Imagine the scene… You and your non-Christian friend have just settled down in time for the evangelistic meeting in the CU to start. You cringe because it looks like another ‘cheesy’ Christian event. Can it possibly get any worse? It does. You notice the president coming over, as flustered and disorganised as ever, and he’s asking if you will give your testimony… in two or three minutes! You just know it is going to be a disaster! Wouldn’t it be good to have a little time to think it through and to do it well?

Here is an opportunity to think through some of the issues involved in giving a testimony in public to equip you to share your testimony in a simple, clear and appealing way.

"Your testimony is a declaration of truth as you have experienced it. A testimony is your own story and not someone else's.As you prepare to give your testimony, remember that you are telling others what Jesus Christ has done for you.”

Testimonies are funny old things. Some culminate in a specific conversion experience after conviction of sin at a point in one’s life. Other people are unsure of when exactly this happened, maybe having been brought up in a Christian home. This is OK! It is not all-important that you remember your date of birth – what is important is that you are alive!

Some people feel bad and even struggle, thinking that they do not have a testimony worth hearing. They feel that unless they have led a life of extreme rebellion that was openly sinful, their testimony will have no impact. This is nonsense. Every conversion and new birth is a miracle of God’s grace – we must not be tempted to try and place them in different classes.

When sharing your testimony, it is helpful to set the scene and give some background to your story. This may involve giving some family history or describing your upbringing before you came to Christ. You will then need to elaborate on the circumstances that led you to come in repentance to God. This might be an influence of a Christian friend, a Christian camp, a difficult time in your life that challenged your previous outlook, culminating in your response to the gospel. Do go on to tell a little of what God has done in and through you since your conversion. Your conversion is not the end… it is only the beginning!

We want people who are listening to you to hear a first hand account of God dealing with an individual. We want them to hear that regardless of the personal circumstances, you recognised that it was faith in Jesus Christ and his work on Calvary that was the only way to bring peace with God, followed by a desire to live a life with him as Lord.

Things you do want to do!

• Try to begin with an attention catching sentence/question/statement to engage your listeners
• Speak up, so that everyone there can hear you
• Look at people as you speak to them – keep good eye contact, but do not stare!
• Emphasise the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross – he died as a substitute in your place satisfying the wrath of God so that you do not need to bear that punishment yourself and as a ransom to buy your freedom from the captivity of sin so that you can be a co-heir with Jesus
• Do keep it relatively short and sweet. Five minutes is more than enough time to say what you need to. A carefully prepared three-minute testimony will communicate far more than a prolonged story. You do not need to tell everybody everything about yourself! Highlight your previous condition, state what brought you to the point of trusting the gospel message and what has happened since. If you take the time to prepare in advance what you want to say, and how to say it, you will find that you won’t end up rambling, going off on tangents and recounting unnecessary details
• Be enthusiastic – if you cannot get excited about your transfer from Satan’s dominion to being a child of the King, what hope is there of expecting others to want to know more!
• Be honest. Tell it as it is.
• End with a challenge. Remind people that just as you were accepted and forgiven, so will all who turn to God in faith and repentance, even those there in the meeting!

Things you do not want to do

• Do not start by apologising for being there/get sidetracked before you begin
• Do not look down at the floor/mumble/stare at your notes all the time
• Do not use lots of Christian jargon as this just confuses people who don’t know what it means and makes them switch off. Writing out your testimony as a script or practising to a friend will make spotting the inappropriate lingo easier
• Do not use the opportunity to criticise others/your church/a Christian leader
• Do not think that now you have a captive audience you can take the opportunity to tell everyone something that you have been wanting to for ages. You are there to testify to God’s gracious work in your life, saving you from his righteous anger and punishment in hell, giving you a new status as a forgiven sinner will, and giving you every hope of an eternity in heaven if we persevere to the end. That is what you are there for – stick to the programme!
• Finally … do not feel the need to go into all the details of your life before conversion. Do not be tempted to think that the worse you make your former life sound, the more that it will magnify God’s grace. While we recognise that many people have gone through terrible circumstances/horrific relationships/led outwardly immoral lives, there also needs to be some sensitivity to those who are listening. This is not about shock tactics and the phrase ‘too much information’ needs to be borne in mind. Not only is there the temptation to make next week’s testimony even more ‘gory’ than this week’s, there are also times when certain ‘unhelpful’ information is given about an individual that is well known in the CU. This is something that is remembered every time they see this person - so think!!