I have began teaching my kids how to write their testimony, using Paul’s conversion testimony in Acts 26 as a guide. You’ll notice that it’s broken down into the Before/Conversion/After framework.
Explain the Problem – Sin
Tell what brought you to the realization of your need of a Savior. You don’t need to give a laundry list of your sins, but you should tell how you were brought to conviction. The Bible tells us that God’s law is what brings us to a knowledge of our need of salvation (Galatians 3:24). Sharing with the audience what God says about sin is an important element of your Christian testimony. You can do this by sharing various parts of the Ten Commandments and how they were convicting to you personally. Your audience needs to know that the reason they should consider Jesus Christ is not because He can make them happy, but because they are sinners and He can forgive them.
Share the Solution – Jesus Christ- Your salvation story should point to Christ and what He did not what you did. keep the focus on the cross (titus 3: 5-7) not on us. All the way you should be pointing them to Jesus.
Avoid Church Words- it can be off putting to non believers, make people feel ignorant and can carry a connotation you are unaware of with a different denomination or sect of people.
Stay Focused-give elements you want to give in a clear, concise order that is easy to follow and is leading to God.
Be Honest-keep it real, dont exaggerate, or add to your story. Your story is meant to touch and relate to whomever God has chosen. It will not relate or touch everyone, its not suppose to.
Give Specific Examples-Give specific examples of how God has worked in your life. This gives credibility to your testimony. You dont have to share all your sins, just how Christ has helped you.
Share your Current Situation-What is God doing in your life today?
Watch Your Time- Say around 3 minutes to get your story across, keep the hearer engaged and not to come across as boastful.
Cornwall Alliance has the following wonderful outline that I found very useful to use with my kids for explaining why we need to have a testimony, what all to include and different types of testimonies:
Purpose of a Personal Testimony
Some Do's and Don'ts
Basic Outline
There are three basic testimony types:
Paul's Testimony
What ways have you helped your children learn to write a personal testimony? Any tricks or helpful advise?
Tell what brought you to the realization of your need of a Savior. You don’t need to give a laundry list of your sins, but you should tell how you were brought to conviction. The Bible tells us that God’s law is what brings us to a knowledge of our need of salvation (Galatians 3:24). Sharing with the audience what God says about sin is an important element of your Christian testimony. You can do this by sharing various parts of the Ten Commandments and how they were convicting to you personally. Your audience needs to know that the reason they should consider Jesus Christ is not because He can make them happy, but because they are sinners and He can forgive them.
Share the Solution – Jesus Christ- Your salvation story should point to Christ and what He did not what you did. keep the focus on the cross (titus 3: 5-7) not on us. All the way you should be pointing them to Jesus.
Avoid Church Words- it can be off putting to non believers, make people feel ignorant and can carry a connotation you are unaware of with a different denomination or sect of people.
Stay Focused-give elements you want to give in a clear, concise order that is easy to follow and is leading to God.
Be Honest-keep it real, dont exaggerate, or add to your story. Your story is meant to touch and relate to whomever God has chosen. It will not relate or touch everyone, its not suppose to.
Give Specific Examples-Give specific examples of how God has worked in your life. This gives credibility to your testimony. You dont have to share all your sins, just how Christ has helped you.
Share your Current Situation-What is God doing in your life today?
Watch Your Time- Say around 3 minutes to get your story across, keep the hearer engaged and not to come across as boastful.
Cornwall Alliance has the following wonderful outline that I found very useful to use with my kids for explaining why we need to have a testimony, what all to include and different types of testimonies:
Purpose of a Personal Testimony
- Scripture commands that we always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15)
- It is an effective tool in sharing Christ by making others aware of what Christ means in your life
- It requires no special setting in which it must be shared and can be called on whenever and wherever you are
- While many deny, ignore, and even reject the Scriptures, it is very difficult for them to deny what you say happened in your life and this gives them cause to stop and think
- It is a tool that can be used when sharing with a single person or a very large group or anything in between
- It is a short, non-preachy, verbal summary of Christ's power in you
- It's authenticity is not based on the hearer's theological knowledge or belief in the Bible, but on what they hear you say
Some Do's and Don'ts
- Ask for Godly guidance when preparing and sharing you testimony
- Write your testimony and edit it several times so it is your best effort
- Be brief and interesting, the testimony is not about you, but Christ in you
- Include one or two Scripture reference that God used to change you heart and be able to quote them from memory
- Be aware of cross cultural teaching issues when sharing your testimony in other cultures
- Share your testimony with joy and happiness
- Avoid using religious words such as saved, convicted, born-again, sin, and glorious, as these are very often confusing and misunderstood by non-Christians and many in media and politics today use these terms to suggest radicalism, something to be avoided
- Avoid references to specific people, churches or denominations, especially in a negative or critical connotation (e.g "I used to belong to that church and it was a dead church and then God opened my eyes")
- Avoid an argumentative spirit, your testimony is not designed to defeat people, it is not a debate you are trying to win, but a statement of what God has done and is doing in your life
- Avoid preaching and high pressure sales tactics
Basic Outline
As in any good presentation, organized thoughts
always makes things more clear and helps keep the speaker on track. The
Christian testimony should follow this basic outline. The number of
sub-points shared in any given situation is determined by many factors
such as time, place, and occasion. The flexibility of the outline is
that it allows for significant embellishment on the one hand, or a
simple four point presentation in three to five minutes.
