Explore Panel: "How do I share my testimony with non-believers?"

BECOMING A MISSIONARY

March 2023

Everyone, whether they believe it or not, is part of a story and God is in it. We could even say it is God's story and we each have a part to play! How do we share our story of transformation in order to point people to Jesus? In this month’s Explore News , our missionary panel provides helpful direction on how to tell your story effectively.

This month's question was asked by Lisa, an Explore News subscriber.

Know Your Audience

“An important part of sharing your story is contextualizing it to the setting, culture, and situation you are in. A beautiful testimony can be lost on someone if we fill it with 'churchy' words or even words and phrases that aren’t used in that culture.

There are even themes that are more important in some cultures than others. This is where understanding worldviews comes into play. For example, the fact that Jesus takes away our guilt may not speak as powerfully to someone who lives in a context that places a higher emphasis on having honor and avoiding shame. Understanding culture and context can help you understand how to reframe your story and share truth with others in a way that will speak more powerfully.”

A Living Testimony
One of the biggest ways I share my testimony with non-believers is through how I live, the things I do, and the things I choose not to do. Simple things like having patience, forgiving someone after an argument, or just showing love when it is not expected go a really long way in my experience. And because of those actions, many times people ask me why I live the way I do and I am able to share about Jesus and what he has done in my life. I have also found it helpful and interesting to share the contrary side of my testimony, about who I would be if I did not have Jesus in my life. Through that, I can also share how he has changed me and made an impact in my life.

Mini Testimonies

“We actually just practiced this at a class at my church. We were challenged to share with someone we knew. I met my people that I wanted to share with but never found an opening. How do I tell my life story with people I already know well? But there are plenty of opportunities to share mini testimonies about how God is at work in our lives right now. And if they ask more about God working in those small ways, we can take them back to where it all began. I’ve just found that I need to be braver in talking about how I rely on God in these times and not just leave that out when sharing with non-believers.

In terms of testimony elements, we must focus on Jesus and make him the main character of our stories. The real point of the testimony is to show how Jesus has saved us. We have been changed but we are passive in that and Jesus is active. We also should never say we have always been Christian. We might have grown up in a Christian home and were really young, but we all have to have a saving encounter with Jesus and this is what our testimony story is about.”

A Story in Progress

“I ask myself, who am I talking with and where are they at in their interest in spiritual things? I want any sharing that I do to be as personal and natural as possible. That means I may emphasize different parts of my testimony with different people. But, in a big picture sense I try to look back at what steps God has brought me through along the way. I show that it was, and still is, a process in my life of knowing God and being confident in my relationship with him. I share about the sin, shame and fear I have dealt with, and how God continues to answer those things through what Jesus has done for us to bring me forgiveness, a place of close relationship with him and peace where I didn't have it without God. I've always been taught to share a before/during/after type of testimony. I think sharing those clear moments of decision are important and something that I do to share the contrast and difference that God makes, but I also have grown to understand how important it is to share that this is a process and that God is still at work in our lives now to bring good change. We aren't finished at conversion.”