Evangelism: The Testimonial Style
Biblical
Example:
The blind man in John 9
Theme Verse:
I John 1:3a - We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.
Traits:
-
Clear communicator
-
Good listener
-
Vulnerable about your personal life, ups and downs
-
Overwhelmed by the account of how God reached you
-
See links between your experience and that of other people
Cautions:
Be sure to relate your
experience to the life of your friend. You need to first listen to them
to be able to connect your story to their situation.
Do not stop with merely telling your story. Challenge them to consider
how what you learned might apply to their life.
Don't downplay the value of your story because it seems too ordinary.
Ordinary stories relate best to ordinary people!
Suggestions for Using and Developing This Style
Practice so you will be able to tell your story without hesitation.
Keep Christ and the gospel message as the centerpiece of your story.
This is an account of how he changed your life.
Keep your story fresh by adding new and current illustrations from your
ongoing walk with Christ.
Team up with friends who have other styles that may be better matched to
the personality of the person you hope to reach.
The Blind Man's Testimonial Approach
Though we know less about him than we do about Peter or Paul, we can be
sure about this: the blind man healed by Jesus in John 9 had seen
something happen in his life that was worth talking about!
He'd been blind since birth, and regularly sat begging from people
passing by. But his routine quickly changed when Jesus came along and
gave him the gift of sight. No sooner was he able to see than he was
thrust in front of a hostile audience and asked to explain what had
happened.
It's interesting that the man refused to enter into theological debate
with them (John 9:25), though Paul probably would have been happy to
oblige them with a few compelling arguments. And he steered away from
direct confrontation, whereas Peter might have given them a shot of
truth. Those responses didn't fit who he was.
Instead, he spoke from his experience and confidently said, "One thing I
do know. I was blind but now I see!" That's a difficult declaration to
argue with, isn't it? It's pretty hard to escape the implications of
such a testimony, even from a fledgling Christian.
Notice that in verse 3 Jesus said this man had been born blind "so that
the work of God might be displayed in his life." That's an example of
what I've been saying: that we are custom-tailored for a particular
approach. God had been preparing this man all of his life for these
events and his telling them in a way that would point people toward
Christ.
And there are a lot of people who live and work around you who need to
hear a similar testimony about how God is working in a believer's life.
They might not respond very well to a challenge or an argument, but a
personal account of someone's coming to faith would influence them
powerfully.
Could that story be yours? Do you, like the man who had been blind, feel
comfortable telling others how God led you to Himself? Even if you
haven't done that yet, does the idea excite you? Stories like yours can
be powerful tools.
It's important to point out that effective testimonies don't have to be
dramatic. Don't exclude yourself from this approach because you have a
garden-variety testimony. Maybe you went to church and were religious
all your life before you realized that those things didn't make you a
Christian. But the story of how you moved from religion into a
relationship with Christ will be more relevant to most of your
acquaintances than a sensational story of someone coming to Christ out
of a life of witchcraft and drugs.
As a matter of fact, the difficulty of personally relating to the
dramatic testimony may give your friends an excuse. "People like that
need religion!" they might say. But your everyday story will relate to
their everyday life and show them that they, too, need the grace and
Lordship of God that you've found.
And if you do have a more dramatic story, ask God to lead you concerning
how much detail to give and to whom to tell it, so that they'll hear the
aspects of your experience they can connect with, and be drawn to seek
what you've found in Christ.
This information is adapted from the book and Participant's Guide,
"Becoming A Contagious Christian", by Lee Strobel, Mark Mittelberg and Bill Hybels
