WHY CHRISTIANS SHOULD WRITE TESTIMONIES

By Allen Taylor

In the church tradition I grew up in, it was not uncommon for the lead pastor to set aside a time during service for lay persons to stand up and share a testimony. The testimony could have been about how God changed that person’s life as a result of the individual coming to faith in Christ. More often than not, it was simply about how God has worked in that individual’s life, usually recently, to bless them or convict them in some way.

A testimony is really nothing more than a way to witness to the power and glory of Jesus Christ. In law, a testimony is a written or oral statement by a witness, usually under oath, that testifies to the facts of a case as known by that witness. It can be something the witness saw or heard that might shed light on events being judged by the jury, or it could be professional expertise to help a judge or jury better understand information, data, or facts shared in the case. Such testimonies are presented so that those judging a criminal or civil case in a court of law can have access to all pertinent information available in order to make a good and fair decision regarding guilt, innocence, or the weight of evidence in a case. By the same token, a Christian testimony presents one person’s story about how Jesus has made an impact on them in some way.

Some Examples of Famous Christian Testimonies

While a testimony may be considered a type of memoir, which is a story about a particular time in a person’s life or concerning a particular event or incident, it is not, strictly speaking, a memoir. There is a stark difference between a memoir and a testimony that involves the subject of the story. In short, a memoir is about the person telling the story, whereas a testimony is about someone or something other than the person telling the story. However, both may be told from a similar point of view.

In a certain sense, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John could be considered testimonies. What they do is present the teachings and facts of Jesus’ life while on earth from the perspective of the respective authors. That makes them testimonies. As such, they do what all good Christian testimonies should do—point to the redemptive and saving power of Jesus Christ.

Some famous testimonies of people who once walked in darkness before being called into God’s marvelous light include:

Singer Vanity, Boxer Manny Pacquaio, and Actor The Rock

Actor Stephen Baldwin

C.S. Lewis

Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom

Abortion survivor Melissa Ohden

There have been countless other Christians down through history who have told incredible stories of their conversions, miracles, healings, and the ways and means of God working in their lives. I believe Christian testimonies can make great stories and great ways to present the gospel message to our friends who don’t know Jesus.

What a Christian Testimony is Designed to Do

This guide to writing a Christian testimony primarily focuses on conversion testimonies, but it says one thing that I think is very true—a testimony is meant to be a “door opener,” not a “deal closer.” In other words, the idea is to present a story that gets the conversation started about Jesus.

I believe there should be more written testimonies, but not all testimonies need to be in writing. If you’re not a writer and you feel more comfortable telling your story on YouTube, through your podcast, or in person, by all means, deliver your testimony as God lays it on your heart. However, if you can write, then I believe there is a huge opportunity in our culture today to present Christian testimonies through blogs, social media, and books so they can be shared and passed around by believers and unbelievers alike.

Here are three reasons why I believe written testimonies can be powerful witnessing tools today:

1. There are generations of Americans who have not been confronted by the gospel of Jesus Christ and who could benefit from your story;

2. Written testimonies stick around longer than oral testimonies because they arrive in a concrete format that can be shared, passed around, and used again and again;

3. Testimonies in writing give people a chance to experience your story more than once because they can go back and re-read portions of your story that resonate with them and reflect on those parts of your story that speak to them.

Not all testimonies have to be about conversion experiences. Many of them are, but a Christian testimony always points to the power and glory of Jesus Christ as King, Savior, and Lord of all creation. In each of those roles, he is more than a redeemer. He is also a healer, a miracle worker, a friend, a comforter, and more. Written Christian testimonies are designed to present the real Jesus in every role which he plays in a believer’s life, so if your testimony is about how God has healed you from emotional or psychological pain, how he helped you better understand your place in the world, or even how he has convicted you of some sin that you needed to repent of, I encourage you to tell your story. I also encourage you to share it in writing. It could bless someone today, and every day from now on.

Allen Taylor shares his testimony in “I Am Not the King.”

As publisher at Crux Publications, he publishes book-lenth testimonies of Jesus Christ working in his people’s lives.