You
Your Own Personal Testimony
This information is an addition to my book.
Remember: Evangelism is not about guilt. “Be ready” in 1 Peter 3:15 simply means a learning process. Nobody is automatically ready. And different people need help in different ways to get ready. Becoming ready takes preparation. Inexperience is not a sin. Learning to witness is part of our spiritual growth. This process just requires intentionality. If you don’t have any intentionality, you wouldn’t be reading this blog. Just keep moving forward.
Do NOT assume that you have to witness to everybody. You won’t need apologetics. You won’t need answers to all the questions you think you’re going to be asked.
Let’s start with you. Your personal testimony.
Do the following.
1. Tell yourself how and when you got saved
Insert the message of the Gospel into this answer. Write it down in bullet points. Not a dissertation. Bullet points.
Let these questions guide you but will not get attached too them.
- What were you like before you got saved?
- What were the circumstances that motivated you to repent of your sins and ask Jesus to save you?
- What did you discover about Jesus that motivated you to change your mind and ask Him to save you?
- How different has your life become since then? Do NOT include a lengthy description of this in your story. Just a statement or two.
2. Why?
You need a starting point. If you are not sure about your own personal salvation, then write to me and let’s talk.
3. Situation
Imagine someone asks you what you believe about God. Don’t panic.
4. Solution
Remember your bullet points? Imagine giving that person your bullet points. Nothing more. This will require that you think about your testimony over and over. Tell it to yourself a number of times until you no longer stumble over your words. Take your time.
5. Revision
Read through this point (5) before “doing” anything. Your personal testimony is important.
Now let’s revise your bullet points. Slow down! Take your time. And
let’s keep this little speech under three minutes. Only three minutes.
Trust me. I know what I’m doing. Only three minutes.
- How many of your bullet points talk about you and how many talk about what Jesus did for you?
- Refine your bullet points by starting with those that talk about what Jesus did for you, and then add only those other ones that are vital to support what Jesus did for you. 20/80 rule. Twenty percent about you and eight percent about Jesus and what He did for you on the cross. I can’t emphasize this enough. Talk far more about Jesus than about yourself. Keep it under three minutes.
Take these FOUR steps to complete your revision.
First. Keep “a” under 15 seconds. Why? You are not important in this conversation.
Second. Keep “b” under 30 seconds. Why? This is just background information.
Third. Spend two minutes on “c.” The Gospel! Make it as clear and simple as possible.
This step "c" is very important. Why? Because Jesus is more important to the other person than you are. Jesus saves. We don't. We are the conduit, not the solution. Therefore, we need to focus on the lion, not the lamb.
You should include the following in your personal testimony.
1) Recognize your own personal sin
2) Recognize your need of God’s forgiveness
3) Recognize what Jesus did for you: dying on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead and promising you eternal life in heaven with Him
4) Asking God for his forgiveness
5) Wanting to love and obey Jesus for all He’s done for you
Fourth. Keep “d” under 15 seconds. Closure. You gave them what they asked for. If they want more,
they will ask.
Rewrite your answers.
6. Practice (intentionality)
Look at the wall and imagine a person standing there and you are giving this information to an unsaved person who asked you about your faith.
Time yourself. Remember, the imaginary person you are speaking to is unsaved.
Do this a number times until you don’t need your notes.
When you feel comfortable talking about how you got saved, find a believer, who is a friend, and ask them if you can give them your “personal testimony” and have them evaluate the message of the gospel in “c.” Was the gospel message clear?
Then ask your friend about your presentation. Important: your message in “c” is a million times more important than your presentation. The Holy Spirit will use your message far, far more to convict an unsaved person than He will use your presentation. Don’t change what you wrote down, just because your friend is a believer.
Based on their honest and frank opinion, revise the bullet points of your personal testimony, again, if need be.
7. Evaluation. If you want, you can send me your testimony and I will give you my input.
8. Start “thinking” about those around you. Don’t “do” anything yet, just think about them.
A. TEACHING AND QUESTIONS
concerning your personal testimony
1. Under what circumstances do most people get saved? This is not a trick question, and you probably don’t know the answer.
A long time ago, a Christian organization surveyed 14,000 believers with one question: “What or whom did God use to bring you to Jesus?”
Here are the options with blanks for percentages. What percentage of the 14,000 believers were led to Jesus through the following. Guess by filling in the blanks before reading any further!
- Evangelistic crusade ______
- Visitation program ______
- Special needs ministry, like drugs or abortion ______
- Walking into church on Sunday morning ______
- Evangelistic church program ______
- Sunday school ______
- Visit from a pastor ______
- Friend or relative ______
Did you guess before reading further? It will impact you more, if you do.
The Results
Evangelistic crusade _____0.5%_______
Visitation program _____1-2%_______
Special needs ministry,
like drugs or alcohol rehab _____1-2%_______
Walking into church
Sunday morning, Gospel sermon _____2-3%_______
Evangelistic program,
intentional outreach by the church _____2-3%______
Sunday school, usually children _____4-5%______
Visit from a pastor _____5-6%______
Friend or relative _____75-90%____
The apostle Paul related to people primarily as individuals. Acts 17:17, “So he reason in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshipped God, as well in the marketplace, every day with those who happen to be there.”
How do most people get saved? Through one-on-one with a friend or relative. Through you.
2. So why only three minutes? Attention span of the recipient. No one walks away from a three-minute response, and two minutes is long enough to present everything a person needs to know about how to get saved. Once you’ve practiced a few times, you won’t be caught off-guard anymore.
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to spend more time talking about what Jesus did for you than talking about yourself. People get saved by hearing the gospel, not by hearing about our pathetic lives. They probably have their own pathetic lives, and they need a solution. Your testimony has to be Jesus-centered, not you-centered. Our experiences do not save us. Jesus does that.
Note. Everybody has a different testimony, but the gospel is the same every time. NEVER compare your testimony with someone else’s. It’s irrelevant. Focus on the gospel.
B. ASSIGNMENTS
Connected with Your Personal Testimony
1. If you want to make a three-minute video of your testimony and send it to me, I’ll discuss it with you.
2. For the next lesson. Don’t “do” anything. Yet Just “think” about all your the unsaved people you know. Can you put them in categories in your mind?
Read the next blog post.