In terms of a dramatic testimony, it’s hard to top the story of the man who was possessed by a legion of demons. He was set free when Jesus ordered the demons to leave him and enter a herd of swine.
Afterward, the man wanted to accompany Jesus to the next town, but the Lord had other plans. In Mark 5: 19-20, he told the man to stay where he was. “Tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been,” Jesus said. And as Scripture recounts, the former demoniac “went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.”
While our own testimonies may lack the drama of the demoniac’s, every one of us can share with others “what great things Jesus has done for us!” Unfortunately, many of us aren’t sure how to present a clear testimony because it was never taught to us when we were young in the faith.
John Sorensen explored this topic with Joe Newton, Pastor of Families at Twin Oaks Church in San Jose, California. Joe wanted to teach the children at his church how to share their faith and give their personal testimony as a way to attract unsaved kids into the church and youth group.
To Joe’s surprise many children in the youth group couldn’t articulate their faith or write a testimony even though they were churchgoing kids. So instead of asking the kids “yes/no” questions about Bible reading or a prayer life, he asked the group three questions:
What has God done in your life?
How are you acting different because of that change?
What hope do you have in the future because of what He’s done?
The answers, and subsequent reaction to those three simple questions were eye opening. In fact, two kids already attending the youth group became Christians because they realized that they didn’t have a true saving faith because of those three simple questions.
To see this interview with John Sorensen and Pastor Joe Newton, click on the image above.
Charley Mefferd
Ambassador: We Connect. Ministry and Media.
