“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”
1 Peter 3:15
A few decades ago, my friend Jodi (now my wife) and I had the privilege of attending Evangel ‘97 in Atlanta, GA. This five-day event consisted of several universities converging on downtown Atlanta–worshiping together, fellowshiping in groups, and being handed a bag full of evangelical tracks and hitting the streets of Atlanta in groups. It was a great week full of testimony, dynamic worship, seeing the power of God move on the streets of Atlanta, and spiritual growth.
On that trip, I had the opportunity to pray for many people in the streets including business owners, prostitutes, and homeless people. The highlight of my trip was sharing a cup of coffee with a homeless man named Stephen and listening to his story. We would say it was a mountaintop experience.
Upon returning from this trip on a “spiritual high,” I remember standing in line at a McDonald’s back home.I was humming a worship song and a woman in front of me turned around and said: “I sense God is telling you to share your testimony, and that will keep the fire in you alive.” I had never met this woman before, and I proceeded to tell her about the powerful week evangelizing I had just experienced. She was able to pray with me and encourage me.
Christian evangelism is often unpacked into six styles or approaches. These approaches include: the direct approach (Acts 2), the intellectual approach (Acts 17), the testimonial approach, the relational approach, the invitational approach, and the service approach.
A church community should have all of these styles present. The church family, using their gifts and working together, can become very effective at sharing the message of Christ in their community. Although members are gifted in different areas within these six approaches, I believe that there is one approach that ALL believers possess and are well equipped to evangelize with–our testimonies!
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
Revelation 12:11
Our God-breathed testimonies can be a very natural, conversational way to evangelize. It is sharing our story. For many years, I considered my “story” boring or unimpactful. Then I realized that sharing personal stories of one’s own walk with Christ often carries unique weight no matter how grand or humble. Our stories are a continuation of what God is doing in our lives. I find it so interesting that Revelation gives two ways in which to overcome the enemy: the blood of Jesus and our testimonies!
May our testimonies be used this holiday season to evangelize to those around us!
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Armando Rangel leads worship at Grace Gathering North. He is a full-time real estate agent in Fort Wayne and NW Ohio. He is married to Jodi and they have four boys. Armando and his family have been a part of Grace Gathering for 16 years.
