than it should be. In most cases, we could sum
our story up much like the blind man did in his story of receiving his sight.
We knew we had a need, we knew we couldn't meet our need, and we came
to realize that Jesus was the only One who could meet that need. Then we
believed and allowed Him to change our lives as we committed to follow Him.
Our testimony is
powerful because it points to the Presence of an all Powerful Savior in our
lives. Our testimony is one of the most effective tools we have in sharing
the Gospel because it gives visible evidence of the power of the Gospel.
When we learn to share our simple testimony then we are able to answer
that question the millions are asking, "Who is this powerful Savior that I
may believe?"
God bless you as you
write out your simple but powerful story giving glory to Christ, our Savior.
Alan Perry
Missions Pastor
To submit your testimony visit our website at brevardcommunity.org and click on My Testimony on the right hand side or pick up a form in the rear of the worship center.
