Evangelism, Part 8
The Joy of Sharing the Good News
This week we will look at both the value and the use of a personal testimony. But first we should understand what a personal testimony is. For our purposes in evangelism, a personal testimony is a brief account of:
- Your life without Christ (modified for covenant children).
- How and why you became a Christian.
- The results of your new life in Christ.
So what is the value of a personal testimony? There are many:
First, you have a story to share! God can use your unique story to touch lives.
Second, your testimony will enable you to relate to unbelievers on a personal level as you share the difference Christ has made in your life. Once a person has heard your story, they should know some basic truths about the gospel in addition to knowing you better.
Third, people will generally not argue or disagree with your personal experience.
And fourth, your testimony provides an avenue to share the gospel more directly.
The New Testament has many examples and effects of testimonies, including:
- Mark 5:18-20
- John 4:27-30 and 39-42
- John 11:45-46 and 12:9-10
I encourage you to read these passages!
The Apostle Paul’s testimony as recorded in Acts 22:2-21 and 26:1-23 gives us a biblical three-step model for sharing:
- Paul described his life before he followed Christ.
- He explained how he came to know Jesus on the road to Damascus.
- He told others how his life changed after that experience.
We are going to use the same format with a personal testimony worksheet in an upcoming blog post. I encourage you to think about your own testimony in the three points of the above outline.
What about childhood conversions? Many Christians are unable to point to a "crisis conversion" experience. Many do not know the date when God brought them into his kingdom. For example, perhaps they were converted when they were young. If this describes you, it does not mean you lack a meaningful testimony. You can emphasize an area of need in your life that Christ is transforming. Many biblical references point to this type of testimony, including Psalm 22:9-10; 2 Timothy 1:5; and 2 Timothy 3:14-15.
A credible profession of faith is not equivalent with an adult conversion. A credible profession of faith is simply a declaration that one trusts in Christ alone for salvation.
We’ll look at how to prepare a personal testimony in the next post in this series.