Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
(Isa. 43:9)
When you are going to trial a very important part of your defense will be a list of witnesses. Anyone who can say anything good about you, substantiate your claim, or give testimony to your good character will be called.
You can only be a witness if you have something to tell.
Paul tells us in Hebrews 12:1 that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. I believe they are those who have testimonies, those who have endured and now sit in the grandstands of heaven cheering us on.
Each time the prosecutor tries to get us down, I believe there is a testimony service going on in heaven! In the Spirit today, can you hear them encouraging you?
“You can make it!” David calls. “I failed miserably, but God forgave me, and I am here to testify about His incredible mercies – which are new every morning, by the way.”
“You go, girl!” cries Queen Esther. “I overcame my fear of what might happen to me if I asked the king to spare my people, because God was right there with me all the way. And I’m here to testify that He will be with you too.”
“Don’t give up!” Paul shouts. “Silas and I were beaten, put in the darkest dungeon of a prison, and put in stocks. But we are witnesses today that when we began praising God, He showed up, showed off, and set us free! Not only that, He saved the jailer and his family!”
I tell you; today you’ve got your witnesses, a grandstand full of them who are cheering you on. So if you haven’t started – or you’ve stopped -don’t you think it’s time to go out and be a witness for Jesus yourself! If you don’t feel you’ve got much to tell now, believe me, in a few days of testifying, you will!
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing
Carman Domenic Licciardello is an enigma in Christian music, often described as part evangelist, part Vegas Showman. His concerts were more like a rock and roll Billy Graham Crusade than a Christian music event. After all the singing, dancing, clapping, and preaching, crowds of people would stream down to the counseling area to accept Christ-many times as many as 5,000 in an evening.
Admission was usually free; a simple offering was taken, similar to 30,000 churches on Sunday mornings. And he filled the largest stadiums the world over. Carman held the record for the largest Christian concert ever in Dallas, Texas. But it even goes beyond that. Take the Mega Stadium acts that played the famed landmark such as Pink Floyd, U 2, Madonna, The Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and even Metallic. As the newspapers noted, you'll see that the one-act that drew the highest attendance in Texas Stadium was Carman, with 71,132.
Carman (1956-2021) was a popular contemporary Christian singer and songwriter.
Born Carman Licciardello, he began recording under his first name and released his debut album in 1980. Carman began charting contemporary Christian hits in 1984 with "Sunday's on the Way," reaching No. 1 with "The Champion" (1986) and "Radically Saved" (1988). His other hit songs include "Lord of All," "Jesus Is the Light," and "Satan, Bite the Dust!" Carman reportedly holds the world record for the largest audience at a Christian concert. His popularity was at its height in the 1980s and early '90s, but he continued releasing albums for years, including his most recent release, 2014's "No Plan B." In 2018, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
