Help with your testimony or witness

(These thoughts come from a paper called "Telling Your Story" by Rainer Kunz.)

Thirty questions to help you unlock the power of a testimony:

How did God show up for you in a time of need?

How has God enabled you to overcome hardship, oppression and adversity for yourself and others?

What did God do with your failed dreams or other disappointments?

How has God healed you or given you special grace in a time of sickness?

How did God arrange recovery from a crisis?

How did God respond to your rebellion?

How has God changed your perceptions of the church, of life or of Himself?

How did God meet you in times of grief and sorrow?

How has God revealed His sense of humor, bring light moments in a dark world?

What epiphany, paradigm shift, or life lesson has God taught you, and what is the story behind it?

How has God given you the strength to overcome life-controlling issues?

How have you received direction or redirection from God?

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed God to show up -- otherwise you were sunk? What happened?

In John 15:5 we learn that apart from Christ we can do nothing. How has that played out in your life?

How has God enriched your marriage, family, career, or finances?

How did God bring you to himself?

How has God used mentors in your life?

How has God brought success out of humble beginnings?

How did God enable you to stand firm when you were tempted to sin or to compromise your faith?

How did God use a turning point in your life?

What has God taught you about living the Christian life, and how did he do it?

How have you received direction from God? Have you ever received direction from God in an unusual way?

How has God changed your values and your perspective?

How have you found God's grace in painful situations?

How have you found God's strength in a time of weakness?

How has God rescued you from danger?

How has God brought peace to you concerning troubling questions about your faith?

What has God taught you about problems you couldn't fix?

How has God enabled you to deal with lies about you or threats to your reputation?

How has God turned disaster around for good for you?

Creative ways to share your testimony

1. A Christmas letter or other letter or newsletter

2. In conversation

3. A video or DVD (could use an interview format)

4. To your Bible study or other small group at church

5. On a web site -- your own, your church's or there are some sites that specialize in testimonies

Eight Tips For Sharing Your Testimony

Testimonies are about what God has done in our lives, not about what we did for God. They are about God's success, not our success. We want our listener to be in awe about God and not about us.

1. Pray...and then pray some more. Speak to God and ask him to speak through you.

2. Follow a simple plan
A. your life before Christ
B. how you met Christ
C. your life after receiving Christ

3. Start with an interesting, thought provoking, and/or powerful sentence.

4. Offer a good conclusion. Try not to let things remain vague or open-ended.

5. Include relevant, thought-provoking personal experiences. Give enough detail to arouse interest.

6. Use some Scripture verses to help you explain the gospel clearly.

7. Avoid negative statements about other individuals or groups.

8. Avoid using Christian jargon like "sanctified" and "redeemed," while you lift up Christ as the way.