Sharing Your Testimony: Spread Jesus’ Love Naturally

Sharing Jesus Should Feel Natural

When good things happen to us, it is natural to want to share it with others. When my mother was alive, she would be the first person I called to tell any good news; now it may be a close friend or my spouse. The good news of Jesus should be no different. We should naturally want to share it with others.

What’s Your Testimony of Christ?

What is your testimony of Christ? The word testimony, in this sense, means how God has worked in your life to change you. Sharing your testimony describes your "before Jesus" self compared to your "after Jesus" self. How have you been transformed? And why is it important to share your transformation?

"Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul,"

Psalm 66:16.

No Story Too Small: Every Sin Needs Jesus

Often, as Christians we may believe that we have no testimony. We think our story isn't interesting or our transformation not as exciting as some and so not worthy of sharing. Maybe we were very young when we became a Christian, and our greatest sin was telling a small lie or being disobedient to our parents. Even those small sins break the Ten Commandments. Even those so-called small transgressions required the death of our Savior to save us. Even in seemingly ordinary lives, the Holy Spirit brings profound change.

“Even in seemingly ordinary lives, the Holy Spirit brings profound change.”

How the Holy Spirit Transforms Your Life

We may not have been an alcoholic, or a drug addict, or an adulterer before we became a Christian but whatever we were, we were without the Holy Spirit. Whatever we were, we were not capable of the transformation the indwelling of the Holy Spirit brings to our lives. Sure, I can quit drinking, using drugs, and committing adultery without the Holy Spirit but will my life then be filled with the fruit of the Spirit of God?

Without the Holy Spirit will I grow in holiness? Will I become more faith-filled, patient, kind, generous, loving, and forgiving? The answer is no. We are all changed if our faith is real. We may experience highs and lows in our faith, but through the power of the Holy Spirit we are all growing in sanctification.

Why Sharing Your Testimony Inspires Others

And we must tell others, as the Psalmist said, "what He has done for my soul." My testimony will provide hope for others, it will strengthen the faith of my fellow Christians, and it will be evidence God actively works in the lives of His children. Have you experienced a miracle? Share it! Imagine a friend doubting God's care, how could your story change it? Have you grown in your love for others: explain how this has happened. Have you walked through dark times and felt the peace of God? Others need to know.

By sharing our testimonies, we aren't saying, "I am all that! Look at me how holy I am." What we are doing is showing others the power of God. Maybe they have experienced it as well and just didn't recognize it for what it was. Maybe others thought their needs and requests were too unimportant to bother God with until they heard your story. Without the Holy Spirit we have no spiritual story to share.

The Greatest Story Ever Told: Your Faith

Voddie Baucham spoke of those who say they have no testimony. He said,

"All I have is, God wrapped Himself in flesh, died on a cross, nailed my sin there too, was placed in the grave, rose again on the third day, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and is there making intercession for me until such time as my salvation is complete and He takes me home. That's all I have."

Do you understand his point? We have the greatest story ever told to share with people. What more do we need to cause people to understand the change that has happened to each of us? This great story makes us realize we need to act.

“We have the greatest story ever told to share with people."

Be Ready to Share Your Hope with Love

1 Peter 3:15 reminds us of the importance of sharing our stories. Peter says, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;" Have you considered if you are prepared to "make a defense"? We aren't doing this to make people feel bad; we are doing it to share our hope. It is out of love we need to be prepared.

In Mark 5:19, Jesus tells the man who had demons cast out of him to, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” Could not each of us tell our friends the same? Picture yourself sharing how God’s peace carried you through a storm with a struggling coworker.

Our basic testimonies will all be the same: lost in sin, found, and God's amazing grace. Over time, though, the details of our story will change. As we grow in Christ through the Holy Spirit we will have new details, new blessings, and insights to share with others. If the only change we talk about happened decades ago maybe we need to reassess our relationship with God. Always though, the focus should be on Christ, not us.

Does our testimony have to be lengthy? Do we need to be a great speaker to tell others? Certainly not. It can be as simple as quoting 1 John 5:11, "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." Is there one simple verse on the graciousness of God you can memorize and share with others, like Ephesians 2:8-9, for example?

We should be careful though. Our words need to match the lives we are living. If there is a disconnect, people will pick up on that immediately. Am I saying we should be perfect? No, because it is not possible. But, we should be living a life that is not a stumbling block to others. We must come out from the society we live in and be different. And that difference should be notable.

The Bible tells us that with the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) and our testimony we can overcome Satan (Revelation 12:11). In the spiritual battle we wage with evil what could be more important? There is power in the words we share with others. This is our public declaration to the world of who we serve and why we serve Him. When we acknowledge Jesus before the world, He will acknowledge us before His Father (Luke 12:8).

Overcome Fear and Share God’s Grace

So what could possibly stop us from sharing this wonderful good news? Simply, fear. There are many reasons why people are afraid to share Christ with others, but the Bible says we are to be bold (Ephesians 6:19). It's certainly fine to start small, like sharing with one trusted friend. The most important thing is to love others. Our desire to share what Christ has done for us grows in proportion to how much we love others.

We may not feel prepared the first time we witness, but through prayer, guidance from the Holy Spirit about who to speak to, and studying God's word we will become more at ease. Remember what John 16:13 tells us, “The Spirit will guide you into all truth.”

When we trust God fully, we will not be fearful. If there is no interest on the other person's part, we don't have to worry. We may have planted a seed of faith that in time may grow. We should never force ourselves on someone. When we're witnessing to unbelievers it is possible that we won't experience just a rejection of our message but actual hatred from others.

Bold Faith: Facing Persecution with Courage

Be prepared for persecution. The level with which we experience persecution will certainly rise as we become bolder for God. Remember what Jesus said, "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake" (Luke 6:22). We aren't blessed when we are persecuted for being judgmental and ugly to people, but when persecution comes from the love we extend to others, we are. Standing for truth can be hard.

No one wants to be hated, excluded, insulted, or rejected. Certainly, not all of us will experience intense hatred, but we need to be prepared for these things. Sometimes I wonder how many people would become Christians if we told them up front this is what they should expect from the world. Our Savior experienced all of these things and to much greater degree than we can even imagine.

In the comfort of our pews during Sunday morning church, we often convince ourselves we are "good Christians." We love God and others, we honor Him, and try to be obedient, but do we really love Him enough to overcome our fear of rejection and be the bold Christians He has called us to be?

This was His expectation for us: not to live isolated lives of faith, but to share it with the world. Even if we try and fail to share His love with others, we know God's grace will allow us to keep learning and growing to be the brave witnesses He desires.

Enjoy "Wonderful, Merciful Savior" by Selah