“Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defense.” When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater. (Acts 22:1–2)
What is a testimony? It is basically your story of how you came to faith in Christ. In fact, I think it is one of the most effective tools in a believer’s evangelistic toolbox.
Think about the apostle Paul, who was one of the greatest intellects who ever lived. He also was a powerful orator. Yet on almost every occasion when Paul was preaching the gospel, he started with his testimony, his story of how he came to Christ. Why did he do that? He understood that through his testimony, he was able to build a bridge to his listeners.
That is the objective in sharing the gospel. It is always to build a bridge, not burn one. It seems to me that a lot of times when we are trying to connect with nonbelievers, we will burn that bridge straightaway by saying something obnoxious. Or, we will use verbiage they don’t understand. But our objective should be to communicate as well as we can.
So what exactly is a testimony? It is your story. You might say, “Well, Greg, my testimony is not all that dramatic. I was never addicted to drugs. I didn’t have a life of crime.”
But every testimony is valid. And here is the bottom line: every Christian’s story is essentially the same. Whether you have served prison time or have lived a relatively moral life, your story as a follower of Christ is simply this: You were separated from God. You heard the gospel. You came to faith in Jesus Christ.
And here is the great thing: although your story may not be dramatic, it is someone else’s story too. As you share your testimony, you are building a bridge to another person and then you can walk over that bridge with the message of the gospel.
