Witness by Testimony

Another way you share the gospel is by sharing your testimony. Your testimony is your personal story of the work God has done in your life. It is a story that is not emphasizing you, but Jesus. I have heard a lot of testimonies where the person tries to make their sin look massive. They try to make themselves look like the biggest sinner who ever lived before they met Christ. Sometimes they even seem to have some pride in just how much sin they had. They are missing the point. It is okay if your life before Jesus was not composed of armed robbery and murder. The testimony is not about you. It is about Jesus and what he has done through you. Your testimony should reflect the sin and hopeless in your life, but you should find no pride in sharing about that past sin.

A testimony can be long or short. I met a person in Honduras who had a 30 minute testimony of how he was lost in sin. He committed several white collar felonies. He had an FBI agent early on whose personal goal was to arrest this man for his crimes. Finally he was gotten, and it was there at rock bottom he found Jesus. On this same trip, I met a woman who had a thirty second testimony about being lonely and lost and how God became her friend. In both of those stories, Jesus was the hero who did an act of incredible mercy and grace. If you were saved by Jesus, you have a story of being one person and now being another. That is a story worth telling.

I have found it worth being able to tell my testimony to the fullest or in half a minute. Both have value. One pastor taught me to share my testimony as follows, “Before Jesus I was anxious and uncertain, but now he has given me peace and direction. Do you have a story like that?” You could practice giving your testimony like that. My longer testimony is a story of running from God while I was in highschool. It is a story of finally meeting a Christian group and seeing God’s peace and running from Him still. It is a story of God breaking me and nearly taking my business until I submitted to Him. It is a story of redemption, happiness, peace, and joy. Both versions of my testimony are true. One is 15 seconds while the other is 15 minutes. Both have their place. If Jesus has changed your life, you have an amazing story to tell.

If someone asked you if Jesus has changed your life, what would you say? Knowing the gospel and how God has saved all who come to Him is great, but knowing our testimonies are powerful too. Our testimonies show the intimacy of God. God is personal and knowable. Our testimonies help us show the lost that there is a God who loves them and is seeking for them.