Evangelism Training: Sharing your Testimony.

The Testimony Worksheet
1 Peter 3:15 tells us, “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Your personal testimony, the story of
what God has done in your life, is one of the best ways you can do this.
Although people can try to argue about the veracity of Christianityʼs claims, no one can
argue with what Christ has done in your life. It has been said that “a man with a
testimony is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.” People are often very
interested in what the God of the universe is doing on a personal level and they want to
know what He is doing in your life.
Remember the power of a testimony to reach others for Christ - Jn.4:39.
Remember the power of your testimony in the spiritual battle - Rev.12:11.
A testimony is most effective when it is concise, to the point and organized (see Paulʼs
personal testimony in Acts 26 for an example).
1.How to organize and write your personal testimony.
a.Ask the Lord to guide you as you write.
b.Prepare it in such a way that you can give it to groups or individuals. Keep it
concise and emphasize a personal commitment to Christ.
c. Try to keep it within a 3 minute time limit (see Paulʼs example again in Acts 26).
d.Be realistic and honest about what you include.
e.Consider your typical audience (those you will most often be communicating with)
and write it in a way that will relate to them.
f. Use a 3 point outline containing the following (your personal examples will go a
long way towards establishing your credibility with your audience so be real and
honest but also be appropriate):
i. What was your life like before Christ?
1.What were your attitudes, needs and problems?
2.What did your life revolve around? What was most important to you?
3.What did you look to for security, peace of mind and happiness and in what
ways did those leave you unsatisfied?
ii. What led you to put your trust in Christ?
1.Be very honest about how you came to that decision.
2.Do your best to summarize the gospel at this point and how you responded
to the gospel.
iii.What happened after you received Christ?
1.Contrast who you were before with who you are now and focus on the
change God has produced and is continuing to produce in your life.
g.Keep it focused: Avoid a “religious” approach - do not spend much time speaking
about your church activities. Avoid inappropriate details about your past. Avoid
mundane details about how you grew up. Stick to a theme.
i. Avoid the following terminology:
1.Do not make statements that reflect negatively on churches, other
organizations or people.
2.Avoid mentioning denominations.
3.Explain vague terms such as joyful, peaceful, happy and changed when
you use them.
4.Explain Biblical words such as saved, born again, converted and sin when
you use them (be careful not to speak “Christianese”).
2.Write out your testimony with these key components.
a.Begin with an attention getting sentence or short story.
i. Only use phrases, questions and examples that are natural and wonʼt make
your audience tense or uncomfortable.
b.Be positive from start to finish.
c. Keep the emphasis and focus on Christ throughout your testimony.
d.Be specific. Give enough details to arouse curiosity