WRITING A TESTIMONY
Giving your testimony is one of the most encouraging and powerful ways to speak about Jesus. People don’t want to just hear about abstract theology, but they want to hear about how theology affects our lives. Therefore, showing how the gospel has impacted your life personally displays the glory of Jesus in a wonderful way. Below are some tips for writing your testimony (influenced by Mack Stiles’ book, Speaking of Jesus), which we hope you find helpful:
1. Know what a testimony is for
Hearing a testimony is kind of like looking at a window.
“If you want to learn about windows, you will do well to take a look at a few of them. The problem will be that you will not only look at, you will look through. And if your curiosity is anything like mine, the windows themselves will at times disappear. Testimonies are like that. It is what you see through them that matters. For they are windows on eternity, looking out on the profoundest issues of life and death. Before long you forget you are dealing with a testimony, so startled are you by what you see beyond it. From time to time I have had to tap on the glass pane so that I would not forget what I was doing.” (Mack Stiles, Speaking of Jesus)
We need to let our testimonies be windows that, although people are looking at us, they see through us to our glorious Savior.
2. Keep Christ at the center
Does your testimony ultimately point to Christ or to you? This can be tricky, as your testimony is your story. However, are you the hero or is Jesus? Are people going to be impressed by you or by Jesus by the time you finish?
3. Speak truthfully
Don’t feel pressured to twist your testimony based on a desire to get a better result. If you were never a leader in the Chinese Triads, that’s ok! Don’t feel the need to make your past life seem worse than it was. Every born-again believer is evidence of the miraculous work of Christ. Jesus seems to think your testimony is powerful enough as it is. So just tell your story as it is.
FOUR STEPS ON BEING A WINDOW
1. Start by telling what your concept of Jesus was before you met him
The reason for this is that it shows that our ideas were not that different from most other people’s. It elicits a “Yeah, that’s what I thought about Jesus” response. Obviously, not everyone will respond that way. However, if you felt a certain way about Christ, there will doubtless be others who felt that way too.
Some examples:
-‐ “I grew up going to church, but I never really had a faith of my own. I knew the gospel, but I didn’t love Jesus…”
-‐ “I thought Christianity was a joke. It seemed too illogical. I believed in science, not fairy tales…”
-‐ “I was angry at God. I couldn’t understand why he let [blank] happen or [blank] happen. Why would a loving God allow this?”
-‐ “I wasn’t against Christianity. Jesus seemed like a stand-up guy. I was happy that other people found meaning in the Bible. But it just wasn’t for me…”
-‐ “I wanted to be a Christian. I was scared of dying. But I didn’t feel good enough. I didn’t think God could ever accept someone like me; not until I got my act together anyway…”
2. Then say what happened that enabled you to be introduced to and trust in Jesus
If you can remember the exact moment that you became a Christian, then praise God. However, many people cannot identify such a time. Many who grew up in solid Christian homes cannot remember a time when they were not a Christian. What a great testimony! What an encouragement to parents to teach and live out the gospel at home! Others investigated the claims of Jesus over time before realizing, “Hey, I think I believe this stuff! I think I’ve believed it for a while now, actually.” But it’s worth mentioning how you heard the gospel (from parents, friends, a neighbor, a preacher, etc.). This highlights that people are saved when others talk about Jesus. The gospel bears fruit when it is proclaimed.
3. Next, say how you now grasp the truth of the gospel
This helps you clarify your past perceptions and explain what happened to change them. It also lets people know that coming to Christ begins a journey of spiritual growth and theological clarity. What do you know about Christ now that you didn’t grasp before? Why is Jesus sweet and precious to you? What is it about the gospel that you find to be glorious and captivating? (Make sure that you clearly articulate the gospel at some point in your testimony. This would be a good point to do so).
4. Then talk about your walk with the Lord today
This further clarifies that we don’t just come to Jesus as a one-shot deal, but that it’s a lifelong relationship. In other words, don’t simply talk about how you became a Christian (lots of people think they’re Christians because they said a prayer at a camp once but have no active relationship with him now), but talk about your walk with the Lord today! What is Christ teaching you? How have you grown to trust him more. We need to let people see that we don’t become perfect by coming to Christ, but that we grow over time as his Spirit applies his Word to our hearts.