Just as we would all think carefully about what we were going to say if we were going to testify in a court of law, we should think carefully about how to give our testimony and how to talk to people about Jesus. The question ‘How did you become a Christian?‘ is one we should have an answer for, for only we can give that answer! (see 1 Peter 3:15)
For some of us, we were brought up in a Christian home and taught the way of faith from a young age. This doesn’t mean we don’t have a personal testimony. We can still talk about God’s goodness and how we came to believe this truth for ourselves.
Others had no Christian background and perhaps no interest in God or spiritual matters at all, so they can talk about what piqued their interest and how God got their attention. I came from a family where faith seemed to have been forgotten (my paternal grandparents were devout Christians and my parents attended church until their marriage, but they seemed to have ‘grown away’ from faith by the time I was born.) Then my youngest aunt went away to teacher training college in Leeds and found Jesus in a very real way. Her testimony affected my maternal family very much, leading my grandmother, mother, uncle and his wife to faith. For me, though, fond of her as I was, this had no real impact other than to make me mildly curious.
It was only when I saw young people my own age talking about Jesus and being passionate for God that I started to wonder if I had written off this spiritual talk too quickly. God provided people who were willing to talk about God both intellectually and experientially and so I found myself on a journey that led to me realising I was a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness. Then I was able to talk to my Mum about this and to pray with her to receive forgiveness and new life.
In a court of law, one answer often leads to another question, and it’s the same with testimonies! We might perhaps be asked why we believe. It’s good to have thought about that as well! Questions are not always hostile; people are genuinely curious. We need to be able to explain that our faith is based on historical fact and that the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus are crucial to our belief.
We need to be people who tell our story, who share our faith with others. Think about how you can do this, what you can say… and then ask God for opportunities to do this!
