So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our G_d, and the power of His Messiah have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our G_d day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." (Rev 12:9-11), emphasis and emendation added)

(See note 1)

Introduction

Each of us, who are "in Messiah," are tasked to go into the world and share the Good News of Messiah with all who will listen:

And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mk 16:15-16)

The problem with this charge is, like other forms of public speaking, this task can be very intimidating. Most of us simply feel inadequate to share the Good News in a competent and effective manner. Most of us are not theologians, nor are we highly trained in biblical "apologetics." What a relief it will be to discover that we really do not require such training or education. Each of us is already endowed with a ready means of sharing what we surely hunger to share with those we care about. We each have a personal testimony.

Though each of us has a personal testimony, we rarely think about it, unless we are called upon to share it. Then we become intimidated and tend to choke, trying to pull it out of our proverbial hats, on the fly. Discovering this hindrance, can enable us to work to overcome this barrier, so we can be about our Father's business, and that, at any time the opportunity presents itself.

But sanctify the L_rd G_d in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; (1Pet 3:15)

One of the reasons for the intimidation we feel is that we have failed to adequately prepare ourselves for what we have been called to do. Simply, most of us have failed to take the time to develop our personal testimonies, likely because we do not know what constitutes an "effective" testimony. This teaching is intended to provide what we need, regarding what we should know, and what we should do. Once we have that down, all we will require is experience, learning how, and when, to share our prepared gifts with others.

¹ All Scripture references are from the New King James version, unless otherwise specified.