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| Photo by Pam Williams |
Romans 10:
14-15 tell us that in order for others to become Christians we need to tell
them about Jesus. Sharing what Jesus did for us gives others hope that He will
do the same for them.
Friends and
family are interested in how God became real for us. They may resist
finger-pointing, guilt-instilling lectures, but they want to know what makes us
tick—and God is a huge factor in that.
Each episode
of God working in our lives is like a scene from a play. When they are all put
together they become a complete story—our testimony. Our testimony helps us and
others understand how much God loves us and how He is working to bring us into
a right relationship with Him. God can then use that story to minister to
others.
In the third
part of our testimony we focus on how our encounter with Jesus has affected our
lives, whether we became Christians at a young age and can’t
remember a time when we didn’t
believe in Jesus or we put our trust in him after we were grown. Like the difference between a caterpillar and a butterfly, those changes affect how we approach life and how we react
to what life throws at us.
These
questions might help us reflect on life SINCE encountering Jesus: Why am I a
Christian? How does knowing Jesus now compare to my previous (childhood,
adolescent) faith?
How did/does
knowing Jesus address the longings, desires, and restlessness that I identified
in my life before encountering Jesus? Am I just beginning to deal with these
matters, or have they been completely transformed?
What changes
have I seen God make in my attitudes and actions? These could be subtle or
obvious changes. How long did
it take before I noticed any changes?
Our
testimonies are very individual and personal. No two are alike. Some
testimonies will have a longer “before’ section, while others will write more
at length about their life “since” encountering Jesus. One person’s story may
be complex and intricate; another person’s story will be simple and brief.
There is no right or wrong style, length or vocabulary to a testimony. That’s
what is so amazing! God reaches out to each of us wherever we are, connecting
us with those He knows we can relate to, using the approach He knows will be
most effective for us.
Note: This is part five in my posts on sharing our faith story. Stop back Sunday for the final chapter in the series.
Many blessings!
Pam
©2015 Pamela D. Williams
