What Makes an Effective Testimony?

One thing all believers have in common is a personal testimony, and your own testimony can be the most effective tool for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Why? Because it is personal, identifiable, factual, unarguable, and engaging.

Your testimony can be the thing that turns the conversation to spiritual things and makes them receptive to the message you have to share. It may be the thing that the Holy Spirit uses either to convict them or soften them up to hear about the death and resurrection of Christ.

Whether you share your testimony in front of an audience or a single person, you will want to make sure that your testimony is encouraging and clear on the specific issue of trusting Christ. Some testimonies are dramatic and inspiring – touching heart strings and connecting with others, but if your testimony does not tell someone exactly how that can have what you have, then it has not really changed anything for anyone. How do you tell your story in such a way that a non-Christian might say, “God used your testimony to bring me to Christ?”

In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, “You will be my witnesses…” Give the eyewitness account of what Christ has done for you so that they can see what Christ can do for them.

What Will Enhance Your Testimony?

BE CLEAR. Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again.

BE CLEAR. Eternal life is received by trusting Christ alone to save you.

BE CLEAR. Use terminology that non-Christians can understand.

BE CLEAR. Use the Bible but don’t try to teach the entire Bible.

BE CLEAR. Avoid mentioning church denominations.

BE CLEAR. Use a strong opening and closing line.

BE CLEAR. Keep it short.

Why Must We Be Careful in Encouraging People to “Accept Christ”?

Terminology matters. Use of the wrong terms can cause misunderstanding, especially if terms are not explained. Reader’s Digest once told of a German exchange student staying with a family in Illinois. The student was invited to an alcohol free prom party. So his host family faxed his parents in Germany asking permission for their son to attend. A quick response came, “No. We do not want our son attending any party where free alcohol is served.”

Terminology is important in spiritual matters as well. Nowhere is it more important than inviting people to come to Christ.

That’s why we must be careful when we tell the lost to, “accept Christ.” The problem is they might do it! The problem is they may accept Christ the way you accept me or I accept you – as no more than a person. A non-Christian who came to Christ in one of our outreaches said to me, “Years ago I accepted Christ. I felt he was the person He said He was and if I lived as good as He lived, I would go to heaven. I never knew eternal life is free and I had to trust Christ alone to save me.” To that testimony, I could add countless more.

“Wait a minute,” you might say, “doesn’t the Bible tell us to “accept Christ?” Yes – in one verse. Let’s look at that verse carefully.

John 1:12 tells us, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” “Received” would have the idea “accept”. How though do you “accept Him”? The last part of the verse explains, “To those who believe in His name.” You accept Christ by believing, i.e. trusting Christ alone as your only way to heaven.

When John talked about “accepting or receiving Christ,” be made it clear to accept Christ means to trust in Christ alone as your only way to heaven.

Conclusion? Ask people to do what the Gospel of John ask lost people to do – believe – that means trust in Christ alone to save them. If you use the phrase “accept Christ,” be sure to explain it the way the Gospel of John does.

Remember – terminology matters. Nowhere does it matter more than explaining to people how to receive the gift of eternal life.

What is My Role in Evangelism?

Perspective in evangelism is crucial and the right attitude and perspective can make a big difference in how you approach evangelistic opportunities. Perhaps you have said something like, “I am afraid to share Christ because I might be rejected” or “If I say the wrong thing, my friend might be lost forever,” or “I don’t have the gift of evangelism, so God can’t use me.”

Be assured that you are not alone. For many believers evangelism is the weakest part of their Christian life – not because they don’t care about the lost or don’t want to share the gospel, but because of a misunderstanding about their role in evangelism. Attitude affects action. Perspective affects performance.

The Role of the Non-believer in Evangelism

John 4 reveals that three people are involved in evangelism… the non-believer, the believer, and God. Let’s look at the first of these roles – the Non-believer:

The Non-believer – your friends, neighbors, relatives, coworkers – the ones with whom we seek to share the gospel.

The Scriptures describe them this way:
Dead – Ephesians 2:1, 2 – literally a walking corpse
And you he made alive, who were dead in your trespasses and sins , in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.

Blinded – 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 – veiled
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Spiritually foolish – 1 Corinthians 2:14 - unable to discern the spiritual
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Lost - Mark 6:34 – without a shepherd
And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.

Deceived and serving the world – Titus 3:3
For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.

Remember two things: 1) this is how you once were before someone shared the gospel with you; 2) seeing your friends and relatives this way will help you to have compassion on them…not wanting them to stay in this condition.

eToolbox: Where is “Tampering” Allowed?

R. Larry Moyer

It was an experience of a lifetime. A commercial airline pilot invited Tammy and I to go through the new assimilator at the DFW Airport. I piloted the plane into various airports, under varying weather conditions, through night and daylight situations. Never have I been so grateful for an experience. Never have I been so grateful it wasn’t a real plane!

The pilot warned me, “Don’t touch this button.” He showed me how it would send the plane into a nosedive. Pointing to other controls he said, “You may touch these.”

In piloting people in evangelism, there is a control you dare not touch. It’s called the gospel. That gospel is defined in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 and can be reduced to ten words: Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. That gospel is so close to God’s heart that He gives a severe warning to whoever tampers with it. Galatians 1:8 says, “But even if we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” In other words, “Let him suffer the discipline of God.”

