5 reasons to share your story…

Have you ever been so engrossed in a story that you don’t want to miss a word the person says?

When we have these kind of experiences with stories it makes me think, why don’t Christians tell their testimonies that way?

What is a testimony?

It is an explanation of what God has done and it is a witness to God’s grace in your life. A testimony in the Bible would be Acts 26:1-26.

I’ve heard so many people say that they don’t have a testimony, or that they don’t know what to say or why anyone would care about their story. However, that is the wrong way to think about a testimony and it is simply not true! Every Christian has a story, and every Christian’s story is worth sharing.

In 2018 I gave a seminar twice on ‘telling your testimony’ and so I thought I would condense it and give you just 5 reasons why you should tell your testimony.

1. Your story is unique

No one person in the world has the same story as to how God broke into your life; maybe it was later in life or maybe you grew up in a Christian home and just realised one day that you needed Jesus. Not every story needs to have some crazy rebellion story. When I hear a testimony of someone who was raised in a Christian home and became a Christian themselves at an early age, I am so happy. It is marvellous! Each story is different.

2. We live in a story driven world

People love to hear stories and many people will listen to a story of how God changed your life, when they might not listen to a talk about who God is. We see this in the Bible when Jesus heals a man possessed by demons in Luke 8 and he begs Jesus to let him go with them. But in Luke 8:39 Jesus says to the man “Return home and tell how much God has done for you“. The man’s life had been completely changed, he is a living and breathing testimony to God’s goodness and he’s told to go and tell people.

A similar thing happens in John 4 with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus speaks to the woman and she understands that He is the Messiah and we are told in John 4:28 ” Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I’ve ever done. Could this be the Messiah?‘”

This woman is enthusiastic about Jesus and so she goes and tells people about Him, and what is the result? John 4:39 “Many of the Samaitans from that town believed in him [Jesus] because of the woman’s testimony” Her testimony, her story of how she met Jesus brought people to him. But it doesn’t stop there, her testimony brought people directly to Jesus and in v41 we read “And because of his [Jesus’] words many more believed“.

People want to hear stories and every Christian’s testimony should draw people to the person who changed that individual’s life, Jesus!

3. Your story can help others

One of the reasons we love stories so much is because they often strike a cord within us, maybe you have experienced something that another person is currently dealing with. Telling your testimony might help them, see God in their struggle, see the light at the end of the tunnel, or give them hope that they aren’t alone. Some of the best conversations that I have had with people have been after I have shared my testimony, people are more open and willing to speak to you because you’ve just opened up your life in front of them.

4. It helps you remember your ‘first love’ and God’s goodness

When a person first becomes a Christian they’re so enthusiastic and excited about their faith, but sadly as time goes on many people loose their passion and enthusiasm. The church in Ephesus is addressed in Revelation 2:1-7 and the charge against them in v4 is “you have forsaken the love you had at first”. This can also be true for Christians!

If we are telling people our testimony then we are constantly remembering what God has done in our lives and how He has been working and changing us, this helps us remember and be thankful. If we told our testimony more often I think that we would be more likely to praise God as we did in the first stages of our relationship with Him.

5. Your story glorifies God!

Every time we tell our testimony we are showing people that God is greater and bigger than we are, He is bigger than our story and our experiences.
Your testimony isn’t about you! It is about God and His work in your life. Sharing your testimony is another way of sharing the story of the Gospel and of God’s hope.

Our testimonies should always be pointing people to the glorious truth of who God is, what He has done, and His purposes for the world. Tell your testimony and point people to Christ because he is the initiator of your testimony and He is continuing to transform you, your testimony is always developing.