THREE MINUTE TESTIMONY

Welcome back to the Discipleship blog series. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here.
Last time we learned to tell God’s story from Creation to Judgement and the reason for telling this story.

In today’s post, we will learn how to share Your Story.

​As followers of Jesus, we are “witnesses" for Him, because we “testify” about the impact Jesus has had on our lives. Your story of your relationship with God is called your Testimony. It's powerful, and it's something no one can share better than you.

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things, (Luke 24:45-48).

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” (Acts 1:8).

Everybody has a story. This is a chance to practice yours.

Choose one or two followers to practice with and then pick 5 names from your List of 100. Make sure you choose people in the category “non-Christian” or “unknown spiritual status.”
Practice your testimony - your story of Jesus - by having your practice partners pretend to be 1 of the 5 people you chose from your list.
Practice shaping your story to make it specific for each of the 5. You should be able to share a short version of your story in about three minutes.

There are endless ways to shape your story, but here are some ways that we’ve seen work well with others: You can share a simple statement about why you chose to follow Jesus. This works well for a brand new believer.
You can share your “before” and “after” story - what your life was like before you knew Jesus and what your life is like now. Simple and powerful.

You can share your “with” and “without” story; what your life is like “with Jesus” and what it would be like “without Him”. This version of your story works well if you came to faith at a young age.
When you finish sharing, let your practice partner take their turn. Keep going back and forth until you’ve both finished your five.

Want to make an even greater impact? When sharing your story, it’s helpful to think of it as part of a three-part process:

• Their story - Ask the person you are talking with to share about their spiritual journey.
• Your story - Then share your testimony shaped around their experience.
• God’s story - Finally share God’s story in a way that connects with their worldview, values and priorities.

And if you’re worried about how to get started - just keep it simple. Just share a statement of why you decided to follow Jesus. God can use your story to change lives, but remember - you’re the one who gets to tell it.
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Have you practiced your testimony before?

Do you have someone with whom you can practice?

If not, would you consider practicing with us? Give us a call at 289-812-0661 and let’s get started.