How to share your Christian testimony
Recently, our pastor asked for the congregation to start sharing their testimonies.
Have you ever shared yours?
Testimony is one of the "Christianese" terms that I struggled to understand early on.
Early in our Christian walk some people asked for ours.
What's your testimony?, they'd ask. How did you guys come here? What brought you here?
"'Here' to this church, or 'here' to Jesus?," I asked.
"Both," they'd respond.
For 2 years I struggled to first understand what a testimony is, and then for another few years I struggled with how to tell it!
When you're saved at a later age, you've already lived a life. So, how do you narrow it down to sharing the part that led you to Christ?
How do the experts say to do it?
If you're only sharing 5 minutes, here's a good breakdown:
1.Your life before conversion (1 minute)
2.Your conversion or how you came to Christ (3 minutes)
3.Your life after conversion (1 minute)
If you want an example, read Paul's conversion story in Acts chapter 26. (now this may be longer than 5 minutes, but at least you can see how the formula is shared:
Acts chapter 26 Paul's conversion story (Saul to Paul)
Verses 4-11(Paul's life before conversion)
Verses 12-18 (conversion)
Verses 19-23 (life after conversion)
The best way to learn how? Experience.
I fumbled around when people asked me in the middle of a conversation, but each time I did say something, it forced me organize my thoughts.
Last night, we had the opportunity to share our story with the teen ministry at our church.
The teen leaders held a bonfire for the teens, and asked my husband and I if we would like to play music.
Someone had the great idea of interspersing music in between the testimony.
I suggested a few songs, but was told these might not "jive" with the teens.
So, I asked them to send me some songs the teens would like and Out of four songs, we picked two. And. because of the story, we performed one secular song (this means non-Christian, or "Of the world," another Christianese term we needed to get used to).
And we got to work, rehearsing, writing (I had to write out my testimony, keeping in mind not every teen will understand what I am talking about.
Here's what we learned:
- A testimony is anything but boring.
- A testimony is all yours, personal, just as God is to you.
- A testimony is an opportunity to share God's blessings and benefits, lessons and learnings, tests and trials, messages and mercy, redemption and repentance, grace, guidance and growth.
- A testimony is about sharing greatest gift you'll ever receive
- A testimony is always an opportunity to plant seeds
- A testimony can never be boring (it's God's story for you, after all!)
Some tips to help you tell your testimony:
First, pray.
Thank the Lord for allowing you this opportunity and ask Him to be glorified in it. Thank Him for your salvation, for sending His only begotten Son, and for all He is doing in your life.
Consider your audience:
Think about who you are we speaking to, and what sort of event it is. What kind of people will make up your audience? Are there other mediums to help you share your message. Will other people be sharing their testimonies? Will anyone be sharing a non-Christian testimony?
Consider your theme:
Is there a recurring transformation or delivery God is bringing about in your life? Is there a direction He is calling you towards that you keep ignoring? Did God deliver you from something traumatic?
How did your life change since you came to Christ?
Eventually I got 27 pages down to 2, and my testimony was boring; full of too much "This happened and this happened, which led to this happening, which led to our becoming saved."
While that may pass as a testimony, I don't believe that is the best way to share yours. I certainly didn't feel good sharing my testimony that way.
A testimony is your way of sharing with the world how God offered you the greatest gift--salvation--it's His story!
God wants to be glorified in all things, especially in what He does for you, so shouldn't his story get told in a riveting, intriguing, exciting way because salvation is the most important things that will ever happen to you.
Originally I thought a testimony is the events leading up to and maybe after the exact moment someone comes to Christ.
But, in the 5 years that we've been walking the Christian walk, we hear that term tossed around a lot more. "I didn't want to ruin my testimony.." " I wanted to share with you a little of my testimony"
Your testimony is any story you can tell that involves your walk with God. It's the story of what God does and is doing in your life.
In closing,
I love the word history, because it's His Story. He is the Creator, we are the Created. He is the Savior, we are the saved. He is perfect and sinless, we are sinners. He is the Redeemer, we are the redeemed.
But, our God also rules over the present (gift), future, as well as our past.
He is eternal. Only He is eternal.
Still confused? Watch this video here.
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