Day Six

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.”—Psalm 107 (NRSV)

Psalm 107 may have been written hundreds of years before Christ, but it contains a timely and relevant message for us as we make our journey through Eastertide.

Like Mary Magdalene returning from the empty tomb, like Cleopas and his friend rushing back from Emmaus with an astounding story, like the disciples filling Thomas in on what he missed, we have a story to tell: “We have seen the Lord.” We have seen his steadfast love demonstrated in the cross. We have seen his goodness and mercy in the death of his only son. And now we have seen his power and victory in the Resurrection, and like those others so long ago…we can’t be silent.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”

Evangelism is a tricky subject to talk about in churches. Many pastors (half) jokingly refer to it as the “E” word, because it seems to strike fear, or at least uncertainty, into the hearts of so many Christians today. The responses when it’s brought up are fairly common:

—I’m no preacher. I’m not trained to evangelize.
—I’m horrible at public speaking. I get all nervous and tongue-tied.
—I’m afraid I won’t have all the answers to questions they might have.
—I don’t know enough about the Bible to share my faith.

All of these (and others like them) are built on a false premise: that sharing our faith means sharing what we know about Jesus in a compelling way that demonstrates a solid grasp of the Bible and breaks down any objections people may have.

That’s not evangelism. At least, not usually.

Evangelism, at its heart, is telling a story. Our story. Your story. It’s sharing with someone else the truth of what knowing Jesus has done for you and has meant for you. It’s talking about how knowing Jesus has freed you, healed you, comforted you, and transformed you. It’s saying, to borrow a line from the TV show The Chosen:

"I was one way...and now I am completely different.
And the thing that happened in between...was Him."

1 Peter 3 gives some wonderful advice for us as we reflect on what it means to tell our story:

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”—1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

Sharing faith isn’t about how much we know, it’s about who we know. It isn’t about our knowledge, it’s about our hope. Not that God can’t use our knowledge as we share, but the knowledge isn’t the central piece of our testimony.

Jesus is.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”

Telling our story is an act of overflowing joy. As we encounter Jesus, we are filled with hope and the promise of new life. Eastertide is a wonderful season to be reminded of this. And as we are reminded, we are also invited: go, tell your story.

He led me out of the desert
Brought me into His streams
River of living water
Turned my bitter into sweet
And all my burdens are lifted
You took the shackles off my feet
There's no sound louder than a captive set free

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Provided to YouTube by Bethel Music (Sound Recordings)Let the Redeemed · Josh BaldwinLet the Redeemed℗ Bethel MusicReleased on: 2019-07-19Auto-generated by Y...

Questions for Reflection

1) Think back on your life with God so far. What moments stand out for you as most indicative of his faithfulness and mercy? How have those moments shaped your story?

2) Whose stories have encouraged your walk with God? Whose testimonies of salvation, deliverance, comfort, and freedom have spoken deeply to your soul?

3) Spend some time reflecting on this quote. How does it speak to you? Challenge you? Provoke you? Inspire you?

“People say all the time 'I don't have a good testimony' because they think their story has to involve some dramatic story of change from 'bad' to 'good'. But Jesus didn't come to save people this way. Sin doesn't make us bad it makes us dead. Jesus came to save by bringing the dead to life. And that's an amazing testimony.”—Louis Giglio

4) Today’s song contains these lyrics:

So let the redeemed of the Lord say so
Sing of His promises ever more
Pour out your thankfulness, let it overflow
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so

How do you understand the link between gratitude (“pour our your thankfulness”) and sharing your faith story (“let the redeemed of the Lord say so”)?

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.”—Psalm 66:16 (ESV)