Introduction
- In a normal conversatin you wait for an opening whereby you graciously turn the conversation from small talk to Christ
- In a presentation setting, you would simply introduce yourself, say where you are from and that you are happy to be there and then something like "I appreciate the opportunity to share with you what Jesus means to me"
- The purpose of this section is establish a point in your life with which the hearer can identify in their own
- Explain how your life was before you came to know Christ
- Seek to identify with hearer by speaking of the intense unmet yearnings that characterized your life, lack of peace, lack of purpose, lack of significance, lack of friends, life without any real meaning, fear of death, etc.
- While avoiding the glorification of sin, identify failed strategies you attempted in order to fill the void in your life (work, hobbies, drugs, marriage, sex, sports, poor friendship, etc.)
- In the case of some testimonies (such as the Covenant child) many of the above "failures" may not have been present so the testimony might say "Over the years of my life, I have noticed many failed strategies people have used to try to fill a void in their lives. For example..."
- The purpose of this section is to clearly relate the circumstances God used in your life to bring you to Christ
- Discuss the person, circumstance, crisis, event, Scriptures, etc. that made you consider the claims of Christ
- Explain how you came to understand God's holiness, your sinfulness, Christ's faithfulness and that through trust in Christ your sins were covered
- The purpose of this section is to bear witness to the ongoing changes that are taking place in your life since you began to walk with Christ
- Share the fulfillment and purpose you have found in Christ
- Share the joy of knowing you have forgiveness of sin and eternal life
- End your testimony with a challenge to your hearers to measure their own lives, not against yours, but against Chrit's
- In a group setting, conlcude in prayer asking God to give your hearers "ears to hear and hearts to understand"
- With an individual, offer to pray with them, even ask them if there are things they would specifically like you to pray about
There are three basic testimony types:
The Covenant Child
These are individuals who have grown up in the faith, (not without sin to be sure - Romans 3:23) but the children of believing parents, who were faithfully nurtured in the Word, in prayer, and in the church. Their lives demonstrate they are covenant keepers and heirs to the promises of God (Genesis 12, Galatians 3).
These are individuals who have grown up in the faith, (not without sin to be sure - Romans 3:23) but the children of believing parents, who were faithfully nurtured in the Word, in prayer, and in the church. Their lives demonstrate they are covenant keepers and heirs to the promises of God (Genesis 12, Galatians 3).
Timothy is an example of such an individual who
had known the holy Scriptures since he was an infant which were able to
make him wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3).
These individuals certainly understand their own
sinfulness and need of a Savior and that Christ alone is that savior.
Their testimony will not contain a radical "before conversion" but will
demonstrate a life of growth in grace, sometimes slower and sometimes
faster depending on the circumstances in their lives. It is appropriate
to include a statement about what you have seen others try to make their
lives meaningful that failed and it is by God's love that you did not
follow a similar path but it is in other ways that rebelled against God.
(Note: our culture does not seem
to value this type testimony as much as it does one that exhibits a life
of radical sin and then conversion. Somehow it is suggested that it
takes more of God's grace to save someone from a life of radical sin
than sustaining a lifelong faithful walk with Him.) The only ingredient
that makes either work is God's grace.
The Conscious Convert
This conversion usually takes place anywhere from the late teens through adulthood. This person has typically pursued many avenues in search of happiness and attempting to fill the void in their life only to be disappointed time and again. Nothing has worked. Some are on this search for a few years. other's for decades.
This conversion usually takes place anywhere from the late teens through adulthood. This person has typically pursued many avenues in search of happiness and attempting to fill the void in their life only to be disappointed time and again. Nothing has worked. Some are on this search for a few years. other's for decades.
This individual may have been raised in the
church and learned all the right words to say and things to do, but
never came to know Christ personally or they may have grown up in a
totally pagan world.
At some point, the call of the Spirit of God is
heard in their lives and they turn in repentance to Christ for the
forgiveness of their sins and life eternal. While the daily struggle in
life does not go away, it is no longer empty and they is a sense of
purpose and growth where there was once only emptiness. Living for
Christ becomes a consuming passion and as a result of that, every area
of life is touched.
The Apostle Paul is a clear example of this type conversion and testimony. Acts 9:3f
The Wandering Believer
This individual has a history of walking in the faith, but allowing the Devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27) in their lives and for a season walks in the shadow of darkness. Typically this individual was raised in the faith and strayed in the teenage years, or even after an adult conversion, they became ensnared by the things of this world and allowed their Christian walk to falter
In God's own time He called these individuals back to
faithfulness. Some in this group will suggest they really were not
believers in the first place and confuse God's calling them back to
Himself as their real conversion.
This individual has a history of walking in the faith, but allowing the Devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27) in their lives and for a season walks in the shadow of darkness. Typically this individual was raised in the faith and strayed in the teenage years, or even after an adult conversion, they became ensnared by the things of this world and allowed their Christian walk to falter
David, a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22)
is an example of this type individual and Psalm 51 is a wonderful prayer
of confession and repentance, while seeking God's forgiveness and
renewal.
Paul's Testimony
It is helpful to read through Paul's testimony to understand what he said to different hearers. His testimony is recorded in Acts 9, 22, & 26.
What ways have you helped your children learn to write a personal testimony? Any tricks or helpful advise?
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