However, methods do change. When it comes to the message, no change allowed. When it comes to the methods – be creative, think, brainstorm, and use variety. Change is allowed and even encouraged.

Changing Lives with the Gospel

AJ Rinaldi

Global warming, neo-Darwinism, casual sex, homosexuality, drug-addiction, moral relativism, abortion, pornography, instant gratification…the list goes on and on. These examples of “hot-button” topics illustrate a few of the issues that Christians deal with intellectually and emotionally every day at work, school, church and other social interactions. News stories center on these topics and how they impact American culture.

This word culture signifies something of importance to everyone, yet has many definitions. Of all the definitions for the term “culture” the following three best summarize the idea for discussing what all these issues mean today:

1. A particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period. (Greek Culture)
2. The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. (youth culture, drug culture, pop culture)
3. The sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another. (Anthropology)

Differentiating between Western, Eastern, and developing cultures is no longer practical in certain applications. The world is fast becoming a global society. Although major differences still exist and need to be understood, when it comes to issues of morality and lifestyle - isolationism is a thing of the past. Therefore we must be aware of what impacts a culture and how to respond.

How do we do that while operating through a biblical worldview? The answer is deceptively simple. We follow the example of Jesus and his disciples.

Throughout the New Testament, the gospel is the consistent solution to what ails the world. Jesus did not organize a protest. Paul did not advocate dissent and rebellion to the governmental authorities. The writers of the New Testament clearly state that the power to change the world was in changing individual lives with the gospel—Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.

Christians can be reasonably involved in society with grace and truth. However, believers can be most effective by exercising leadership within their sphere of influence; sharing the gospel to change hearts and minds one at a time…

Join the discussion at the Redeeming the Culture blog.

What Does it Mean to “Contextualize” the Gospel?

David Souther

What does it mean to “contextualize” the gospel to reach other cultures?

To “contextualize” does not mean to change the gospel message: “Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead!” That message has reached cultures around the world for the last 2000 years and will stay the same until Christ’s return.

Instead, “contextualize” means “to place into context.” In regard to the gospel, it means to communicate the good news in a way that is relevant. This is vital in evangelism. Each culture looks at the world in a specific way. If we ignore a person’s background and worldview, we risk communicating a gospel that is misunderstood and distorted.

One of the most effective ways to reach other cultures for Christ is to use appropriate illustrations. Because the unsaved mind is not accustomed to thinking in terms of Scripture, illustrations can clarify biblical truths. However, it is important to use illustrations that relate to your audience. An illustration about a home run would make no sense to someone who is unfamiliar with baseball.

Research the culture you are trying to reach in order to understand their point of view. This will help you select illustrations that your audience will understand. Jesus provides a great example of this. He used simple illustrations and stories about fishing and farming; two subjects with which His audience was familiar. In the same way, we need to find illustrations that speak to the culture of our audience to make the terms of the gospel as clear and simple as possible.

Join the conversation with David at the Worldwide Hope blog.

Guest Blogger: David Souther on the Gospel

A Response by David Souther to the following statement by Andy Stanley regarding the gospel:

“If we were able to rewrite the script for the reputation of Christianity, I think we would put the emphasis on developing relationships with nonbelievers, serving them, loving them, and making them feel accepted. Only then would we earn the right to share the gospel.”

While I agree with Pastor Stanley’s emphasis on developing relationships with non-believers, I don’t believe it is necessarily a prerequisite to sharing the gospel. As believers, we are called to be “salt and light” in our dark world. This involves both loving people and sharing the gospel.  The two go hand in hand and balance is key. As we love and build relationships with people, God may give us the opportunity to share Christ at any time. It could be in the first five minutes or it might take months to get to that point.

In addition, the gospel itself is the “power of God unto salvation.” Anytime we share the gospel, it alone is enough to lead someone to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. I have seen people come to Christ by hearing an evangelistic message, reading a tract, or watching an evangelistic film. In all of these situations, the question was not whether or not someone earned the right to share. The message alone was enough. “Faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17), and anytime we communicate the gospel, it has the potential of changing someone’s life and eternal destiny forever.

Guest Blogger at Church DNA

I recently responded to the following statement by Andy Stanley regarding the gospel over at Church DNA:

“If we were able to rewrite the script for the reputation of Christianity, I think we would put the emphasis on developing relationships with nonbelievers, serving them, loving them, and making them feel accepted. Only then would we earn the right to share the gospel.”

While I agree with Pastor Stanley’s emphasis on developing relationships with non-believers, I don’t believe it is necessarily a prerequisite to sharing the gospel. As believers, we are called to be “salt and light” in our dark world. This involves both loving people and sharing the gospel.

The two go hand in hand and balance is key. As we love and build relationships with people, God may give us the opportunity to share Christ at any time. It could be in the first five minutes or it might take months to get to that point.

In addition, the gospel itself is the “power of God unto salvation.” Anytime we share the gospel, it alone is enough to lead someone to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. I have seen people come to Christ by hearing an evangelistic message, reading a tract, or watching an evangelistic film. In all of these situations, the question was not whether or not someone earned the right to share. The message alone was enough. “Faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17), and anytime we communicate the gospel, it has the potential of changing someone’s life and eternal destiny forever.

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