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Developing Your Personal Testimony Part I

Every Christian has a testimony! The issue right now is putting it together so you can share it with others. Let's work it like a puzzle. This will be the most important puzzle you'll ever put together in your whole life. The first four pieces deal more with how to deliver your testimony, and the last four pieces deal with developing your testimony.

Puzzle Piece #1: Strive to keep your testimony around three minutes. You don't want your testimony to turn into a 30-minute sermon. Keep it concise so your friend won't daydream himself into the ozone layer while you're droning on and on.

Puzzle Piece #2: Be expressive. After all, you're sharing the most important thing in your life. So be interesting. Talk with excitement. Use your past experiences. Listeners relate better to personal stories. This will arouse some interest.

Puzzle Piece #3: Share some Scripture. This is important so you can back up what you're saying. This means you may need to start reading your Bible more and memorize some key verses.

Puzzle Piece #4: Be sensitive with your language. Instead of saying, “Can I tell you about something exciting in my life?” try saying, “Can I share something exciting in my life?” There's a difference between telling and sharing. Using the word “telling” makes some people feel as though you're pointing your finger at them. But “sharing” sounds more friendly. And that's exactly what you want to create-a friendly situation. No one likes to feel stressed or trapped into listening.

The next three puzzle pieces deal specifically with the unique parts of your personal testimony. Without these pieces, you don't have a testimony.

Puzzle Piece #5: Your Life BEFORE You Met Christ. What was your lifestyle like? What did you think? Include attitude and habits. Examples: “I was selfish. I thought about using others to get ahead. I was only interested in what I could get out of life. I partied a lot, always searching for something better . . . anything that would make me feel good for the moment was an option.”

Know It!
Why is it so important to have a testimony? So you can lead others to Christ. Yes, you can share God's Word with them, but a life changed by God's word shouts volumes! Be willing to put a lot of time and effort in developing your testimony. Again, it's the most important puzzle you'll ever piece together!

Read It!
Romans 1:16; Acts 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:1-2.

Pray It!
Ask God to give you a burden for those who don't know Him and a boldness to share your testimony.

Developing Your Personal Testimony Part II

You may not be able to develop your testimony overnight. It would be wise to stretch it out over a few days and let each puzzle piece simmer in your mind. If you have trouble remembering a specific part of your testimony (such as what you were like before you accepted Christ as your Savior), ask those closest to you for their input. Your parents, your youth leader and a close friend may be able to give valuable input.

Puzzle Piece #6: How You Came to Know Christ. Be specific with this. Don't say something like, “Then I met Christ, and everything changed for the better.” How did you meet Him? Share where and when, too.

Some people honestly can't remember a specific time when they became a Christian. That's okay. Don't start thinking you'll be banned from heaven just because you can't come up with a certain date. But it's important that you know this: No one is simply born a Christian. We all have to make a decision to follow Christ and actually ask Him to forgive our sins and take control of our lives. You may remember a general time in your life rather than a specific day and year when this happened. Share that.

You also want to emphasize that your relationship with Christ is a free gift. Make sure your friend understands that he can't earn it. You may want to create an illustration of giving a present to him. It's not really his until he accepts it.

Examples of how one could come to know Christ: “I was at a Christian concert, and the singer challenged us to let God take control of our lives. I knew I was sure tired of being in charge and going nowhere. So, when he asked us to stand up if we wanted to make that decision, I stood. It was then that I prayed and accepted God's gift of forgiveness.”

Or . . . “Our youth group had a winter retreat. I was really searching for some answers. Besides feeling lonely, I just lacked a purpose for living. Life didn't make much sense to me. On Saturday night our youth leader said he was going to pray out loud, and if any of us wanted to accept Christ as our Savior, we could repeat the prayer silently. So I did. That's how I met Christ. Now He lives inside me and is changing my life for the better!”

Or . . . “I'd tried everything I could think of to fill the void in my life. Nothing worked. One morning at church, I finally decided to listen to the pastor's sermon instead of sleeping through it. Everything he said made sense! I finally understood that Jesus really is the answer. That's when I gave Him my life!”

Know It!
Though you may initially feel unsure about sharing your testimony, God will bless your efforts.

Read It!
Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 2 Timothy 1:6-8; 2 Timothy 2:1- 2.

Pray It!
Ask God to bring someone specific to your mind with whom you can share the gospel.

