“Always tell the truth. It’s the easiest thing to remember.” – David Mamet
I have keen memories of suffering absolute terror sitting in a small group Bible study or youth group and knowing I would be asked to ‘give my testimony’—a request which I understood as “prove to us in 20 seconds or less that you belong here.” Gulp.
It’s common for Christians to ask for each other’s testimony for two reasons: rehearsal for sharing the Gospel and gatekeeping. For example, a testimony is often required for admission into Christian schools, colleges, and universities. It’s usually required for church membership and baptism and sometimes for participation in communion, Bible studies, and jobs—the Biblical basis being that we need to publicly declare our allegiance to Jesus. If our story is judged satisfactory, we are allowed into the group. Although we do need a willingness to openly share our belief, this gatekeeping aspect is what can make people anxious about their testimony. We feel like we need to pick a moment in our life that ‘proves’ our belief and encase that moment in a compelling story short enough for sharing in an elevator.
Instead, if we think of testimony as simply telling what we know, maybe we can take some of the pressure off. Testimony simply means witness, evidence, a statement of the truth, a firsthand account. John 3:11 says “we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen.”
The question to answer, especially when sharing your faith with non-Christians, is simply this: why do you follow Jesus? A non-Christian isn’t likely to ask about your experience using the word “testimony.” Instead, they’ll probably ask you more general questions. You are not responsible for finding the magic words that will convert a person then and there. In fact, the most valuable witness you have is your actions. Following that, just tell the truth, and as Mark Twain supposedly said, then “you don’t have to remember anything.” Explain why you believe what you believe, and invite the person to “come and see,” as Philip invited Nathanial (John 1:46).
Another source of stress around testimonies is the feeling that our story won’t measure up to other Christians’ experiences. We think, “if that’s what getting saved looks like, what does it mean that my story isn’t like that?” Your testimony doesn’t have to be like anyone else’s—we needn’t compete for the coolest coming-to-God story. You may remember a distinct time or place where you made a decision and your life changed dramatically. That’s a wonderful and valuable experience. But, if you’re more like me, you may have been raised by and among Christians and come to faith early in a way that seemed natural. I don’t have many memories from age four, so I can’t tell you if I was different before then. Because my life doesn’t fit the traditional ‘turn-and-repent’ moment story, I’ve always dreaded ‘testimony’ time. I don’t know how deep or how honest four-year-old me’s faith was. But I can tell you what I believe now. I can tell you why, like Timothy, I “continue in what [I] have learned and have become convinced of” (2 Timothy 3:14).
Jesus doesn’t ask us to prepare an elevator speech proving we belong to Him. He already knows. And when you’re sharing with other Christians or non-Christians, don’t worry about what you will say or how it compares to other peoples’ stories. Just tell the truth. Tell about why you follow Jesus.
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