All FGBMF men are ever ready to share their salvation testimonies; how they came to receive the Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. And they can do it in whatever space of time allowed them; be it five minutes or an hour. Here are seven pointers to make your salvation testimony a most powerful weapon in your arsenal for evangelism.

PURPOSE – Always remember that the sole purpose of your testimony is to glorify the Almighty God. “We overcome Satan when we testify personally to what the Word of God says the Blood of Jesus does for us” (Derek Prince). You are not to glorify yourself, your past, or even your spiritual mentor who led you to the Lord. Most definitely you do not glorify the Devil in your testimony.

PRAY – Your testimony is a spiritual weapon. Therefore it must be empowered by the Holy Spirit; guiding you in writing and developing the structure and content of the testimony. Prayer will bring more of God into the testimony and less of you.

Prayer will open the windows of your mind and allow the Holly Spirit to inspire and transform your experience into an effective verbal or graphic expression.

Do not do it in your own strength.

PREPARE – Sharing your testimony is a serious business not to be treated casually. As you pray ask God for wisdom (James 1:5,6) and the Holy Spirit will help you write out the entire testimony in full.

Typically only 10 minutes is allowed at a banquet for each salvation testimony. Keep to the 2/3/5 rule; two minutes on your life before you met Jesus, 3 minutes on how you met Jesus and 5 minutes on your life after you met Him. Start off with an interesting sentence and round off with a positive ending. Do not use religious jargons. Words like “salvation”, “grace”, “sanctification” are precious to us but may be meaningless to the pre-believers. Use short sentences and focus on the listeners. Do not be tempted to add interesting but unnecessary details. You are not just telling a story.

You are leading others to the gift of salvation. Do not mention different denominations in criticizing in a disrespectful manner and do not condemn other religions. Do not let people feel that life as a Christian is always without problem. Review and rewrite as many times as necessary. There are always opportunities to improve on it.

PRACTICE – Reduce the full text to a few key points that can be written on a 6’ x 4’ card. Find commonalties for the specific audience to identify with you. If you are likely to be nervous then memorize the first three sentences. Practice and practice and adjust the content to keep to time. When a testimony is too long drawn the audience may lose interest.

PRESENT – You are representing the Lord Jesus Christ. Be proud of the fact. So be presentable and well-groomed. Do not rush as you walk up the stage to present the testimony. Ask the Holy Spirit to be you. Be natural and relaxed. Take a few seconds to survey the faces in the crowd and to get ready. You will notice a lot of friendly faces. They are on your side. They want you to do well.

Start off with the three sentences you have memorized and the rest should flow smoothly. Take along the 6’ x 4’ card in case you need prompting but not the full written text. This is your salvation story and you know it well. Keep smiling. The joy of the Lord is our trademark. Do not preach and do not pressurize people to make a decision.

PRAISE – As you conclude the presentation, continue to praise the Lord for using you and your testimony to touch the lives of the listeners. The Lord’s Word shall not return void and lives are being transformed even as you take your seat. Give all glory to the Lord as souls are added to the Kingdom.

PRESERVE – You are His witness (Acts 1:8). You need to preserve your testimony by living a life consistent with it. If not, your testimony shall be a stumbling block to others as they notice the hypocrisy. The sharing of your testimony will reinforce your conviction to lead a life worthy of the Lord. Then your life itself shall truly be a great and worthy testimony.