I. Introduction:
A. The Importance of your personal Testimony
Your Story is His Story
- Your Personal Testimony is Very Important!
- Even though your story of how you came to Christ may not be spectacular to you, it is your eyewitness account of how the Lord changed your life. People like true stories and your story is truly about your encounter with the living Christ!
- A testimony can be about how you came to Christ when you first met Him, but it can also be a story a brief story of something that God did in your life recently such as:
- How God answered your prayers
- Released you from addiction
- Met a financial need
- Give new purpose and direction in your life
- Helped you in your marriage relationship
- Freed you from guilt and worry
- Scriptural Importance:
- “…He rescued (you) from the domain of darkness, and transferred (you) to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13).
- “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” I Pet. 3:15
- “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story – those he redeemed from the hand of the foe.” (NIV).
- Revelation 12:11 talks about the saints in the future in their battle against Satan. It says, “They overcame him, Satan, by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their life, even unto death.” Sharing your personal testimony is one of the most powerful ways to share the gospel.
- Jesus after healing the demonic, told him: “…go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” (Luke 8:39; NLT).
- In John 4, we read the story of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus and had a spiritual conversation with him and her heart was open and she came to Christ as her long-awaited Messiah. She was so excited that she went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did… Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.”
B. Example: The Apostle Paul
Paul tells his dramatic story of conversion (Acts 22:1-22; 26:12-18)
- Before King Agrippa, Paul clearly spoke about his life before he came to Christ, how he met Christ and what his life was after his conversion.
- Paul’s Testimony serves as a biblical model you can follow in developing your own personal testimony.
C. Practical Importance
- A well prepared Personal Testimony led by the Holy Spirit can often be used in sharing the Gospel.
- Jesus was a Master story teller to communicate truth and today’s culture often favors personal stories. Your personal testimony is a true story about how you met the Lord.
II. The Preparation
1. Prayerfully ask the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) as you develop your Personal Testimony.
2. Outline the main elements of your personal testimony.
3. Don’t worry about whether your personal testimony is.
III. The Main Elements in a Personal Testimony
A Personal Testimony has 5 main parts and the closing to it:
- The Opening: Think of a Theme that you can use to share your story.
- Before you met Christ: What my life was before I met Christ.
- How you realized your need for Christ.
- How you committed your life to Christ.
- After you received Christ: The difference Jesus has made in your life.
- The Closing
Here are some practical suggestions as you develop your personal testimony.
(Also read “Testimony Themes” found in RELATED CONTENT at bottom)
The Opening
- Some of the themes might be: Lack of peace; missing something; lack of purpose, seeking fulfillment in the wrong places; lack of motivation; insecurity; a difficult upbringing; loneliness; depression; fear of death; pursuit of money, sex, etc.
Before You Met Christ
(How you lived and thought):
- Share what your life was before you came to Christ?
- What was lacking in your life or what was missing?
- How did you attempt to meet those needs in your life such as: wrong friends, marriage/family; work; sports/physical fitness; drugs; sex; etc.?
- Don’t focus too much on or brag about past sin or struggles. Share just enough to show your need for Christ.
- What common circumstances would a non Christian relate with such as attitudes, what was important to you, how you substituted God for something else, etc.?
How You Realized Your Need for Christ
- What were the steps or circumstances or details that caused you to consider Christ or that led you to become a follower of Jesus.
- Explain the events that led to your conversion.
- How did God get your attention?
How You Committed Your Life to Christ
- What did you do exactly? Where and when did it happen? Be specific.
After You Received Christ
(How God met your need; dealt with your problem)
- Share how Christ met your deep needs. In the “Before” section, you expressed your needs and how you did not find fulfillment. In this section, share how Christ made the difference in your life; how He met your needs.
- Emphasize the changes in your behavior or character since you received Christ.
- What’s the difference that Christ has made in your life now that you have received Christ.
- Is there a scripture that was meaningful to you at this time? You may want to paraphrase the verse.
The Closing
- End with a statement, a question and/or a verse that summarizes your story and relates back to your theme and that requires a response.
- You may ask a question such as:
- “Do you know for certain whether you have eternal life?”
Tips on Sharing Your Story
- Ask the Lord for wisdom in preparing and sharing your story (James 1:5).
- Outline the main points on a 3” X 5” card.
- Keep it clear and simple (KISS method) and keep it to 2 to 3 minutes at most, possibly 100 words or less.
- Ask for permission to share such as: “Would it be okay if I shared with you how God changed my life?”
- Be honest, positive and joyful. Don’t lie or embellish. Be truthful.
- Don’t criticize a church or denomination, etc.
- Steer clear of “overly religious jargon.
- Practice it until it becomes natural.
- Consider practicing in front of a fellow believer for input.
- If you came to Christ as a child, you will focus more on how Christ has made a difference in your life since you because a Christian at an early age.
- Be Conversational: You are sharing not preaching your personal testimony.
- Use Ordinary Language. Avoid religious jargon such as: “redeemed,” “saved,” “born again,”
- Include some humor and human interest.
- Don’t communicate that all your struggles and problems ended at your conversion.
- Highlight God’s presence and power in your life.
- Share the Before and After Stories such as themes:
- A life without purpose and direction to a life of deep meaning and purpose.
- Self centeredness to a desire to be move giving and loving.Fear of death to peace for the future.
- Loneliness to a sense of belonging
- Addiction to something like drugs, pornography, etc. to freedom.
- Consider the fact that you may have many testimonies as the Lord is teaching you many things in your life with Him and maturing you in relationship with Him.
- Lingo to avoid: “Lost, saved, born again, repent, justified, sanctified, propitiation, holy, atonement, baptized by the Holy Ghost, etc.
“Testimony Themes” in RELATED CONTENT