Your testimony is powerful....so use it!

When you witness on a one to one basis, it is very likely that your testimony will come up at some point in the conversation. Being able to share it effectively is very important as it will help considerably as you explain the truth of the Gospel in your own experience. Why? Because you will be explaining how it has been outworked in your own life. Remember, people genuinely love stories, especially ones that are true.
Key Point: People love stories that are true



One description of the word testimony is: “A declaration of truth or fact”. It’s a great definition because it describes exactly what we do when we share what Jesus did for us in our own life story. When it comes to sharing your testimony, the reason it is powerful is because it is truth. No one can argue about what you experienced.

This scripture sums it up:

“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Revelation 12: 11

Don’t forget that our stories of salvation are very potent. Sometimes people say, “I don’t have a very good testimony because I wasn’t a drug dealer, a bank robber or anything like that”. However, you have an incredible testimony to share, when you consider what Christ did for you by dying on the cross of Calvary. As a result of His sacrifice, you are now a child of the King, and you will have eternal life with Jesus! Your story will definitely speak into people’s hearts as there will always be those who are willing to listen. Fact!

Practice and repetition prevents a poor performance

You will need to carefully plan out your story, even to the point of having a one, five and ten minute version, perhaps even longer. Then practice going through it a number of times so that you can share it without thinking about what to say. It’s important to avoid the use of ‘Christian speak’, using words like saved, praise God, hallelujah and amen. 

Below you will find a few examples of ‘Christian speak’ or Christianese as it is sometimes known. Before you read them, please imagine that you had never heard the Gospel before. What would you think if you heard these phrases for the first time?

He imputed righteousness to us

Drink my blood and eat my flesh

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

There are many scriptures like this, and they are all totally true. However, think of your listener and keep it simple. It is essential that your story of meeting Jesus is easy to understand. You should share scripture though and when you do, explain what it means in an easy to understand way. Try to include two or three scriptures that relate to your journey to faith.

Remember that scripture clearly says:

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10: 17

Keep to the point: I have known Christians say when sharing their stories “Well it was on a Friday night………no it was a Saturday afternoon………..no sorry it was an evening in July, or was it August”. When presented in this way your amazing story of finding new life in abundance through Jesus Christ becomes like a visit to the dentist for your listener. That is why practice is so very important. It’s also a good idea to share your story with a Christian friend who will be honest with you. You could even record yourself speaking, you may be surprised how you sound.

A couple of real events in my life sum this up. The first was when I was searching for Christ about 20 years ago, a Christian man witnessed to me by sharing his own story, but almost immediately he started talking about the children of Israel, the plagues, the desert and other things. I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about and he totally lost me after a minute or two.

My one abiding memory of our conversation was when he started shouting at the top of his voice “I just want to be with the Lord!” He did this about six or seven times, which was very off-putting and made me wonder, “Are all Christians like this guy”? The second occasion was when I was involved in a tent mission.


On a Saturday morning men from the surrounding area were invited to have a free bacon roll and a cup of tea with us while testimonies were shared to the group in a very informal way. One man attended whom we had not met before. I warmly shook his hand and passed him on to a couple of men who were organising the food. Within one minute they were talking to him about hell and damnation. The guy genuinely looked horrified to say the least. What they were saying was true of course, there is a hell to be shunned and a heaven to be gained, but it was probably a bit too early to be discussing that with a complete stranger. It was not surprising that we only saw him one more time.    

That is why we must have a basic plan that is easy to follow. A well proven way of preparing your testimony is to break into three parts:

Describe what your life was like before you came to Christ 35%,

Explain how you got saved 30%,

It is also important to share what God has done in your life since you accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour 35%.

How is your life different now? Do you have peace, joy and fulfillment? There will be very much that you can say.

Key Point: Make sure you have a plan and stay on track

Recently my wife attended an outreach event for women. The lady that spoke has an amazing story to tell and spoke for about an hour. Ninety percent of her testimony revolved around her past life which was traumatic. There was hardly any time left to explain her journey to faith and what God had done in her life since then.

We need to be mindful of that. I am going to list a few things that you shouldn’t do first of all:

Some Don’ts:

Make sure you speak at a steady pace and NOT at a million miles an hour.

Don’t bring glory to your past. It may have been colourful and even exciting. But you were lost and headed for a lost eternity.

Don’t get into minute detail. Keep it simple so that it is easy for your listener to understand.

Don’t look visibly disappointed if your listener says “ I am sorry, but its not for me”

Some Do’s:

Always be prayerful.

Always be ready to share your story when the opportunity arises.

Be enthusiastic and passionate about your story.

Make sure your story points people to Jesus.

Watch your listener to see if they are interested in what you are saying.

Keep an eye on the time.

If possible have your Bible ready to go through some scriptures if necessary.

Always carry tracts and church contact information so you can leave the person with something.

These short chapters are to encourage you to get out there talking to people about Jesus. You will be surprised what happens when you do. I say in my evangelism courses that sharing the Gospel is M.A.D.

In other words, it MAKES A DIFFERENCE. If you do nothing, it is very likely that nothing will happen. Whereas if you do something, there will always be an outcome of some kind.