Hi Brian!
The 'word' for this week is "testimony". I want to share a portion of a letter I received from a minister concerning the word tesimony:
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A Messianic Rabbi once asked me, “Do you know what
the Hebrew word for ‘testimony’ means?” I told him I did not, and he continued.
“The root word for ‘testimony’ means ‘to repeat; to do again,’ or ‘do time
again.’ It does not mean only to speak about or give witness of something.”
As clearly as I can recall, he continued, saying, “It’s as though time is
pregnant with God’s words and power. The eternal God releases the power to do
or accomplish something; it enters into time and is forever there. His words
are eternal, alive, and powerful (Psalm 119:89; Hebrews 4:12). As we
implement His laws and the principles of His Word, we can tap into this
power. Declaring what He has done in the past – testifying – is one of the
ways we do so. “We believe that when one declares God’s Word or shares what He did in the past – a testimony – the same power is released to ‘do it again’ today. That’s why we believe it’s so important to tell our children what God did in the past, and why God was angry with Israel when they neglected to teach them Israel’s history. For example, we believe that when we tell our children about the exodus – how God delivered Israel from Egypt at Passover through great signs and wonders – the same power is released again. Our children can receive the spiritual fruit of Passover and deliverance. We believe the power of what God did yesterday can be released again and again and again and again.” I LOVE this and recently shared it at church. When we speak of the things that GOD has done in our lives, the power is present to have Him do the same! AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN! So as you stir up your remembrance of all of the ways that He has blessed you and your family in the past, you will be calling for a repeat of His power and His ability in your life and in the lives of others! I once had someone tell me that they didn't like when worship leaders kept repeating lines or words over and over, but there IS a Biblical reason for doing so! In fact, here is a song by UNITED that speaks of that called "On Repeat" : |
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
