October 2025 – The Power of Your Testimony

October 2025

THE POWER OF YOUR TESTIMONY

Dear Friend in Christ:

When I was a little boy, I would visit my Grandpa and Grandma Dix at their medical office. Grandpa was a doctor; Grandma was a registered nurse. It was a wonderful place for me; so many fascinating medical instruments; different rooms, including the waiting room with the mod green leather chairs, and an old-school soft drink machine stocked with cold glass bottles of Coca-Cola, Tab, Fresca, and Dr. Pepper. My Aunt Eleanore was their receptionist and oversaw stocking the machine, which meant she held the key—and free Cokes for me!

My favorite item was the stethoscope, which enabled doctors and nurses to hear heartbeats, lungs, and other vital functions. I would practice on my grandparents, my parents, or anyone willing to tolerate the antics of an energetic and curious child. I loved listening to my own heartbeat; the steady “thump, thump, woosh, woosh” inside my chest was amazing to me.

Thinking about those memories this week as I was being prepared for my daily dialysis treatment. One of the nurses gave me a stethoscope to check out the blood flow in the fistula located in my right arm. After two years of surgeries and many twists and turns in my health journey, we are in a new season of life. My wife, Susanne, and I are undergoing training to learn how to bring the dialysis process home, rather than spending every weekday morning at the dialysis center. It is a daunting task, but Susanne is doing an amazing job as my caretaker.

Of course, we continue to pray and work towards the goal of receiving a kidney from a living donor. If you know of someone willing to be tested for kidney donation eligibility, please contact our CSM office. I do want to testify of God’s great faithfulness to us during this very difficult season. That gives us hope, and I pray it will bring hope to you in whatever circumstances you are facing.

I love what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Why is it important for us to tell others what God has done? Scripture tells us that there is power in our testimony. In Revelation 12, the Bible says that part of overcoming the enemy is the “word of our testimony.” In 1 Peter 3, we see that our testimony is a key to passing faith and hope along to others. You need to know what your testimony is.

One thing I appreciate about new Christians is that they still remember what it’s like to be lost and without hope. They can’t wait to tell others about how God met them and delivered them. They are still grateful for what God has done and still hungry for more of His presence and Word in their lives. One sure sign of an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ is that He gives us an immediate and urgent desire to tell others about salvation in Him.

Gratitude is essential to understanding. Thanking God daily for all He has done reminds us of His faithfulness in our lives. We are reminded of Who He is and Who we are in Him – and what we would be without Him. Our faith stays fresh and clean through thanksgiving and praise.

Telling others about what God has done not only blesses them, but it blesses us–it’s a vital key to our spiritual health. In fact, the process of God’s blessing to you is not complete until you’ve told someone else about it. Testifying about our faith actually adds to our faith and builds up the faith of others. Psalm 89:1 declares, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.”

LET THE REDEEMED

If I get a great deal on new brake pads at the auto store, I can’t wait to tell all my friends about it. How much more should we be bursting with joy to tell someone else about what Jesus has done for us? Look at how the Psalmist recounts God’s deliverance and redemption for His people who had been in exile…

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:1-9).

Later in the same Psalm, we read this promise:

“Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD” (Psalm 107:43).

True wisdom is found in …

Humility and reverence before God

Thanksgiving to Him

Listening to His Word and Spirit

Abhorring sin and being quick to repent and seek forgiveness if we do sin

Testifying to others of God’s Redeeming power

The Psalmist says fools rebel and transgress. But they can find mercy with the Lord if they repent and call on Him. And throughout Psalm 107, he repeatedly exhorts us in this way:

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

What would happen if we did this? What would happen if the Redeemed People of the Lord actually began to testify of His Redeeming power?

TESTING

The first word in “Testimony” is “Test.” A testimony is when we truthfully tell others what we have personally witnessed or experienced. Often, a testimony is the story of how God brought something good out of a bad situation. To give your testimony to someone, you don’t have to be an eloquent orator or a perfect theologian. All we need to do is say we were in a test or a trial and experienced God’s grace and salvation in the midst of it. It goes like this…

1. I had a struggle – 2. I called on the Lord – 3. Here’s how He met me

A true Christian testimony doesn’t exalt the one who testifies, but it exalts the One Who brought the victory. It is always bathed in a spirit of humility and gratitude. Thanksgiving keeps our memory sharp; we become less prone to forgetting how God has met us time and again; less prone to fear and murmuring. Thanking God daily for all He has done reminds us of His faithfulness in our lives. In Psalm 40, this is the “new song” that flows from our hearts and mouths that brings salvation to the hearers.

THE COVENANT AND THE KINGDOM

Nearly 40 years ago, Charles Simpson and some of his friends in ministry had a vision to provide a systematic Bible Study outlining the nature of Christ’s covenant with us and how His Kingdom affects every area of our lives. For the next 5 years, a team of theologians, pastors, and laypeople prayed, researched, and wrote 7 volumes containing a total of 126 teaching lessons:

God and Covenant History • God’s Provisions in Christ • Christ’s Kingdom in Me • Christ’s Kingdom in the Family • Christ’s Kingdom and the Church • Christ’s Kingdom in the Marketplace • Christ’s Kingdom in the World

These volumes were originally printed as individual collections of lesson outlines. The study has been used in many churches, Sunday Schools, and small groups across America. However, its greatest impact has been overseas, translated in many languages and now used as core curriculum for ministry training schools. Dr. LeRoy Curtis further developed the material for the Kenya Ministry Training Institute (KMTI), which has taught and discipled thousands of pastors in east Africa and numerous other nations. In subsequent years, Pastors Larry Neese and now George Wafula (a former KMTI student) have continued to direct KMTI and expand its reach.

We had opportunity to hear and fellowship with Brother George here in Mobile recently. The testimonies he shared with us from students and churches in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania brought tears of joy and gratitude to our eyes. In turn, we shared with him that the CSM team is now developing a user-friendly, interactive app for The Covenant and the Kingdom and can be used by these students and God-seekers worldwide … like you!

This cutting-edge, mobile and desktop app is all about equipping emerging leaders. And for the next gen disciples with biblical truths to influence the world around us. This app is being built for you: the rising voices, the change-makers, the ones who refuse to settle for superficial faith. This generation faces hard issues—truth, purpose, belonging—and too often the Church is seen as irrelevant or timid. But you were created for influence. This app anchors you in:

Sound Biblical Truth — Steady, rich teaching that doesn’t pander or simplify but digs deep into Scripture. Reflection points, exams, interactive video and audio to make learning interesting and dynamic.

Next-Gen Leadership — Tools and content designed for emerging leaders who must navigate complexity and lead with wisdom.

Cultural Relevance with Courage — Resources that help you speak salt and light into today’s world with conviction and grace.

Would you prayerfully consider financially supporting CSM this month as we develop and expand a working prototype of this app? We believe it is a global game-changer! An amazing tool for spreading the Gospel of the kingdom of God among many places we cannot physically go. Nations where we have friends making disciples for Jesus. Of course, we have many other needs for sustaining ministry in print, online, and through video and audio resources. Thank you for your prayer and friendship!

In Jesus,

Stephen Simpson

President