Your Story: A Powerful Witnessing Tool - Part 2

This past weekend, I conducted a quick training workshop at the church where I was preaching on how to engage people in spiritual conversations during a special event such as a fall festival or community event. They were having a Fall Festival in the evening for the community.

During the workshop, one attendee said to another, "You have such a wonderful testimony. I really don't have that much to share with people."

As I dug deeper into her story, I discovered that her statement was not true at all. She had a wonderful Christian background influenced by a very godly mother. I told her how God could use that part of her testimony as well as anything. "Just because you don't have anything dramatic in your past, it does not mean that God can't use your story," I said.

Every Christian has a story. It may not be earthshaking, but it is a means that God can use to draw people to Christ. Most importantly, it is God's story of how He worked in your life. The question that I hear from people is, "How do I organize my story?"

A simple outline of your personal testimony follows:

1. What was my life like before I met Jesus Christ?
2. How did I come to meet Jesus Christ?
3. How has my life been different since meeting Jesus Christ?

Consider Paul's testimony before King Agrippa again. (Be sure to click on each of these links and read the passages.) In Acts 26:4-11, we see his description of his life before meeting Jesus. He talked about his Jewish heritage and how he persecuted the church. In Acts 26:12-18, Paul described his Damascus Road encounter with the Risen Christ. And in Acts 26:19-23, Paul describes how he became a proclaimer of the very message that he had sought to eradicate.

If you have never thought about your personal testimony before, find a sheet of paper and write it out according to the above outline. Each section should contain two to three paragraphs as a minimum. However, you want to be able to share this testimony in 2-3 minutes with anyone.

I would love to help you refine your testimony. Write it out and e-mail it to info at onlyfoundation dot org. I will review your outline and make helpful suggestions on how to share it effectively. Once you have it down, I would encourage you to share it with someone who has never met our Savior within one week of writing it out.