Sharing your personal testimony a guideline

Your story is authentically and uniquely you. It’s versatile and can be used in a variety of situations—from sharing with an individual to addressing a group. It’s not a debate, it’s not pushy, it’s not fake, and it doesn’t feel like religious propaganda, since it’s coming from your heart. Very rarely will people argue with you about your story. In fact, they’re more likely to engage and ask clarifying questions, which in turn pushes the dialogue about Jesus to a more personal level.

Six Simple Principles

If you’ve never thought about preparing and communicating your story, that’s fine (most Christians haven’t). Here are six simple principles to get you started.

1. Keep it short.

Communicating too many details about your life can distract listeners from the central point: how you met Christ. Keeping it short can help with that. Three minutes is a good target. Remember that the purpose of telling your story is not about you; it’s about God. Clearly and succinctly communicate what he has done in your life. Listeners today have a very low tolerance for long-windedness. Being concise helps keep people engaged.

2. Have a before, how, and after.

There should be a pretty clear timeline and logical flow to your story. Talk about what your life was like before Christ, how you met him, and what your life’s like now. This timeline is different for everyone, of course, but it brings a sense of structure to what you’re saying and helps keep your listener tracking.

For those who’ve been Christians since childhood, be vulnerable about your struggles as a growing Christian—the “how” may be a time when the gospel really sank in, and you understood it at a deeper level. Everyone’s story is unique, and there’s flexibility in how to share it, but thinking in terms of a timeline can be very helpful.

3. Have a theme.

A theme helps people walk away from your story remembering one main idea. There may be many themes in your story, but try to boil it down to one. Loading your testimony with multiple main points makes your story muddier, not more poignant. It’s much more likely to stick with people when there’s a single, memorable theme.

4. Clearly present the gospel.

You want people to clearly grasp the source of your transformation: Jesus Christ. If people aren’t pointed to Christ, they’ll be pointed in another direction, which will (of course) ultimately fail them. We want people to come away from our story thinking, “Isn’t Jesus amazing? I want him in my life, too.”

Your testimony should show people that God loves them, they’re sinful, Jesus is the payment for the penalty of their sin, and they need to trust Christ as the payment for the penalty of their sins in order to have a personal relationship with God.

If you haven’t shared the gospel in your testimony, you haven’t really shared your testimony.

Don’t be tempted to omit this part of your story—it’s the most important element. It’s the message that changed everything about you and brought you to where you are now. If you haven’t shared the gospel in your testimony, you haven’t really shared your testimony.

5. Avoid ‘Christianese.’

Avoid Christian slang—those words believers use all the time in everyday Christian circles but make no sense to anyone else. We’re trying to be clear about what we’re communicating, and we need to understand the importance of speaking a language that can be easily understood. We want anyone and everyone to have intellectual access to what we’re saying, so eliminate alienating language (or at least be willing to quickly define it).

6. Practice, practice, practice!

You should know your testimony by heart without having any notecards or outline in front of you. If someone asks about your life at the public swimming pool, you won’t be able to whip out a piece of paper for reference—so have your story memorized and ready at a moment’s notice. It’s a good idea to write it out or make an outline, then practice it aloud on your own or with a friend. Eventually you’ll know it by heart.

Your Story as Part of God’s Story

Remind yourself as you prepare that it’s not just about how God and the gospel fit into your story, but also about how your story fits into the greater story of the gospel. God will use your testimony to affect those around you if you’re faithful to speak up. How he has changed you can change someone else. Isn’t that amazing?

Remember it’s not just about how God and the gospel fit into your story, but also about how your story fits into the greater story of the gospel.

Your testimony is significant because it’s the personal miracle of how God transformed your heart of stone into a heart of flesh, and only you can uniquely bear witness to that miracle. He has been behind every detail of your life, even using the ugly and terrible things to form and shape you with the utmost care and attention. He is still working on you right now. What a joy to tell others of his miraculous work!

 

 

3 Minute Testimony Worksheet
 

Primary Objective: To help you put together a clear presentation of your personal testimony for a
non-Christian audience by bringing clarity and organization to the events surrounding your
conversion.
 

I. Before I received Christ (1 minute):
A. What was my life like before I accepted Christ? Use an attention getting first sentence.
Describe it in a way that communicates well to non-believers (don’t use religious
terminology). *If you received Christ at a very young age, see back for help.

B. What did my life revolve around? What did I get my security or happiness from? (The
non-believer is relying on something external to give him/her happiness).

C. How did those areas begin to let me down?
 

II. How I received Christ (1 minute):
A. BUT then I realized I had an even bigger problem—my sin. Share the gospel (God, man,
Jesus, response). When was the first time I heard the gospel? Or, when was I exposed to
Biblical Christianity?

B. Where were my initial reactions? When and how did I come to a decision?
 

III. After I received Christ (1 minute):
A. Specific changes I have seen in my life (attitudes and actions since becoming a
Christian—include personal illustrations). Share how understanding that your sin was/is
completely paid for changed your perspective.

B. How long did it take before I noticed changes?

C. Why am I motivated differently? How does my relationship with Christ affect my
decisions regarding activities, relationships, future, etc.?
 

Remember:
A. Write like you speak—make the testimony yours!
B. Consider your audience (age, interests, goals in life, etc.).
C. Choose a theme (i.e. insecurity, looking for success, loneliness, seeking meaning in life, looking
for unconditional love, etc.).
D. Practice it over and over until it becomes natural.
E. Time limit should be 3 minutes.
F. Don’t ever feel like your story is boring. Every person’s life relates to someone.
G. It’s okay to mention struggles. It will help the listener to identify with you.
 

*If you received Christ at a very young age, you still have a story to tell! Focus on an area you
struggled in after you were a believer, then share the gospel and then share how you gave control of
this area to Him in the last minute. Here’s a shortened example:
 

I. Before Section: In high school, I had struggles with allowing accomplishments dictate who I am.
The more I attained awards though, the more I needed more awards. It was unquenchable.
 

II. Receiving section: Although I had become a believer in Christ at 5 years old…meaning I
realized that I had sin in my life (share gospel or more simply, share the four points of the booklet
from memory)…I was still looking for accomplishments to give me a sense of worth and define
who I was. This sin of pride was overwhelming me.
 

III. After section: After spending so much time looking for worth in my accomplishments, I finally
realized that it is in Christ that I am defined. I repented of my sin of pride and gave myself fully
over to making God’s name great and not my own. Since I have realized this, I have no longer
needed to have my accomplishments define me. I still work hard, but I have a great sense of who I
am in Christ.

"I want to know God's thoughts, the rest are details." Einstein