Testimonial Power! Mark 5:1-20

Text: “...Jesus saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee...”

Mark 5:19.

Good morning, delivered Christian!  Once you were blind, now you can see.  Once you were lost, now you are found.  Once you were enslaved by sin, now - through the grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ - you have been set so truly free.  Surely that’s something to tell others about? Praise God!  (Acts 1:8)

“And they overcame him (Satan) by the Blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”  (Revelation 12:11) 

Jesus knew the power contained in a redeemed person’s spoken, or written, testimony; that is why He sent the delivered man in tonight’s Scripture passage home to “...tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”. (V.19)

The Lord could have kept the delivered man with Him and allowed him to give a word of testimony as they travelled through the various regions of Palestine - yet He didn’t, He sent the man home to tell his story.  Why?  What was Christ’s logic in working this particular way?  (Proverbs 5:1)

Testimonial power is at its most potent when given before hearers who have known the individual woman or man BEFORE that person was born again, redeemed by the Lord Jesus; BEFORE Christ Jesus regenerated that individual’s spirit.  (John 3:3-8) (1 Peter 1:23-25)

Why is this so?  Because people who have known us BEFORE we are saved, can actually see the change God has made in us by His transforming grace. 

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new.”                  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Others whom we meet and associate with AFTER we are saved, have no prior experience of us, or of the character we were before Christ Jesus called us to Him by the Gospel message of Salvation.  Therefore, they see only the transformed, regenerate, persons we now are, and have no comparison image of us with which they might evaluate the Spiritual transformation.  (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.”  (1 Peter 2:9-12)

Is it any wonder, therefore, that “...all men did marvel...” when the delivered man gave his testimony throughout his home region of Decapolis? (V.20)

These people had probably thrown the demented man out of their region because of his foul spirit and untameable violence. (Vs.2-5)

Now, he was back - fully clothed, in his right mind; and telling all who would listen about the miracle that Christ had done in his life.  (V.15)

The proof of the man’s testimony was stood before them, leaving no one in any doubt of Christ’s redeeming power.  What a testimony!  What a Lord God!  Hallelujah, what a Saviour! Amen! 

“Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods (small g!)?  Who is like Thee, glorious in Holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11)

“NOTHING is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

J.C. Ryle Comments:

“We see, in the last place, from these verses, how com­plete is our Lord’s power and authority over the devil. We see it in the cry of the unclean spirit, “I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.” We see it in the com­mand, “Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit,” and the immediate obedience that followed. We see it in the blessed change that at once took place in him that was possessed: he was found “sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind.” We see it in the petition of all the devils, — “send us into the swine,” confessing their consciousness that they could do nothing without leave. All these things show that one mightier than Satan was there. Strong as the great enemy of man was, he was in the presence of One stronger than he. Numerous as his hosts were, he was confronted with One who could command more than twelve legions of angels. “Where the word of the king is, there is power.” (Ecclesiastes 8:4)

“The truth here taught is full of strong consolation for all true Christians. We live in a world full of difficulties and snares. We are ourselves weak and compassed with infirmity. The awful thought that we have a mighty spiritual enemy ever near us, subtle, powerful, and malicious as Satan is, might well disquiet us, and cast us down. But, thanks be unto God, we have in Jesus an almighty Friend, who is “able to save us to the uttermost.” He has already triumphed over Satan on the cross.”  (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels 1816-1900)

The PROOF of the Spiritual pudding is in the actual witnessing of a Salvation miracle performed upon some soul of whom we have personal experience.  Let us, therefore, exercise this personal testimonial power at every opportunity, and win others all around us to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thought:  Do YOU think enough of your Salvation to talk about it?