PERSONAL TESTIMONY
DEVELOPMENT
Welcome to the CMF Training page on DEVELOPING YOUR OWN PERSONAL
TESTIMONY. Sharing our faith is fundamental to being a believer in the Saving Work of the Cross.
You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,
By the deeds that you do and the words that you say.
Men read what you write—distorted or true;
What is the gospel according to you?
Anonymous
According to Eastmon’s Bible Dictionary, the word Gospel means “good news.” It is the rendering of the
Greek evangelion, i.e., “good message.” What good news? Paul captured the essence of the “good news”
in 1 Cor 15:1-5:
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on
which you have taken your stand. [2] By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word
I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
[3] For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according
to the Scriptures, [5] and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
The Gospel message is that Jesus died for sins on the Cross and rose again to sit at the right hand of the
Father. By the fact that He died and rose again, we too, by faith in His atoning death and resurrection, can
be born again into a new life in Christ that will endure for all eternity with Him.
That we are saved should be manifest in how we live our lives and what we share about our faith in Jesus
Christ. We call this our “Testimony.” The simplest testimony in the Scriptures is found in the story of the
Blind Man in John chapter 9. This is the one-verse testimony:
John 9:25 “He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was
blind but now I see!”
It may be easy for a non-Christian to argue with our theology or opinions, but he cannot argue with our
personal experience. It’s a lot like the blind man referenced above. The Pharisees questioned his
conversion theologically up one side and down the other, but all their arguments fell flat in light of the
blind man’s testimony of a changed life.
Can you articulate your personal testimony of how Christ saved you out of your sin? We want to help you
learn to share your personal testimony in a concise and articulate manner. But before we get into that,
let’s look at a few of the verses from the Bible on being a witness for Jesus Christ.
BIBLICAL
MOTIVATION
Why do we need to develop a personal testimony?
We are commanded to be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have.
1 Peter 3:15 – But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this
with gentleness and respect,
We are Commanded to witness to others.
Mark 16:15 – He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all
creation.
2 Tim. 4:5 – But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an
evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
We are Commissioned to witness to others.
1 Thes. 2:4 – On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the
gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.
2 Cor. 5:19-20 – That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s
sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. [20] We are
therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We
implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
We should be concerned about the souls of those who are Lost.
Romans 9:3 – For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake
of my brothers, those of my own race,
Matthew 18:10-14 – See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you
that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11] The Son of Man
came to save what was lost. [12] What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one
of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one
that wandered off? [13] And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one
sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. [14] In the same way your Father in
heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.
Read Acts 26. This is Paul’s personal testimony before Agrippa.
How long did it take you to conversationally read Paul’s
testimony?
Was Paul preaching to Agrippa or sharing? What is the
difference?
Time: 2-3 Minutes only
Accumulate brief notes about your life on three separate sheets
of paper labeled:
1) Before – What you life was like before you were born
again. For many people who were raised in a Christian
home, this can be ambiguous. If this represents you, write
about what your life was like before you really got serious
in how you lived your life for Christ. Some people would
call this the point of yielding completely to the Lordship
of Jesus Christ.
2) How – Here write about how you came to Christ, to trust in
Him. Did a friend lead you to Christ? Did you undergo a
set of circumstances that brought you to a saving
relationship in Christ? Again, if you were raised in a
Christian home, write about what event transpired in your
life to lead you to a Lordship decision to commit
wholeheartedly to Christ.
3) After – Write about what your life has been like since you
trusted Him and fully committed your heart to him.
REMEMBER – HELPFUL HINTS!!!!!
- Make it sound conversational.
- Say “I” and “ME”, not “YOU”.
- Avoid religious sounding words, phrases or jargon.
- Generalize so more people can identify with your
story.
- Include some humor and/or human interest.
- One or two word pictures increases interest.
- In the “BEFORE” include both good and bad aspects
of your life.
- Is the Gospel communicated clearly?
- Are my opening and closing definite or are they
wishy-washy? Avoid dogmatic statements.
- Sound adult, not juvenile.
- Remember:
(1) It is designed for a non-Christian.
(2) It is best suited for sharing one on one or in a
small group.
(3) It is to be a “door opener,” not a convincing tool