Developing Your Personal Testimony Part III

Grab a notebook and designate it your prayer journal. List the names of people you know who aren't Christians and begin praying for them. Also, designate this notebook as the place you'll write and hone your testimony.

Puzzle Piece #7: Your Life AFTER You Met Christ. Share the specific changes that have happened as a result of making Jesus Lord of your life. Share what Christ means to you now. Talk about the excitement you experience from your relationship with Him.

Be careful to avoid giving the impression that your life is now free from problems, because realistically, everyone will continue to face hardship. Share the difference: Now you have Someone to face the hard times with you and provide the wisdom and strength to handle them.

Examples of specific changes: “Now I have a reason to live. Everything is in perspective. He's given me a genuine concern for other people. I really want to help others. I'm not always thinking about myself-I'm learning how to meet the needs of those around me.

“Every day is a new day. It blows my mind that He loves me even though He knows I'm still a jerk a lot of times. Life is kind of like an adventure now. I mean, I'm walking hand-in-hand with the Master of the universe!”

Puzzle Piece #8: Share Scriptures. The following Scripture passages provide more information on how you became a Christian. You might want to use some of these in your testimony; if not, keep them handy to answer any questions your friend might have. These are also great verses to memorize!

• John 3:16

• Romans 3:23

• Romans 5:8

• John 1:12

Know It!
Now that you have the pieces to putting the puzzle of your testimony together, it's time to get started. Grab your notebook and make three sections: 1. My Life BEFORE I Met Christ. 2. How I came to know Christ. 3. My life AFTER I met Christ. Now begin writing! After you've put the pieces together, read your testimony out loud and time yourself to see if it's too long or too short. When you've honed it to approximately three minutes, ask your parents, your minister or Christian friend if you can practice on them.

Read It!
There's no time like right now to familiarize yourself with the above Scriptures that you'll want to use when sharing your faith.

Pray It!
Ask God to help you feel confident and secure about your testimony.

Giving Your Personal Testimony

Now that you have your own personal testimony, let's chat for a few seconds about how you present it.

Whaddya mean? I just give it, right?

Well . . . yes. But there are some other things worth mentioning that'll help you feel good about yourself when sharing it. You may be a bit nervous; and that's okay. You're normal. But you want to feel confident when sharing Christ, so here are a few security boosters.

Booster #1: The way you look. YOU may be the only picture of Jesus your friend has ever seen. So, naturally, you want to look your best (no broccoli between your teeth!). And when you look good, you feel good. The result? Confidence. This is really simple stuff . . . making sure your hair isn't shifting out to another galaxy, having good breath (Seriously! Bad breath can be a real turnoff!), and just looking like you're well put together.

Exception: You're in the locker room. The time is right. The friend you've been praying for suddenly seems interested in knowing more about Christ. You're in his world-go ahead and share your testimony. He'll relate. Don't jump up, run home and change clothes, come back and give your testimony. That's silly. Use common sense.

Booster #2: The way you think. Ask God to help you zero in on little clues your friends might be dropping that hint of their interest in knowing more about your relationship. Learn to be a quick thinker. Be alert! Listen for golden opportunities in class, the hallways, your school cafeteria, the practice field. Keep your spiritual eyes and ears open!

Booster #3: The way you talk. You'll remember a on September 22, I suggested using the word “share” instead of “tell.” Try not to use so much “churchy-sounding language” that your friend doesn't understand what you're saying. Make it a point to watch your general conversation as well. Don't tell questionable jokes to get a laugh. It's natural to want to be included by your non-Christian friends so you can eventually share Christ with them, but if you're being included at the expense of being like them instead of being different, your testimony will never be heard.

Know It!
Only God can provide the perfect timing, that golden opportunity, the exact right moment to share. If you try to force it or make it happen in your own power, you won't feel the confidence you need to be effective. The Holy Spirit will guide you. Learn to depend on Him to help you discern the right time to share your testimony. When the timing is God's timing, you'll be much more confident in sharing Him with others.

Read It!
Joshua 1:5-9; Joshua 1:18; Psalm 138:3; Proverbs 28:1.

Pray It!
Ask God to reveal any changes you need to make in your outward appearance or inward attitude before you start sharing your faith.

Practice Makes Perfect

Now that you've read about sharing your faith and have spent time developing your personal testimony, it's time to rehearse. Grab a close Christian friend and respond with some role playing to the following situations, okay? I'll get you started with a few lines in each scenario. After that, you're on your own! (If you'd rather do this by yourself, you can use your prayer notebook to write out your responses.)

