The Four Parts of Sharing Your Story

By Pastor Rick Warren

In this short series, we’ve been looking at how to share your life message – what God wants to say through you to the world. We’re basing what we’re talking about on Psalm 96:2, which says, “Each day, tell someone that he saves.”

Today, I want to explain the different aspects of your testimony. You might remember, in our last post, we talked about how your personal testimony is one of the most effective tools you have for sharing the Good News about what Jesus has done in your life. Your testimony is unique, easy to understand, and approachable. People might debate facts, but they can’t refute something that happened to you. Your testimony has four specific parts.

 

1. What was my life like before I met Christ?

The first part of your testimony is sharing what your life was like before you met Christ. In other words, what were the common circumstances that other people would identify with? You don’t have to have lived through a scandal or a sensational story. Just ask yourself: what are the common circumstances I’ve lived through that unbelievers would identify with? 

Here are some questions you can ask yourself:

What were your attitudes prior to Christ that an unbeliever would identify with?

What was most important to you?

What was the substitute for God in your life?

Were you trying to find meaning through sports and fitness, success at work, marriage, sex, or making money? 

Were you trying to find meaning through having fun, entertainment, drugs, alcohol, popularity, or hobbies? 

 

2. How I realized I needed Christ. 

The second part of your testimony is sharing how you realized you needed Jesus. In other words, what were the circumstances that caused you to go, “I have a hole in my heart”? What significant steps led to your conversion? What were the needs, hurts, or problems that made you dissatisfied? Have you ever thought this through? Now is the time!

The important thing to remember with this step is that the longer you’re a Christian, the less you think like a non-Christian. You forget the way you felt before when you were living without God. Try to remember how it felt to be without hope. How did God get your attention? 

 

3. How I committed my life to Christ. 

The third part of the testimony is how you committed your life to Christ. What did you do specifically? Where did it happen? When did it happen? What did you say in a prayer? This is where you need to be specific.

It’s helpful to help the person you’re sharing with understand that the death and resurrection of Jesus is what gives us access to God. In other words, we can only get to heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. To receive Christ, we each need to acknowledge we have fallen short and admit we need a Savior, believe in Jesus, confess our dependence on Jesus, and depend on God’s promises. This resource can help you if you need help sharing this step.

 

4. The difference following Jesus has made in my life.

The fourth part of a testimony, and this is the most important part, is the difference it’s made in my life. What benefits have you experienced or felt? What problems have been resolved in your life? How has Jesus helped you change for the better? How has he helped you in relationships? Give a specific example or several.

Begin writing these down and crafting the parts of your personal testimony. In the next part of this series, I’ll be sharing some specific tips to help make your testimony effective and relevant.

In the meantime, if you missed part one of the series, you can read and watch it here.

 

For more resources on how to share your story, visit the Believers page on the Finishing the Task site at https://finishingthetask.com/believers/