EVANGELISM PART 4

SHARING YOUR TESTIMONY

How God has changed you and changed your life

PREPARING AND SHARING YOUR TESTIMONY

Your testimony is the story of how you came to faith in Christ and the impact this has had on your life. Sharing your testimony is a powerful and engaging way of showing God's transforming power in your life, especially when your friend can relate to what you are sharing. It builds intimacy and trust in the relationship and overcomes people posing objections to Christianity, because it is your story and your experience. It also provides one way of introducing the gospel of salvation.

Writing your testimony takes time. In this section we explore how to write an interesting and powerful testimony and then encourage you to practice it with your Discipleship Group or a group of friends. Once you have developed your testimony you can easily change it to be relevant to the person you are sharing it with.

In the Christians Engaging Culture podcast, Sam Chan challenges you to put time into writing your testimony. He provides a structure and gives an example of how to share it.

If you are looking for inspiration then listen to the four testimonies in "Evangelism as Storytelling".

Sharing Your Testimony (Evangelism Week 4) by Christians Engaging Culture Podcast • A podcast on Anchor

Podcast duration: 13:56Speaker: Sam ChanPublisher: Church By the Bridge (used with permission)Accessed: 17/6/19

PREPARING AND SHARING YOUR PERSONAL TESTIMONY

INSPIRING EXAMPLES OF CHRISTIANS SHARING THEIR STORIES OF FAITH

Evangelism as Storytelling

Do you want to tell your faith story in a way that will have impact on others? Then this is the video to listen to. Four Christians give their personal testimony that engages and builds empathy and a desire to know who Jesus is. The video is the second video included in an article Evangelism as Storytelling.

Duration: 34:46Author: Solana Beach Presbyterian ChurchPublisher: Evangelism Coach Accessed: 9/5/2019

HOW TO WRITE YOUR TESTIMONY

Sharing your Testimony

In this video Sam Chan provides guidance on how to shift the conversation from actively listening to their faith story to sharing a compelling and engaging personal testimony and then linking it to a relevant story from the Bible. He provides a structure to help you write your testimony which we have reproduced from his book below.

Duration: 10:32Speaker: Sam ChanPublisher: Church by the BridgeDate accessed: 14/6/2019

THE STAGES OF AN EFFECTIVE PERSONAL TESTIMONY

Here's the diagram Sam used in the talk and a description of his stages in writing his testimony:

Introduction. I am (describe yourself) and my mission is to (state your mission). For example (now give an example).
Body – So I tried to achieve my mission in these ways: (give examples). But now (explain the problem of trying to achieve your mission without God). For example (now give an example).
Bridge – All that has happened now is summarised and the 'ah ha' moment is defined by Jesus being the solution to the mission.
Climax – How life changed after Jesus. How a relationship with Jesus solved life’s big problem for you.
Denouement – The mission fulfilled. How Jesus has changed your life and the meaning of life. How Jesus is important to you.

Source: Evangelism in A Skeptical World by Sam Chan

6 Steps to Writing Your Christian TestimonyLearn how to write your personal testimony with this six-step outline, for both long and short, written and spoken Christian salvation stories.

6 STEPS TO WRITING YOUR CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY

Realise the power of your testimony
Study an example from the Bible
Spend time in preparation and prayer
Start with a simple 3 point outline
Important things to remember
- Stick to the point
- Be specific
- Be current
- Be honest
Things to avoid.

Estimated read time: 3:55Author: Mary FairchildPublisher: Learn ReligionAccessed: 21/5/2019

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE BIBLE

Romans 1:16–17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Proverbs 3:5–6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Matthew 10:32 Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

Please prepare my heart so that I can share my faith and trust in you with others. May your Holy Spirit ignite my heart with an ever-deepening love for you and a burning desire to share your wonderful gift of salvation. Show me how powerfully you have worked in my life, that I may be able to share it with others. May my life and my testimony show how much I love you and trust you and how thankful I am for your transforming work in my life.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

PERSONAL AND GROUP REFLECTION

We are focusing on writing, honing and practising your personal testimony.

Listen to one or more of the testimonies in the second video in the article Evangelism as Storytelling.

What did you notice about the personal testimonies? How could you adapt their approaches to your personal testimony?

2. Write your testimony. You may wish to write a few versions of it that emphasise different aspects of your story.

3. Practice your testimony.

4. Share your testimony with your Discipleship Group or your Christian friends and seek feedback.

Does it clearly show the impact of God in your life?
Have you shared sufficient personal information about your life before and after your were saved to build trust in the relationship?
Does your testimony point others to God and his work in saving you?
Does your testimony show how you place your trust in Jesus?

5. Share your testimony with a non-Christian friend. What went well? What didn’t go so well? What would you do differently next time?

DIGGING DEEPER

www.desiringgod.org/messages/not-ashamed-of-the-gospel

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

John Piper challenges us to share the gospel. The article also includes the corresponding sermon by John Piper. This is the first in a series of three sermons by John Piper on Romans 1:16. Here is the link to the following two blogs and sermons:

Duration: 23:27Speaker: John PiperPublisher: Desiring GodAccessed: 21/5/2019

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