Testimonies:
What is a testimony? How does it come about and what does it
mean to the bearer? In 1Cor 12:3 the Apostle Paul, teaching of the
gifts of the Spirit said “…no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but
by the Holy Ghost.” John the Baptist gave a perfect testimony to the
Jews and priests: “And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of
God.” (John 1:32) It is also true, I believe, that a young boy named
Joseph Smith asked his Heavenly Father to direct him to the correct
church one fateful day in 1820, and that as a result of his ensuing
testimony he endured from that time forward naught but hardship,
persecution and eventually murder, finally sealing with his own
blood his testimony of what he heard and saw that day in the grove
near his father’s farm.
Like a court witness who gives affirmation of fact, a testimony is
actual evidence of an event. It does not come simply, in most cases. If
it is a spiritual affirmation, it comes by the power of the Holy Ghost
to one who has dutifully studied, prayed and perhaps fasted in faith
to know for certain some great point of eternal truth. The Holy Ghost
(or Holy Spirit) then gives its revelation. But this sacred prompting
must be received as truth when revealed, for that holy messenger
of the Lord will not linger with unbelievers. Those who deny what
they have felt or who look to intellectualize or criticize it will find the
prompting slipping away and their inspiration lost in confusion.
A testimony, then, is a witness of things which are true, constituting
a knowledge that cannot be denied by the believer, who feels
the impressions made by the Holy Ghost become indelible upon his
enlightened soul. How many mortals have willingly given their lives
because they could not deny the knowledge so convincingly given
them by the Holy Ghost?
It is the same with those who have contributed
to this book, and through their inspirational stories and special
affirmations all who partake of their great faith can be uplifted.
When this compilation of testimonies of Jesus Christ was begun,
there was one strongly held goal in everyone’s mind. Every contributor
wanted to tell the salient events of their life; how they had
changed, especially after their conversion to the Gospel of Christ,
much as one who has discovered great wealth wants to share that
special story with others who also seek precious treasure. Each
person felt prompted to relate to me some of their most private
beliefs concerning the one we call our Savior and Redeemer, and our
Heavenly Father. They felt the need to express their gratitude for
the Christ who has risen from the dead to save us all that we need
not fear death or torment and each one gained great satisfaction in
expressing in this way their love of the Savior, regardless of the scope
of their knowledge, the complexity of their background, their station
in life or the color of their skin.