Crafting your Personal Testimony

What is a testimony?

A testimony is a public account of something God is doing in your life.

The word “testimony” is used interchangeably with “witness”, and both are english translations of the Greek word “martys”. To give testimony is to give witness. A “martyr” is a witness, one who pays the ultimate price for one’s “witness” or “testimony.”

Every Christian became a Christian, at least in part, because of the testimony, or witness of someone else, whether it was a parent, grandparent, friend, leader, or even a stranger. (It makes sense to reflect on whose witness or testimony was instrumental in bringing you to Jesus.)

Being able to share what God has done in your life is essential to being able to share your faith with others.

Being asked to “share your testimony” is a great honour, because it gives glory to God and allows God to use you to inspire faith in others!

Not every Christian is well-versed in apologetics, or has studied the faith or the Bible intensively. However, every Christian can give witness to what God has done in their life, even one who encountered Jesus very recently for the first time.

There are 2 main kinds of testimonies:

1. How you came to know Christ, or a story of conversion.
   1. What was your life like before your conversion?
   2. How did you come to know Jesus and experience Him? What happened?
   3. What has your life been like since then? How is it different than before?
2. Something God has done, is doing, or is teaching you and how that has impacted or changed you.
   1. What are you experiencing right now, or were experiencing before God moved?
   2. How did God help you or change the situation?
   3. Is there a quote or Bible verse that God used to speak to you? Is there a lesson you learned from God through this experience? What message do you have for others?

In Scripture

• The demoniac that Jesus cleansed wanted to follow him. Instead, Jesus urged him to go home and give his testimony to all. How many of his friends and family were transformed by his witness? Luke 8:39
• Paul gives his testimony in Acts 26
• The woman at the well shares what Jesus had done, and others in turn came to believe. She had only met him earlier that day! John 4: 1-26
• “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” – 2 Corinthians 3:3
• Jesus to his disciples, before his Ascension: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
• “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” – 1 John 1:1
• “For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” -Revelation 12:10-11

Some points to consider first:

• “Your” testimony is really God’s testimony. By telling others what God has done, the focus is on Him and what He has done for you and in you. He gets all the glory! This should take some of the pressure off, since it is NOT about you, it is about Him.
• Your story is unique – you are the only one with your experience of what Jesus has done for you.
• Do not underestimate how powerful your testimony is, even if you may think it is simple.
• Having a short testimony is key to being an evangelizing Christian. Knowing what God has done for you, and having it top of mind makes it easier to share when you encounter an opportunity to share it.
• It’s okay if you don’t have a crazy story to share. The fact that you were homeschooled, or were raised a Catholic, or have never been a crack addict or been in jail does not mean you don’t have a good testimony. Jesus has transformed you, and that is the most amazing thing in the universe. Many people will relate to a simple story like yours, perhaps more than to one involving a darker back-story.

Best Practices

• Keep it short, keep it simple. This is not an autobiography… you should focus on the main points in your life, not on telling every part of your history since birth.
• 3-5 Minutes: A great length when presenting your testimony publicly. However, once you’ve reflected and prepared a testimony, you should be able to share a version of it in less than a minute. This is helpful if you have an opportunity that only lasts a short time.
• Stick to facts, and don’t try to embellish your story to make it more interesting.
• Have faith that God will use your witness to change others. This is how the message of Jesus spreads!

Want to learn more?