Remember as we are giving some introductory guidelines, a testimony is the good story about God’s goodness and your response. It may take time to think, reflect, pray through it, but it’s your story! Once you articulate what God has done and began to work through it, it’s easy to adjust how you share and how much you share according to your audience and environment.
Let’s start with a few key elements. The basic format of a testimony is as follows: “Before, During, and After” – just like a good story!
- What was my life like before my encounter with God?
- How did I come to know Jesus (his person, peace, joy, love, etc.) in a first, new or deeper way?
- What has life been like since this experience?
- And most important, your testimony provides an invitation for the person listening to respond or consider God’s love for them
This structure is meant to help focus and train us in the truth: our testimony reveals God’s love, demonstrates our response, and invites the audience to do the same. In the downloadable resources that come with this lesson, you can find some questions to help you form your testimony according to this format.