I was a young twenty-something getting ready to go on my first mission trip to India. In preparation for the trip, my church required that all members of the team had to complete an 8-week course on overseas missions. I was nervous but excited about missions, so I took the class very seriously. About halfway through the program we had to write out our salvation testimonies. I remember struggling with this assignment. At one point, a member of my team took me aside and attempted to guide me through the process. He said, “Just describe your life before you were saved, then talk about the moment you were saved, then describe how your life changed since you’ve been saved.” As I walked away from that conversation, I felt frustrated and defeated but I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t until I began to process how people traditionally give testimonies that I began to understand why I was struggling with mine.
My testimony isn’t an exciting one. There was no major lifestyle change when I became a believer. You might even say that my testimony was boring. Some people even questioned its authenticity because I never described a “before and after” experience. I was saved when I was a child. I don’t remember the date; I couldn’t even tell you how old I was. In fact, I have no memory of the day I was saved at all. I know that there came a time in which I knew I had eternal life because Jesus promised it to me. It was that simple.
It has taken me several years, lots of studying, and other conversations to realize why I was troubled by my experience with my mission’s assignment. If perhaps you too have experienced a similar situation, or maybe you have heard other testimonies and walked away wondering why you didn’t have the same kind of transformation, then I hope this study helps to clarify the truth of God’s grace and where our assurance truly lies. Perhaps, you are interested in the role of testimonies and would like to form your own in a clear and biblical way. This study is for you too! I pray that you find this study helpful and that you can join me in proclaiming the story of Christ and His gift of eternal life to all who believe.
I love to tell the story
Kate Hankey
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story
because I know 'tis true;
it satisfies my longings
as nothing else could do.
I love to tell the story;
'twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.
Write out your testimony this week.
Nice!
I love this! The combination video + article is perfect! I really struggled with this, too, as a young adult. Eventually it dawned on me what the problem was, BUT I’ve never heard anyone teach on what the solution is before! I’m so excited to get some tips and tools on how to write an authentic, truthful testimony! Thank you Kathryn & Kristah. ❤️