Looking to learn how to write your testimony? Sharing your testimony can be a powerful witness for unbelievers and a source of encouragement for those who believe. But how exactly do you do this?
The answer — my answer, anyway — is that you must provide the answers to three questions:
1. What was my life like before I met Christ?
2. How did I meet Christ?
3. What’s my life like now that I know Christ?
I’ll explain a little about each below. As I do, or perhaps after you finish reading this article and learn how to write your testimony, I encourage you to consider sharing it with others.
If you chicken out, since pens have eyes, as John Piper likes to say, you can at least encourage yourself as you remind yourself of what Christ has done for you. If no one else will benefit from it, at least you will.
How to Write Your Testimony
Question #1: What Was My Life Like Before I Met Christ?
A few questions may help:
- What sorts of sins did you struggle with?
- What did you think about Christianity?
- Were you raised in the church?
- What life path were you on? Successful or tragic?
- What other appropriate information can I share that will accurately depict what my life was like before meeting the risen Savior?
This doesn’t have to take a long time.
In fact, it probably shouldn’t— especially if you’re speaking to a non-christian. Maybe 60-90 seconds tops. Maybe start to write down a few things and put some thoughts together.
Who knows, maybe you can start to share your testimony with someone this week.
Question #2: How Did I Meet Christ?
Your testimony is not about you and your awesome decision to choose Christ, but God’s awesomeness in choosing to save you. You did not find God. He wasn’t lost. He found you. You were lost. Do you remember what happened when you crossed over from death to life? That’s what you share here.
A few questions to help you navigate this process:
- What was I doing when I became a Christian?
- Was I listening to a sermon? If so, who was preaching? Where was I?
- What kinds of emotions did I feel when God saved me? Were there others around?
- Do I remember the exact date and time?
- Did I become a Christian the first time I heard the gospel or what this a long process?
- Who did God use to lead me to the faith? How did God use them? What did they say and do?
- What passage of Scripture did God use to covert me?
Obviously, some of these questions may not apply to you. Choose what applies and dismiss the rest.
No two snowflakes look the exact same, and no two testimonies sound the exact same. There can be the same method (e.g., evangelism, preaching, Bible studies, etc.) but every testimony has it’s own unique flavor to it because of the people and places involved.
Think about how you met Christ and write some things that come to mind.
Question #3: What’s My Life Like Now That I Know Christ?
Maybe you assumed question number one and two, but this question never occurred to you. Yes, it’s helpful to speak about your life before you met Christ, and how you met him, but I think it’s also helpful to discuss the fruit and effects of your salvation. You’re saved. Got it. Now what? How did your life change once you became a Christian? Are you able to name some of the theological benefits that are now yours? Did you struggle with some sort of sin or disorder previously to knowing Christ that is now removed because of Christ’s power in your life? Talk about these things.
In this part, you can come across as subjective. “That’s fine for you, but religion is not for me,” a non-Christian may quip. Sharing your testimony is not evangelism. Evangelism (sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in hopes of persuading your hearers to repent and trust in Christ) is evangelism. So while it is certainly good to share your testimony, we must remember the power to save comes from the gospel, not our cool stories. Sharing our testimony is merely a way to start an evangelistic conversation, gain equity and rapport with unbelievers, and create leverage for future gospel conversations.
What if I Have a Boring Testimony?
Maybe you’re reading this and you think, “Yeah, this testimony sharing stuff sounds nice and fuzzy. But you don’t understand. My testimony is boring. I came to Christ when I was six. My parents led me to faith, and I don’t have all that exciting of a story.”
I can understand why you may think your testimony is not as exciting as others, but there is one thing that I need to say to such a response, and that is this: there’s no such thing as a boring testimony.
The Psalmist, in this instance, David, reminds us that he (and yes, you and I) are born into sin (Psalm 51:5). Paul says that all unbelievers are dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). When Christ saved you — even if it was at age six — he resurrected your life. You should praise God for your parents and praise God for saving you at a young age. Your testimony cannot be boring if you’ve been raised from the dead.
[share-quote author=”David Qaoud” via=”DavidQaoud”] “Your testimony cannot be boring if you’ve been raised from the dead.” [/share-quote]
Sharing your testimony is not the end all be all. Our goal is to provide encouragement, develop equity, and do the work of evangelism. Yet, sharing your testimony can be a good starting place to move forward in trying to make disciples. You can do it. Just try to remember to keep the spotlight on Jesus.
