This is the second of three posts on how to give your personal testimony under the framework of speaking about your past, your conversion, and your current walk with God.Speaking About Your Conversion
The time period of your conversion should be the longest part of your testimony. Here, you want to describe how you recognized you were a sinner in need of a Savior. Describe what God used to give you recognition of your rebellion, God’s holiness, and God’s just judgment on you. How did you feel? How did you find out about Jesus Christ? When you first understood grace, how did that impact you? I especially want to encourage us to be clear about repentance from your life of sin and faith in Jesus Christ.
Early Conversion Example
My parents told me that if I trusted in Jesus as my Savior that He would forgive me for all my sin. So, when I was eight I placed my faith in Jesus Christ. It wasn’t until my teenage years, though, that I really understood God’s grace towards me. I was at a youth meeting and the pastor was teaching about honoring and respecting your parents and God showed me how ugly my heart was towards my parents. It was at that point that I realized how unworthy I was in God’s sight and it made me even more grateful for Jesus Christ. That night I asked Jesus to change my heart towards my parents and help me to live for Him in every area of my life.Good Person Example
It was when my marriage began to fall apart that I began to realize that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. I was angry, bitter, anxious, and fearful; God showed me the true state of my heart. It was then that I met Shirley. She befriended me and loved me when I had no one else. She was always encouraging and told me that God would take care of me. She had such faith, joy, and peace that I wanted to know how she did it. I called Shirley one night when I couldn’t take the loneliness any more and she came over. She told me the things I was feeling were real. They were the effects of sin and distance from God. She told me that no one is good; that we all rebel against God. I knew what she was saying was true. Then she told me Jesus had died to pay the penalty for my sin. He wanted to be my Savior. She told me He would not only forgive my sin, but be with me for all eternity. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was too good to be true. She told me that if I asked Jesus to forgive me sin and help me to stop living independent of Him that He would give me the joy,Immoral Person Example
peace, and security I was seeking. That night, I confessed my sin to Jesus, I asked Him to forgive my sin, and I asked Him to be my God.
This self-indulgent life style continued in my twenties and thirties. I threw myself into trying to find self-fulfillment in relationships, in my career, in materialism, but none of those things ever satisfied. It was then that John caught my attention. Even though he was one of my employees, he wasn’t living for the same things I was living for. HeThis is the second of three posts on personal testimonies. See also…
valued his family, his local church, and his relationship with God. It seemed like he had found the meaning and significance that I was looking for. I began to ask him about his church and his relationship with God. Then John finally invited me to church. When he asked me I hesitated, but then I thought, “Why not?” It completely blew me away. The people were so friendly, the singing was powerful, and I thought the preacher was speaking directly to me. He talked about how God put a longing in our hearts to find our satisfaction in Him. He talked about how we look to fill this satisfaction with other things and the Bible calls those things idols. I realized that I was worshipping the false gods of money, success, and materialism and that I had offended a holy God. After church, I couldn’t stop thinking about my distance from God. So, I asked Jesus to forgive me and to help me no longer live for those false gods, but to live for Him.
Gospelizing Your Testimony
Speaking About Your Current Walk With God
