The Power of Testimonies
Recently I read a powerful (albeit upsetting) book called Tortured For His Faith. It was by Haralan Popov, a pastor in Bulgaria in the 1940s and 50s when Stalin’s Communist regime was at its worst. It’s a gripping story and I thought I would share some thoughts from the book with you this week.
Popov's Transformation: From Atheism to Faith
As a boy in the Soviet Union, Popov was not a Christian. He prided himself on being an atheist, considering religion to be “for the old and feeble-minded” (pg 17). Because of his education, he believed that religion was for the “simple” men and women, but that all changed when he was invited to a church and encountered some very educated, very cultured people testifying to what God had done in their lives.
Listen to what Popov writes: “They told me what Christ meant to them and had done for them. This impressed me more than all the sermons, and to this day, I am a strong believer in the effectiveness of ‘living testimonies’ in bringing people to Christ” (pg 18).
I thought this was profound. All the teaching and preaching in the world is empty if people don’t see Christ in us! And I wonder how many people are sitting in church, listening to all the teachings, but longing to see a true believer and hear a true testimony of how God can work change in an ordinary person’s life.
Popov then talks about a man who he met named Petroff who came to visit him and his friend. Popov says “he was not a very eloquent preacher… but he witnessed of how he knew of God’s personal presence. When he told of what Christ meant to him, his face shone with the love of God. It was obvious to me at that moment that there was a God” (pg 18).
Being a Witness for Christ in Everyday Life
Do you know somebody like this? Somebody who just shines the love of Christ in such a wonderful way? And more importantly, are you this person, to somebody else? Do people look at you and see Christ shining out of you? Maybe there is somebody in your life who needs to see Christ in you. Maybe teaching and preaching is not going to reach them at this point, but the witness of Christ in your life is going to be what does it for them.
Today, head into the world and remember that you are a walking testimony. Remember that the way you live and the words you say have profound impact. And remember that it might well be that somebody is watching you to see if God is real.
Show them that He is!
