Evangelism, Part 9
The Joy of Sharing the Good News
To prepare your personal testimony, I recommend getting it down on paper. There are several advantages to writing it out.
- It helps you see what God is doing in your life. Without going through the process of thinking, writing, and revising your testimony, you may miss some of the gems God has produced in your life.
- Seeing your testimony on paper will help you organize and critique your thoughts. Is it too short? Too long? Does it lack substance?
- Determining the content of your testimony will help you avoid barriers to an effective presentation. For example, are you providing enough information on how to receive Christ? Are you using technical language or jargon, rather plain language? Do you go down rabbit trails that divert attention from the main idea?
- By writing it you can ask others to evaluate your testimony more readily.
So how do you get started when that blank sheet of paper is staring back at you?
- Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and guidance as you write. Trust that he will grant you insight into the various ways he has worked in your life.
- Be original. God can use your unique personality and situation to glorify him. Tell your story!
- Write as though you are talking to one person — your testimony will be more direct and relational.
- Speak boldly and make Christ the main focus.
- Be honest. Do not imply that Christ removes all of life’s problems.
- Consider choosing a theme for your testimony to make it more engaging.
- Keep it to one page (one page, in 12-point type, single-spaced, is roughly 3 minutes speaking). Memorize and practice it until it sounds natural.
IHere are some tips on things to avoid that can make make your testimony less effective:
- Do not make statements that reflect negatively on churches, organizations, or people.
- Avoid mentioning denomination or churches by name.
- Avoid speaking in a condescending manner — make your delivery a normal, conversational tone.
- Never go into detail about sins.
- Your testimony is not a biography of your life from childhood, so spend less time on the “before” section.
- Avoid Christian terminology a nonbeliever would not understand (e.g., invite Christ into your heart, lost, saved, born again, atonement, saving faith, redemption, finished work of Christ on the cross). In our culture, even terms like God, sin, and holy may need to be clarified. Remember your goal is to communicate!
- Do not use vague terms such as joyful, peaceful, happy, or changed without explaining them.
Here are some more ideas to help you get started writing each of the three parts of your testimony:
- Before — My interests were … ; my security (most important value) was … ; my religious background and attitude toward God was …
- How — I was awakened to my need by (people, books, church, circumstances) … ; I came to understand that Christ …
- After — My desires now are … ; I’m now doing … ; my relationships with … ; my attitude toward …
Personal Testimony Worksheet
Copy and paste the following headings on a document to begin to outline your testimony. Outlining will make it easier to complete the body of your testimony.
- Conversion
Adult / youth — What I was like before I became a Christian (before I followed Christ, I lived and thought this way …
Childhood — An area of need in my life that knowing Christ has changed. (Discuss the change in section III). - How I became a Christian.
- How Christ has / is affecting my life (after I trusted Christ these changes took place … ).
Finally, it is important to note that your testimony is not the gospel. Though it may contain elements of the gospel — like the Apostle Paul’s recurring accounts of his conversion in the Book of Acts — it is better understood as a tool in personal terms to transition to a fuller explanation of the gospel.