Situation One: Doug's dad has been in a car wreck. You're not super close to Doug, but he's in your third-period history class. You sit across the aisle from each other and are casual friends. Doug's not a Christian and isn't from a Christian family.

Doug: Wow. I really bombed this test. Guess my mind's been on Dad. I'm really worried about him.

You: I'm sorry, Doug. How bad is he?

Doug: He's not gonna die or anything. He just broke a leg and two ribs. But it's weird seeing him helpless in the hospital, you know?

You: Yeah. Hospitals give me the willies.

Doug: But, you know, hanging around during visiting hours and peeking into some of the other rooms and stuff has really made me think about death. And life. And you know . . . where you go after you die.

You:

* * *

Missy and Brad just broke up after going together for 11 months. She's totally devastated.

Missy: I can't believe it's over.

You: Missy, I'm really sorry. I know you're hurting big-time, and I also want you to know I'm here for you.

Missy: You don't understand! He said he loved me! How can I ever be happy again?

You:

* * *

Jason's family just moved to your city. He's a lot of fun to be around, and you've started to become friends. You want to invite him to church and eventually lead him to Christ. He seems interested.

Jason: So whatcha doin' this Friday night?

You: Goin' to a pizza party with our youth group.

Jason: Fun people?

You: Yep. But they'd be even more fun if they knew you! How 'bout if I pick you up at 6 p.m.?

Jason: Well . . . I do love pizza. Hey, how come you're so involved in church, anyway?

Know It!
If you ask God to give you specific opportunities to share your faith, He'll provide them!

Read It!
Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 9:16; 1 Corinthians 15:2.

Pray It!
Ask God to give you an opportunity to share your faith today

Being Different Makes a Difference Part I

South Oak's gymnasium was filled with a mixture of sweat and popcorn smells and uncontrolled exhilaration. Less than 20 seconds remained in the last game of the season. The players couldn't even hear Coach Marston blaring instructions from the sidelines; the roar of the student body was too loud.

The band played the familiar school fight song while eight energetic cheerleaders led the crowd in one cheer after another. South Oak High School trailed by one, and two starters had fouled out earlier in the quarter.

Coach Marston called time-out and grabbed Shane. “Get the ball to Ryan as quickly as you can. It's not too late! We can still pull this one off.”

Shane and Ryan were a team within a team. Watching the two high-school juniors on the basketball court was like watching poetry in motion. They always seemed to be a step ahead of the rest of the players.

They'd pass the ball around to other teammates, but it was obvious they had more ability than anyone else on the entire squad. Now that every second counted, it was no wonder Coach Marston tossed teamwork out the window and told them to “do their thing.”

The buzzer sounded and the game was in motion once again. The opposing team started down the court with the ball. As Coach Marston barked out defensive instructions from the sidelines, Shane stabbed for the ball with his lightning reflexes and miraculously stole it fro the frustrated Eagle guard. Almost as if he had read Shane's mind, Ryan was already headed down the court waiting for Shane's pass.

Now with just eight seconds left on the clock, Ryan raced past two defenders to the hoop. With two seconds remaining, Shane lofted a pass to the basket, and Ryan rammed the ball through the hoop as the buzzer sounded South Oak's dramatic victory!

Almost immediately the team was mobbed with friends, family members and local newspaper sports photographers.

“Time to celebrate!” Kirk yelled to his teammates as he joined the massive celebration on the gym floor.

“Party!” screamed Ryan.

The locker room buzzed with plans for the night.

“Who's grabbing the 'brew?”

“My older bro's meeting us at Kwik Stop in half an hour. He said if we won tonight, the first case is on him,” announced Clark.

“All right!”

“What are we waiting for? Let's get outta here! We've got some serious partying to do!”

“Hey, Shane! Why don't you loosen up for once and come with us this time?” invited Kirk.

“Yeah, Shane. It's time you really became part of the team,” pressed Ryan.

“C'mon, guys, you know I don't drink.”

“So what? Just come and have fun with the rest of us. You don't have to drink,” Ryan continued.

“I can think of better things to do than watching you guys fall all over each other,” Shane laughed. “You can tell me all about it on Monday . . . the part you've able to remember, that is. Catch you later!”

Know It!
It may often be your closest friends who try to pressure you into doing something you know God doesn't want you to participate in. Stand strong . . . in His strength . . . and say no.

