I remember the words I was thinking about regarding testimonies and how valuable they are. My testimony is a treasure because of the rich value it provides in my life and the effects it can have to provide hope for others in their walks with Christ.
I just finished a Discussion Forum regarding storytelling and the importance of how the biblical author used it to provide theology and insights that we can gain. Our testimonies can be the confirmation of the theology of Scripture which provides validation and standard of our basis of faith. No one can discredit your testimony because it is your experience. But I noticed within our church culture we focus too much on what people have been through in the past and not on the involvement of what God is doing now. Here is what I wrote regarding Testimonies and how the church can teach through storytelling.
The Church's most common way to teach through a story is through our testimony, but sadly a lot of us stop on that segment of storytelling and need to retell and redevelop stories of how God is being involved in our lives. Testimonies are great for personal witness about how we made a commitment to Christ and our situations connected with that but learning through our own struggles and situations we can relate through our interaction with Scripture. God is setting up stories for us to tell those around us.
The Holy Spirit does a good job of convicting us when we interact with Scripture to produce a change in our lives which concludes witnessing of a story that can be told through the confirmation of Scripture.
- Amancio Rosas
When disciplining new believers in the faith I would allow them to go through a program that includes a segment on writing their testimonies. Here are the following three guidelines that I explain and teach:
1.) Your Testimony Brings Remembrance
It is a human habit to forget, our minds are designed to process things in our lives to remember the valuable moments and forgetting moments that are deep inside in the backburner. It is easy to forget what God has done in our lives due to our forgetfulness. Our Testimony helps us remember what we have been through and writing an account will keep us humbled because it was Jesus who helped us in our lives. This keeps us from being critical towards others and their walk with Christ including when they are first starting. The Holy Spirit plays a part to help us remember things in our lives. While Jesus spoke to His disciples about how the Holy Spirit will bring in remembrance everything that was taught and spoken. We can be in full confidence that He is still active in that role today when it comes to what Jesus has done for us and what we have learned from Him.
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 14:26
2.) Your Testimony Has Power
Storytelling is common throughout Scripture since a good amount is narrative accounts. We can learn theology based on the narrative account since they paint a picture in our minds about the complexities of different outcomes. Just like we take serious about context, it is the principle and application which should confirm the seriousness of context. Revelation 12; Depending on your views on prophetic writings, it has a mixture of different literary techniques but the main purpose is to take this verse and provide the common principle when trying to confirm the purpose of testimony.
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
While the context is about the war that is going down with the “Women” and Michael, it is obvious and makes sense that the blood of the Lamb in our lives today washes away our sin. When we are reminded about what Jesus has done in our lives and His bloody sacrifice we are reminded of the power of the blood of the lamb. The word of their testimony is where I want to emphasize the importance of your identity. Your testimony has the power to not only to remind but to overcome. This serves to help others overcome their struggles through Jesus because of our witness and praying over them based on the power of Christ through the sacrifice that we provided for the forgiveness of our sins and the testimony of salvation that keeps our foundation firm during life.
3.) Your Testimony Is Ongoing
Your life doesn’t end when you accept Christ in your life. Not sure why so many people believe that and then do not live transformational lives, Seeing God being involved, and slowly go back to their old life. When we are reminded and know that is power then we can have continued to allow God to shape more stories that will benefit those around us. We must allow God to use us in the good times and difficulties to provide hope for those around us.
My Faith Journey 