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.