Faith Meets Academia

Episode 48: A Testimony Not Given Might Be a Blessing Withheld - Part 1

• Dr. Adrian Reynolds

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Have you ever hesitated to share your achievements because it might sound like bragging? That pause, that moment of self-doubt when God has clearly blessed your work but you're afraid to acknowledge it openly—this is the spiritual tension we're diving into today.

"A testimony not given might be a blessing withheld." This quote frames our exploration of why sharing what God is doing through you isn't self-promotion but spiritual obligation. Drawing from scripture and sociology's Impression Management Theory, Dr. A. unpacks how false humility often masquerades as godliness when it's actually fear of being misunderstood. The biblical mandate to testify is clear: from David's bold proclamations in the Psalms to Jesus' own evidence-based ministry where He consistently pointed to His works as testimony.

Jesus never announced His identity through titles alone—He revealed it through impact, telling people to look at the evidence of transformed lives. This teaches us that our work should testify on our behalf, not to prove our worth but to reveal God's power. When we connect our achievements back to divine empowerment, we're not boasting; we're anchoring our credibility in God's faithfulness. Your testimony provides clarity and spiritual momentum for others, potentially giving them the boldness to pursue their own God-given vision.

This episode is just the beginning. Join us next week for part two where we'll explore practical ways to share your testimony with integrity and authenticity. Remember, someone is waiting to be encouraged, moved, and activated by your story. Don't withhold the very blessing that could transform another believer's journey.

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DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely my own and do not reflect or represent the positions, policies, or opinions of my employer, any organization or academic institution with which I am affiliated. This podcast is a personal initiative, and is not connected to my official/ formal duties and responsibilities as a university professor.

Speaker 1:

Hey, family, good morning. Good morning. I hope your week is going amazingly well. This is the day which the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. It's going to be a great day because you're surrounded by great people. Think about that. What makes your day? What makes your day great? Those are the words that I communicated to my staff one day this week when I walked into work, said it's gonna be a great day because I'm surrounded by great people. And they kind of chuckle and I'm like, hey, like I really mean that. I mean you all are great to work with and I'm truly blessed and that's why today is going to be a great day. All right, so let's go out and make it great. Thanks for coming back.

Speaker 1:

Tuning in to Faith Meets Academia. Yes, the work continues, building on our faith, building by always leaning on the Lord. I'm really excited about this episode titled A Testimony Not Given Might Be a Blessing Withheld. This is a quote that I share every now and then and, by the way, I am the author of that quote and I came up with this quote because I strongly believe in the power of a testimony, the transformational power of a testimony. In fact, when I listen to a sermon, the icing on the cake for me is the testimony. You've prayed, you've planned, you've worked really hard and now what's happening? Doors are opening, opportunities are popping up left and right. The fruits of your labor, the results, are coming in. That god-given, god-inspired vision is starting to materialize. It's starting to bear fruit, if you will To materialize. It's starting to bear fruit if you will. But just when you want to celebrate or even just tell others about what God has done, you pause, you hesitate, self-doubt creeps in or you might even downplay the blessing that you've received, the very blessing that you've prayed for. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. You want to share that testimony, you want to share that achievement, you want to communicate that success. And then that voice in your head starts saying should I say this out loud? I mean, are people going to think I'm bragging? I don't want to sound like I'm boasting. Well, this episode is for the leader, the educator, the entrepreneur, the visionary you name it Anyone who's wrestling, struggling with how to talk about what God is doing through them without sounding selfish or self-centered. We're going to get into the word, we're going to explore a powerful sociological theory that relates to this, and, of course, we're going to walk through some practical ways to share God's goodness with confidence and with clarity, without feeling like we're bragging. All right, so let's get into this.

Speaker 1:

So, people who often feel like talking about one's own accomplishments is just totally sacrilegious or offensive to God often use the scripture to justify their stance, and that's Proverbs 27.2, which says Let another man praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips. Okay, well, let's talk about that. Everything has to be understood in its proper context. Right, in this context, we're being reminded not to seek praise just for its own sake, or to inflate or overstate our achievements for nothing more than gaining recognition. In this context, the verse is a warning against self-exaltation, but it doesn't mean that the achiever should stay silent about their achievements or their success. It's cautioning against self-centered boasting, not spirit-led storytelling or testifying.

Speaker 1:

Here's the nuance that we have to understand. There's a difference between boasting in self and testifying about what God has done for you and through you. And really let's think about it. The only way others will know how God is really working in your life is if you tell your own story, because nobody can tell that story the way you can. And let's remember Psalm 34, 1 and 2, where David says I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord. So it's okay to boast in the Lord, he says the humble shall hear of it and be glad. So if my boasting in the Lord makes a humble person glad, then it's all right with me. In a few minutes we're going to talk more about what boasting in the Lord actually sounds like.

