Occupying the land

I wonder what comes to mind when you hear the word ‘testify’. The word is often used in a legal sense but it basically means to give evidence, to bear witness. In order to testify to something, in this legal sense, to say that something happened or something is truth, you have to have witnessed it. Thus in court, you are called as a witness. In 1 John 1:3, this process is described in the context of the disciples bearing witness to Jesus:

that which we have seen and heard we proclaim…

And what is it they were proclaiming? In verses 1 and 2 we are clearly told:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

What he is describing is tangible. Something seen, heard, and felt. He is describing their experience of Jesus. In Acts 1:8, we are told that this is what the Holy Spirit empowers us to do:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.‬‬

It doesn’t say we should or we could, it says we will! It is a natural outworking of the Holy Spirit empowered life. I don’t know about you, but whenever I heard people preach on this verse, it used to make me feel inadequate, like I wasn’t trying hard enough, like I should be getting out there and Doing Something. I felt bad. There is a whole other blog about what motivates us and compels us in this regard but today I want to look at the idea that we do have something to say. Today I was in a number of conversations where I felt like I didn’t necessarily know what to say, like I didn’t know how to “defend God” if you like. I came away feeling like I had let him down.

We are told we should have a response when people ask us why we believe what we do, in 1 Peter 3:15, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to know the deeply theological answer to everything. There is nothing wrong with that but ultimately we are called to testify to a person, not a theology. We are witnesses to the One we know, to His presence in our lives, to the difference He has made, to His character, to our experience of Jesus. Not as a theological idea but as the Living Word made flesh and manifest in our lives. The God who is knowable, not distant.

When we hear the word “testify”, it is easy to imagine a formal setting, like being called to speak publicly at the front of a meeting. “Giving our testimony” sounds so daunting to some of us. But having a conversation with someone at coffee time at work, where we tell them about how we prayed about something and what God did as a result, now surely that feels less intimidating. And the good news is that the bible tells us, Holy Spirit gives us the power, and the courage, we need to do that.

My job as a witness is less about trying to convince people to believe, and more to give them opportunities to ‘see’ Jesus and His impact in my life. John was describing the experience of Jesus, not his theological understanding, although obviously there is a place for that.

You might wonder what this has to do with occupying land. As we walk through things with Jesus and overcome them, I see that as ground that has been gained, land that has been conquered. For example, the territory of a particular sickness may be an area of “land” you have conquered as you experienced Jesus as your healer. Like the Israelites conquering areas of the promised land, as you testify to that land, you “hold the ground” but you also invite others to take that ground too. In Revelation 19:10 we are told:

… For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

As we witness to what Jesus has done in our lives, as we testify to who he is, as healer, provider, redeemer, restorer, saviour and so on, we are in effect saying “this is who He has been for me, and He can be that for you too”.

In this respect, I see our testimony, our witness to Jesus, as part of that offensive to take ground from the enemy. Revelation 12:11 reminds us that this is part of our arsenal against the accuser of the brethren:

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

So, what “land” do you already occupy with Jesus? What territory have you already gained in your walk with Him? Do you have a story of how he healed you of something? Of how he provided for you? Of His peace that passes understanding? Don’t allow the accuser of the brethren to tell you it is not worth the telling. Don’t allow him to rob you of the ground you gained. Don’t let him put you off. Remember it is one of the ways we get to defeat him! Not only do you give God glory as you tell the story, but your faith is encouraged as you are reminded of how amazing He is. And the faith of those around you is encouraged.

The expansion of the kingdom happens as we talk about our life, our experience of Jesus and invite others, overtly or not, into that experience for themselves. So, I simply wanted to encourage you to tell your story. You don’t have to be able to explain it. You don’t have to be able to put together a perfect preach, quote every scripture or know the books of the bible in order. You just need to know who Jesus has been for you and share that. Holy Spirit will help you to do that. He loves telling people how amazing Jesus is!

There is such power in your story.