The Power of Personal Testimony

The Power of Personal Testimony
Tonight I want to look at Ephesians 2:1-10 which is one of the greatest testimonies in the Scriptures of what God has done for us to bring us to salvation. In these verses Paul describes what the Ephesians were like before they received the message of salvation. He also points out what God through Christ has done for them and what God is now doing in and through them. Paul lays out a format that we can use to share our personal testimony with other people in a very short amount of time and we will take some time tonight to help each of you write out your testimony that you can share in one minute.
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
The Ephesians were no different than any of us before we came to know Christ. Paul describes them as dead in sin, directed by demonical powers and disobedient. This is the condition of all people not just the Ephesians. Until a person sees themselves as they truly are before God they will never understand or appreciate what God has done for them. We live in a world that accepts sin as a normal part of life. Certain behaviors and patterns of thinking that are not in agreement with God’s Word are no longer seen as sin but as an acceptable alternative lifestyle. The world does not like the word sin because it implies that they are doing something wrong and that someone is judging them. The reality is that our sin separates us from God and we are literally dead to the things of God. Sin keeps us from becoming the person God created us to be. The sin nature of man controls him. His carnal nature gravitates toward sin, his mind is obsessed with thoughts of evil and his motivations for doing things that appear to be good are not holy but full of pride. Man apart from God is called a child of wrath. Their motivations are not right and their actions are evil and if they continue to live this way they will one day suffer God’s wrath and judgment on sin.
Paul’s description of the status of man is not good in fact it is hopeless and headed for eternal trouble. Man is not capable of seeing himself as he truly is unless the Holy Spirit reveals this to him. He is blinded to the truth about himself, he is deceived and really under the control of satan. All of us at one point were in the same condition. Our sins may be different but our nature is the same.
The next segment of this passage describes what God has done for us in Christ. Paul begins with two of the most important words of the Bible, “But God”. God was well aware of the hopeless condition of mankind but he was not content to let man continue to be ruled by a sinful nature. He acted, he initiated the way for man to be saved from sin and enter into a new relationship with him. God acted according to the mercy, love and grace that he has for sinful man. He did not have to do anything for us, he would have been just in leaving us in our present condition but He chose to do what was needed to rescue, redeem and transform us. He gave us new life in Christ, Christ now lives within us through the Holy Spirit. We now have a new controlling force at work within us, we are no longer under the control of the world, the flesh and the devil. We have been transformed from a dead man walking toward eternal destruction to a live man who is seated alongside of Christ in the heavenly places. We are recipients of God’s kindness and grace and we will spend eternity learning more about God’s marvelous grace extended toward us. We know so little about God and his grace but He will be teaching us throughout eternity regarding this aspect of his nature.
This gift of salvation is center in God alone. By faith we receive the gift of salvation and even this faith is a gift from God. Man has done nothing to save himself, God has done it all and he alone deserves the credit. If our works were part of the salvation process it would rob God of the glory he alone deserves. If man thinks that he can do anything to save himself, he takes away from what Christ has done for us and diminishes what Christ has done. Salvation is a gift we receive not something we can earn. It is purely God’s favor given to us because of his great love and mercy. When we receive this gift there will be a natural response in us to want to do God’s works. True faith produces works.
This leads to the final aspect of this passage and that is the believer is now able to walk in the destiny that God has for them. God is now at work within them, fashioning them, molding them and giving them good works to accomplish in their life on earth. We are now a new person in Christ Jesus and he is living out his life in each of us. Acts 10:38 gives us a little description of the work that Christ wants to continue to do in us and through us while we live on the earth.
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

God has a work for each of us to do and it will be a work that is a reflection of Christ in us. We are now on the earth to represent Christ to a lost world. Our life testimony is a powerful tool we can use to share the gospel message with others and I want to take a few minutes to share how you can present your testimony to someone in one minute.
Tom Elie is an Evangelist from MN whom I have worked with in India. He has developed this technique of the “one minute witness” that has been used by many people and been very effective. It is very simple and follows what we have been looking at in Ephesians 2:1-10.
There are 5 steps to follow and I want each person here tonight to take time while you are seated at the table to write it and share it with the other people at your table.
Step 1: Ask for permission. When you encounter someone while you are in a line waiting or seated somewhere you can look at it as an opportunity to engage the person in conversation and let them know what Christ has done for you. You may want to phrase a question to them like this, “Can I share with you the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life?” Some people like to preclude this statement by asking the person a question, “What has been the greatest thing that has ever happened in your life?” After you allow them time to share, you can then ask them for permission to share your greatest event.
Step Two: BC are two letters you can use to help remember this part and it stands for Before Christ. What you want to do is describe your life in a sentence or two what your life was like before you met Christ. Pick out 2 or 3 words that summarize what your life was like. These words need to accurately reflect in a powerful way what your life was like. For example, “Before I gave my life to Christ I was very lonely. I had no real friends and I was depressed most of the time.” Another example: “Before I met Christ, I was a very rebellious person. I was very selfish and only thought about myself.” Keep in mind that you want to limit your testimony to one minute so you have to be concise in choosing your words.

Step 3: TP are the two letters to remember and they stand for Turning Point. The TP of your life is the event that took place that caused you to see yourself for who you were and understand what Christ did for you. It is the event or perhaps series of events that led you to Christ. For example: “One day a friend talked to me about Jesus when I was in college. I understood for the first time that God loved me and wanted to give me a new life. I saw how my life was lived for myself and that many of the things I had done were evil.”

Step 4: AD stands for Anno Domini which is what your life has been like after you accepted Christ, the changes that have taken place. For example: “After I became a follower of Christ, I experienced peace and joy like I never have before. My life has purpose and I know God in a personal way.” The idea is to relate the most important or significant changes that have happened since you came to Christ.

Step 5: If I had not met Christ… This is your opportunity to describe what you believe would have happened in your life if you would have continued on the course you were on. Example: “If I had not met Christ I am sure I would be in living only to get money and buy things that would impress people. It would be a very empty life.”

Sharing your testimony does not have to be a long discourse with someone. Your testimony can have a huge impact on someone that may turn them toward Christ. Never underestimate the power of a personal testimony. Revelations 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the word of their testimony, the blood of the Lamb and they loved not their life unto death.” Your testimony has power over the enemy and it is something that we should never be afraid to share with another person. The Holy Spirit will use your testimony to open a closed mind that was once like each one of us when we were walking in darkness.
Look for opportunities to tell your testimony. Don’t let anyone discourage you from giving God glory for the tremendous gift of salvation you have received.