Speaker 1:

So this tension between sharing or testifying of your blessing, your success, and holding it all in or keeping it to yourself because you don't want to feel like you're bragging, it, plays out socially as well, in our daily interactions, and this is where something called impression management theory comes in. It was developed by the Canadian sociologist Irving Goffman and it provides some really helpful insight here. According to Goffman, right, social life, our social everyday life, is like theatrical performance, and we present ourselves on quote unquote, front stage as performers in front of a live audience. Right, we're constantly performing. We're managing our image in front of others like actors on the stage, carefully choosing what we say and how we say it to control how we're perceived or how other people see us, and at the same time we also have a backstage where we can be our real, unfiltered selves, where you can be the real you and I can be the real me, so to speak.

Speaker 1:

And in high stakes settings, I think especially in faith-based ones, leaders are often so conscious of their front stage image, especially that one that projects from the podium or from the pulpit or from the stage. They're so conscious of that that they sometimes withhold authentic, genuine, praiseworthy success, achievement or progress out of fear of being quote unquote judged, or fear of misinterpretation, or fear of being perceived as self-aggrandizing or selfish or self-serving. Yeah, in the faith-based world this gets a little complicated. Leaders don't want to come across as prideful, some of them would say, or attention-seeking, so sometimes they deliberately avoid public acknowledgement of their own God-ordained impact. But you see, here's the risk when you mute your testimony, you mute the encouragement someone else might receive from it.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes we label silencing our own testimony as being humble, like, oh, I don't really talk about myself and my achievements. That's false humility, and false humility isn't holiness. You know what it is. False humility is fear of being misunderstood. It's fear of being quote unquote judged.

Speaker 1:

But let me remind you today that you have a biblical mandate to testify. You have a biblical obligation to testify. God's word isn't shy about calling us to speak up about what he's done and how he's done it. Psalm 105, verse one oh, give thanks to the Lord. David says Call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Don't hide it, don't be bashful about it. Go ahead, tell it to the world. Your testimony is a spiritual obligation that's highlighting God's work through you, not a personal promotion.

Speaker 1:

Jesus illustrated this After healing a man possessed by demons. Jesus didn't just let him go home quietly Luke 8.39,. Here's what Jesus said return to your own house and tell what great things God has done for you. And the man went away and heralded it and proclaimed throughout the whole city all the great things Jesus had done for him. David was another example of someone who modeled this well, his Psalms are filled with testimonies Psalm 40, 9 and 10. David says I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly. Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, o Lord. You yourself know I have not hidden your righteousness within my heart. I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not concealed your loving kindness and your truth from the great assembly. David didn't keep quiet. God's faithfulness to him was just too grand to keep to himself. And this wasn't about drawing attention to himself. He consistently pointed to God's righteousness, god's faithfulness, god's salvation, god's strength, god's power. And so David's testimonies, which in so many ways reflect our own personal testimonies, remind us that our personal stories, our lived experiences and narratives stories, our lived experiences and narratives are often part of God's larger global message of salvation.

Speaker 1:

Yes, in faith-based settings, impression tells us that we, sometimes subconsciously, are trying to manage how we're seen or perceived, to preserve some image of humility. And some of us often fear that publicly acknowledging the success and the impact that we've had in our leadership roles or in the work of the ministry, god's ministry, might appear self-promoting. But here's the paradox when we become overly concerned with maintaining a quiet sort of undercover image of achievement, we actually block the visibility of God's movement. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5.14 that we are the light of the world, which makes sense because he also says in John 8.12, I am the light of the world. So if he is in us, then of course we're also the light of the world. If he is in us, then of course, we're also the light of the world and testifying of our impact, outcomes, achievements, success that we've gained through him is shining that light.

Speaker 1:

Not testifying about that is hiding that light. In Matthew 5, 16, jesus says Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. So if my light doesn't shine, if I block my own testimony for fear of how it's going to be perceived, how will I lead others to Christ so that they can glorify him? I need to model through my testimony what glorifying God looks like. Someone is looking for that out there. So, as people of faith, we need to be totally honest and transparent role models and examples of what God is doing in our lives, of what God is doing in our lives. Not filtered, airbrushed, polished testimonies, but authentic ones.

Speaker 1:

Testimonies offer more than encouragement. Yeah, they can do that, but they offer a little bit more. They provide clarity and spiritual motivation, momentum for others. When people hear what God is doing through you, they gain the boldness to express their own praise. They gain a new sense of purpose and vision, to imagine, to see in their mind what's possible through Christ in their own lives. So guess what, when you hold back your testimony, you're holding back someone else's blessing Period.

Speaker 1:

Let's go a little deeper here. Your testimony is an expression of your confirmation or attestation of the evidence. Let's return to the words of Jesus. Let's return to the words of Jesus. Let's look at St Matthew 11, 1-5, where Jesus confirmed who he was, not with a title, but with the evidence pass.

Speaker 1:

When Jesus finished commanding his twelve disciples that he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities, and when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to him are you the coming one or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said to them go and Watch this now. Go and tell John the things which you hear and see the blind here's the evidence. Now the blind see and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. So here Jesus is sending the disciples to testify of the works which he had done. Now Jesus could have just said yeah, I'm the Messiah, I'm the man sent from God, god in the flesh. No, no, no. Instead he said I'm going to draw your attention to the fruit, if you will, to the evidence.

