The Power of a Changed Life

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Thursday, October 26, 2006

"Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" (John 4:29)

The best arguments for Christianity are Christians. Our joy, our certainty, our fulfillment, and our love for one another are all powerful witnesses.
The woman at the well said to Jesus, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet" (John 4:19). She had never met a man like this before. It was as though He could see right through her. Then Jesus identified himself as the Messiah (see verse 26). At that moment, despite her hardness, her world-weariness, and her emptiness, she believed.

Now let's look at her personal testimony. She immediately went to the people in town and said, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" (John 4:29). I love this. Immediately after putting her faith in Jesus, she was transformed. She understood that He was the Messiah. So she went right out and began to tell others. Even though she was only a few moments old in her newfound faith, she could not contain it.

What happened next? John tells us, "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me all that I ever did' " (John 4:39). Why did the people in Samaria believe? Because they heard what she said, and they knew the way she used to be. She had quite a bad reputation. And now they saw the new-and-improved model, the transformed woman at the well.

Two of the most effective tools you have in your evangelistic toolbox are your personal story of how you came to Christ and the witness of your changed life.

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