Jesus values the lost and sinful immensely and calls on us to value them as well. When He came down to earth, the Lord prioritised not the religious and the pious, but the lost and the sinful, bringing them back to God. Jesus' ministry of reconciliation goes on today, and it continues through us and the testimony we have to share.
There was once a man whom Jesus had liberated from demon possession. It only seemed normal that the man would want to follow Jesus around, but He told Him instead in Luke 8:38 to go back home:
"The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him."
Following Jesus means more than just living our lives with Him. God also calls us to go and proclaim the truth of His gospel and the power of Jesus' love to all the people within our reach. We live in a world that is ruled by sin and brokenness. God gives us the opportunity to participate in winning the sinful back to Christ. One of the easiest ways to do that is to share your testimony to people.
A testimony is an account of how Jesus saved, liberated, provided for or protected us that will tell others of the power of God and the love that Jesus has for all the people of this world.
Here is a short template of how you can share your testimony.
Share what your life was like before meeting Christ. Prior to meeting Jesus, you may have had beliefs, actions from your old life that led you away from God's blessing. Look for opportunities to share this to people, describing to them what your life was before meeting Christ. Be discreet and don't bring glory to your old life so as to make people think you miss the life you used to live.
How you met Jesus. Most likely, a situation or circumstance or even a person was used by God to facilitate your first encounter with Jesus Christ. Share to your family and friends how you came to a realisation that you missed something in your life that only Jesus could fill for you. It's best to be specific by pointing out how you responded and what repentance looked like for you at that point.
Your life now with Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." For you, what does that transformation look like? Share with people how God has brought internal and external changes to your life and describe the freedom that you now have through Jesus.