Speaker 1:

Jesus didn't rely on titles or some abstract you know conceptual theology. He pointed to practical, everyday, tangible results that were transforming the lives of people Public impact. He relied on observable evidence and in doing so he modeled something that sometimes we forget in faith-based circles the results, as jesus showed us, the results are part of the testimony. The results or the outcomes of our work are part of the testimony. Now understand, not because they prove our value or our worth, but because they reveal God's power and God's presence. So, in this instance, jesus managed the perception of his identity. If we should draw up an impression management theory, once again he managed the perception of his identity. Not by changing who he was to please the crowd or changing who he was depending on his audience. He was depending on his audience, but he managed how they saw him by revealing what God was doing through him. So what we see happening here is that his quote unquote front stage was aligned with his divine mission.

Speaker 1:

Let's take a look at another scripture in John, chapter 10.

Speaker 1:

Mission. Let's take a look at another scripture in John chapter 10. When the people questioned Jesus about being the Christ, what did he do. Once again, he pointed them to the work John 10, 37 and 38. Jesus says if I do not do the works of my father, do not believe me, but if I do, though you do not believe me, believe the works that you may know, and believe that the father is in me and I in him. So he's making a connection between the works and the father which sent him. So he's making a connection between the works and the father which sent him. He never leaves the father out of the equation, but he connects it to the works as well. Yes, my friends, sharing the impact of your labor doesn't mean you're boasting. If you are linking or connecting it back to god, sharing the impact of your labor isn't boasting. It means you're anchoring your credibility in god's power.

Speaker 1:

Jesus wasn't just talking in in john 10, 37, 38, 38. He was inviting them to look, to examine, look at the evidence. In other words, he was saying I'm going to let the work do the talking. So, in essence, jesus didn't announce his identity. He revealed it through impact. And through his word he teaches us that testifying of the results, the impact, the outcome, is not self-promotion, it's God exaltation.

Speaker 1:

Let's look at yet another example where Jesus refers to the works that he did as in itself bearing witness or testifying on his behalf. If you will, yeah, let's hear what Jesus has to say about witnessing and testimony. Jesus says in John 5, 31 through 37, if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of me and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true. You have sent to John and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man. But I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John's for the works which the Father has given me to finish the very works that I do. Your work should also testify for you. That's what he's saying here. For the works which the father has given me to finish the very works that I do, bear witness of me. And now he's linking it to the father that the father has sent me, that the Father has sent me In the research world, if you make a claim or draw a conclusion about a framework or concept, it has to be supported with some type of evidence, whether you're citing research that someone else had done or whether it's your own data that you have collected, but there has to be some type of evidence used to justify what you're saying.

Speaker 1:

Now let me make this clear. In John 5, 31, when Jesus says if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true, he's not saying we should never speak of our own accomplishments. Let's look at it in its proper context. Jesus is responding to religious leaders at the time who questioned his authority. You see, in Jewish law a testimony had to be confirmed by at least two or three witnesses. Really, jesus is saying if I were the only one claiming these things, these works, these miracles about myself, under your laws it wouldn't be a valid testimony. But I'm not the only one. I've got John the Baptist testifying of the works, the Father, the scriptures, prophesying of my works long before I came on the scene, and the very work itself. I have all those four testifying or witnessing or affirming the work that I do.

Speaker 1:

So what is this all saying? Your title doesn't validate your identity. You saying you're the greatest and you're the greatest of all time. You're the GOAT. That doesn't validate your identity. You saying you're the best, you're the smartest. That doesn't validate your identity, that's just empty self-commendation. But it's what you do, it's the work that you perform and its impact that validates your identity. Well, friends, sorry if I hadn't shared this with you earlier, but this was just part one.

Speaker 1:

Part two is coming up next week and in part two of this episode, we're going to further explore how sharing your testimony, once again, is not about self-promotion, but it's an expression of, or confirmation of the evidence that promotes the building of a movement, a critical mass, if you will, a critical mess, if you will. We'll draw from examples like Nehemiah and Paul and we'll see how making God's work visible through one's testimony gives others permission to join in the movement, join in the vision. I'll also share five practical ways to share progress, outcomes, results, impact with integrity, with authenticity, along with my own personal testimony that, hopefully, will help to bring these principles to life. Because you see, when you speak up, when you testify, because you see, when you speak up, when you testify, you're not just honoring the journey, but you're activating the builders, the innovators around you. Yes, don't forget that a testimony not given might be a blessing withheld.

Speaker 1:

If this episode, part one of this episode has been a blessing to you, and I'm sure it has. Hey guess what you know? Share it with someone. If this episode this morning has stirred up a testimony within you, release it. Within you, release it. Someone is out there waiting to hear it, to be moved by it, to be encouraged by it. They're waiting to be activated by the power of the Holy Spirit as it works through you. You can find Faith Meets Academia on all major podcast platforms, such as Spotify, amazon Music, Apple Podcasts you name it. Faith Meets Academia is out there. Be blessed, have a blessed week. Until next week, keep the faith.