My palms would sweat, the back of my neck would get warm, and my legs would turn to jelly, making it impossible to “stand up for Jesus” if I tried. Grandma always encouraged us to stand up using her twinkling eyes and smile of encouragement. As long as I don’t make eye contact with Grandma Lacquement, maybe I could pass this time. But no, as a new Christian, the pastor called on me to lead the testimony time that night! What???

Many of you who know me now, won’t believe that I was a very shy kid in front of people. But I was! It took every ounce of courage, the smile of Grandma, and her “Amen!” to get me up out of the pew to make that looooong walk up the aisle to the pulpit. If the walk wasn’t enough, the massive pulpit (as a 4’11” kid) was even more daunting to stand behind. I’m sure the people only saw my head peering out over the top.

Then it happened, the fear left, and I began to speak. Words of love for Christ came pouring out of my mouth. I did love Jesus. I loved him as much as an eleven year could love Him. And I said it out loud. And I was glad I did. That was a precursor to saying it out loud, daily, for the rest of my life! Testimony Time…sigh.

I think of that time in my life with a smile as I read this morning of Jesus asking his disciples, who have been with him now for awhile, “Who do you say I am?”

Matthew 16, Msg
13 When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

15 He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17-18 Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

19 “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”

20 He swore the disciples to secrecy. He made them promise they would tell no one that he was the Messiah.

What?? Tell no one? Maybe this was for protection for now for his students for Jesus’ “time” had not yet come. But when the time did come to “testify”, the disciples did tell the Truth of who Jesus was, is and is to come with power, strength and might, risking their own lives in the process. Wow! I praise God for Jesus. I praise God for those who told and still tell the story of Jesus!

Dear Heavenly Father,
Your Word provokes us to think for ourselves, “Who do WE say You are?” You are God and we are not. You are our Creator, the One, the Only One, to be worshiped and praised. You are the One we live for every day. You are the great I AM! And we are Yours. You are Emmanuel, God with us. Continue to remind us to remember. In Jesus Name, Amen