Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch; like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
I love testimonies!
I love hearing what a wonderful God we have – loving, seeking, forgiving, full of amazing grace. I love stories of hope telling that, with Jesus, life can change for the better. Every other week at Celebrate Recovery I have the joy of hearing testimonies – and they greatly encourage me.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
Testimonies are healing for the testimony-giver. Speaking out the very truths about God’s grace that have transformed the sharer’s life reinforces his or her commitment to Jesus and Christ-centred recovery.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
Testimonies are good for those who hear them. People hear that building life on God’s word, the Bible, leads to a secure life and that Celebrate Recovery’s biblical principles are healing and life-transforming.
The model of Celebrate Recovery established at Saddleback Church includes alternating lessons and testimonies. If you’re a CR Ministry Leader I encourage you to teach a CR lesson one week and have a Celebrate Recovery testimony the following week. Without help it may be tricky to find up to 25 testimonies per year, so here are four ideas to help you find good Celebrate Recovery testimonies:
- Ask your team of leaders to share a testimony each. Like me, much of their own recovery may have been achieved prior to starting Celebrate Recovery, but I’m sure they’ll recognise some of the CR principles in their journey and be able to communicate how they took these vital steps.
- Invite leaders and participants from other Celebrate Recovery UK groups to share their stories. Just be sure to read through a guest’s testimony before allowing them to share to check their story is appropriate for your group.
- Saddleback’s ‘Testimonies to Go’ DVDs or MP4s can be purchased from celebraterecoverystore.com or www.purposedrivenresources.co.uk.
- Our own CR UK Testimonies Volumes 1 and 2 on USB flash drives contain 13 testimonies of varying lengths spoken in British accents. Each volume can be purchased for £15 – a great resource to use year after year. Email enquiries@celebraterecovery.co.uk to order one or both volumes.
If you attend Celebrate Recovery and, through faith in Jesus, are finding victory over a hurt, hang-up or habit, talk to your Ministry Leader about sharing that hope with others in a testimony at your General Meeting Night. There’s some great advice about how to write a CR testimony. Your Ministry Leader can get that guidance to you – either from Celebrate Recovery’s ‘Advanced Leadership Training Guide’ or through their regional representative.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.
Let’s keep telling others what God has done for us, praising Him through our testimonies. After all, if we’ve committed our lives to Jesus, we’ll be praising Him for eternity. Why wait till we get to Heaven!