Read It!
Psalm 25:1-5; Psalm 25:14-15; Psalm 25:20-21; Psalm 26:11-12.

Pray It!
Ask God to help you live out your testimony through your act ions.

Being Different Makes a Difference Part II

Shane waited until Saturday afternoon to give Ryan a call. “How you doing, Ry?”

“Uhhh,” he moaned. “Can you come over? I wanna talk.”

“Sure, but it doesn't sound like you're I the best of shape right now. Are you sure this is a good time?”

“No, it's not a good time, but I want to talk to you anyway, man. Please, Shane. Just get here.”

Shane placed the receiver in its cradle and headed toward Ryan's. As he heard his screen door slam, he couldn't help but remember all the great times they'd had the past five years. He smiled as he recalled their first meeting on the baseball field in the Blue Tigers Little League. Ryan had his cap on backward-his symbol of doing things “his way.” They had collided during practice when both were going for a fly ball. Even though their white practice pants were covered with dirt and grass stains, the boys laughed hysterically. That day marked the beginning of a close friendship.

The following year, Ryan's family moved into a neighborhood in Shane's school district, and the two had become even closer. Though Ryan sometimes accepted his invitation to attend church, Shane was still praying that he'd become a Christian.

As he turned the corner to drive the last five blocks to Downing Street, he remembered how close Ryan had been to making a spiritual decision last summer when he had agreed to attend church camp. Though he was desperately interested in knowing God better, it was obvious something was still holding him back.

Now, as they were in the middle of their junior year, Shane worried that he was completely losing Ryan to the party scene. It had become a Friday night ritual for the rest of the team to get drunk after every game- whether they won or not. Ryan had fallen prey to the pressure.

As he shut the car door and climbed the porch steps, Shane wondered what he could say to his friend this time had he hadn't already said before.

Know It!
You may spend years sharing your faith to the same person. And he may continue to put you off and make excuses as to why he's not ready to accept Christ. Don't give up! Remember, Jesus didn't give up on you. It may be frustrating, but keep loving your friend, continue sharing your faith and never stop praying!

Read It!
Psalm 37:7; Psalm 40:1; Habakkuk 3:16; Romans 8:25.

Pray It!
Ask God for patience when you feel frustrated at the lack of spiritual progress from your non-Christian friends.

Being Different Makes a Difference Part III

Shane found Ryan in his bedroom with the curtains drawn and the lights off, obviously experiencing a major hangover. Shane sat on the floor beside the bed and spoke softly.

“You look awful!”

“Tell me something I don't know,” Ryan responded. “Someone slipped some 'X' in my drink last night. Ohhh. My insides feel like they've been ripped apart with a lawn mower.”

Shane didn't know a lot about 'X,” other than the fact it was short for “ecstasy” and was a powerful and popular drug making the rounds at his high school. “Ry, do you really think it's worth it? I mean, look at you!”

“That's what I want to talk to you about, Shane. I've known you for a long time. No matter how many times I've screwed up, you've remained a real friend.”

“Hey, listen —“

“No. You listen! I know I'm not in real good shape right now, but I do know what I'm talking about. You've always been a good guy. The only reason I started partying was because I couldn't say no to the pressure. I just wanted to be included, you know?”

“I hear you.”

“But — you never gave in. Everyone knows what you stand for; they know how involved you are in your church and youth group. And most of the times I've gone with you, I've really enjoyed it. I've come real close several times to making a commitment to God, but something always holds me back.”

“I know. I've sensed that.”

“I want what you have, Shane. I need that strength. I don't want to keep giving in to the pressure of things that I really don't even want to do.”

“Ryan, that's great!” Shane yelled. As Ryan covered his ears and winced in pain, Shane remembered he should keep the volume down.

“Hold on,” Ryan continued. “I want to give my life to Christ . . . but I'm scared. And you can't tell anybody I said that!”

“C'mon, Ry! I'm your friend, remember?

“Yeah, yeah. Guess I'm just scared of all I know I'll have to give up to become a Christian.”

“Well, let's talk it out,” Shane said as he reached for the New Testament that was crammed in his hip pocket.

Know It!
You don't need to worry about what to say when God gives you a clear opportunity to share your faith. The same God who gives you the chance to witness will also place just the right words in your mouth.

Read It!
Isaiah 6:8; Isaiah 6:11; Jeremiah 1:6-10; Habakkuk 3:17-18.

Pray It!
Ask God to place His thoughts in your mind and His words in your mouth.