We are living in tumultuous times. Many people are wobbling as our societies lurch between internal and international crises. And yet, in popular culture, it seems like many are watching Christianity in a way they have not done in previous decades. High-profile people are talking about the Bible, or claiming to become followers of Jesus. Christians are getting exposure on high-profile podcasts. Perhaps a time of unprecedented concerns is also becoming a time of unprecedented opportunity for the Gospel. The people who are wobbling are also watching us and wanting what we have to offer: authentic community, historically rooted tradition, and truth.
And yet, while attention to Christianity may be growing, that does not mean everyone is open to hearing and responding to the Gospel. Many will respond to Christ’s claims with antagonism. And many in the church feel unprepared to answer the questions that could be thrown at them. By all means, let’s train our churches to be ready to give an answer for the hope that they have. But let’s also make sure they know they don’t always need an answer. Even when a question is too hard or too harsh, we always have our story.
We need a revival in confidence in the power of testimony. The story of how we met Jesus and how He changed our lives is a powerful ministry tool. Why? Because testimonies are relatable, timely, and irrefutable. Relatable because our lives will reflect the lives of those we speak to in some way (especially if our testimony is not one of the more spectacular ones!) Timely because people are craving spiritual authenticity. And irrefutable because they cannot really argue with your experience.
Actually, some will argue with your experience, but they cannot win that fight. Take the example of the man born blind in John 9. Jesus, the light of the world, brought light into this blind man’s eyes (John 9:1-14). Sadly, that man had to spend his first hours with sight looking at the angry faces of unbelieving Pharisees. When everyone should have been celebrating this miracle, he had to face a trial before the authorities!
Notice their tactics. You might recognize the pattern. They deny the possibility of the story being told to them (9:15-17). Then they intimidate witnesses to define the narrative (9:18-23). Finally, they cancel the man who will not play by their rules (9:24-34). Two thousand years later, the pattern persists – unbelief still denies any worldview that might allow for Jesus to be Jesus. It still seeks to intimidate everyone into saying the right things for the societal narrative. And it still shuts down, cancels, and expels anyone daring to speak truth against their newly constructed reality.
It was hardly a fair fight. The man had received his sight, and the same day they bombarded him with theologically antagonistic questions. He had not had time to learn to read, much less study Christian apologetics. He did not have an answer, but he had his story:
“Whether he is a sinner I do not know.
One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
John 9:25
They could turn up the heat against him, but ultimately they could not win the argument. He had the truth on his side. The truth will pierce the constructed narratives of unbelief. And in this age of artificially fabricated realities, let’s pierce the darkness with the truth of our testimonies. When difficult questions are fired at us, we may not always have the perfect answer. However, we always have our story of meeting Jesus and the transformation He brought.
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