Who doesn’t know the story above?
God says,
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death.”
Revelation 12:11
In this scripture, God speaks about saints overcoming the great red dragon spoken of in the book of Revelation chapter 12. This dragon, who is in fact Satan, accuses us night and day before the throne of God. Similar to what happened with Job, fallen Lucifer comes into the courts of heaven saying we are sinners. However, God counters with the fact that the blood that His son shed covers us. Moreover, our actions speak louder than the Devils accusations.
When connections speak
My spiritual connection, Esther, spoke to me demonstrating what we believe. At the time I did not get the full impact of her words, but later, after they sunk in, I understood what she was trying to say.
Doctrine is not bad, per se, but it can be divisive depending upon its origin and use. Teaching, if led by the Spirit is life-giving. However, the systematic study of the scripture, if undertaken through our natural minds, is pure death. Whatever engages our earthly reasoning causes us to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The knowledge of good can be bad
Fundamentally, this is why so much of what is taught in Christianity is harmful. People assume that anything with the Bible attached to it must be good. However, when the word of God is taught by natural minded men it removes us from His Spirit. Whatever is not of revelation is of death. This is why doctrine divides us.
I’ve wondered how to share the truths of the Tabernacle movement with others. For most, what I write is simply too concentrated and “out there” to grasp. I paint in broad strokes, not because I want to, but because that is the way I receive it. Yet, if I cannot communicate these truths in a way others can receive them, what’s the use?
Our actions speak louder than our words
What Esther caused me to realize is that it’s not necessary to understand the breadth and depth of what I write to receive the benefit of it. What is necessary is that people hear the testimony of the effects of Divine Love.
When you consider the Bible, a great deal of what is written is pure testimony. The scriptures record what God did through many different saints throughout the ages. While God sometimes speaks directly through prophets or teaches us doctrine through the apostles, He mostly shares stories with us that show us, rather than tell us, who He is and what He wants.
Drowning in a sea of knowledge
Our modern-day world gluts us with information and we are inundated with knowledge. We are constantly trying to master the fire hose of facts and figures that we encounter every day. Everything seems to update in our lives with such rapid advance we’re barely able to understand and use what we have when something new and improved demands our attention and focus. Whereas in the middle ages knowledge was scarce and precious, nowadays knowledge has increased so much that it is worth no more than the dirt under our feet.
We love a good story
Consequently, the word of our testimony cuts through all this informational clutter. Perhaps sharing what God does, rather than the wherefore and whys behind it, is more effective. For example, rather than explaining the theology of Divine Love, I can say the same thing by telling a story of it. I did this recently by sharing about how Esther helped me find a lost file. The gist of the story is that without Esther I couldn’t find an important file, but with her, the Holy Spirit led me to it in a matter of minutes.
The word of our testimony may be a better way
Therefore, testimony may be a better way to speak certain truths. Grasping what God is doing through sharing what God does is more effective than trying to undo centuries of entrenched dogma.
In conclusion, perhaps the phrase, “by the word of our testimony” has a lot more meaning than I imagined. Telling the stories of what God does may ultimately be more effective than any theology we ever possess.