Are
you able to share your salvation testimony succinctly and in a way that honors the
Lord?
For
the past several years, I have had the joy of working with children in a camp
setting each summer. During the week, I
try to visit one-on-one with as many children as possible about where they are
spiritually. After spending some time talking
about what they like best about camp and what they are learning from the Bible
lessons, I will ask them, “Do you know for sure where you will spend
eternity?” If they tell me “yes” and
that they are going to Heaven, my next question is, “How do you know
that?” The standard response is,
“Because I’m saved.” To which I will
ask, “Can you tell me about it?”
Here
are some examples of a typical testimony I will hear:
“I
got saved when I was 5.”
“My
mom prayed with me and I got saved.”
“My
dad showed me some verses and prayed and I got saved.”
While
these things may all be true, they don’t give the complete story.
When
working with children, I try to teach them the importance of covering the main
points of the gospel message in their testimony. Their salvation testimony is their story of
what Christ has done for them. It is an
instrument they can use to share the gospel with their friends. We work on them being able to share their
testimony in such a way that after hearing their story, the listener would know
how to be saved from their sins and brought into a relationship with God if
they so desired. Plus, I believe being
able to answer the following questions gives the child himself more confidence to share
his testimony publicly because he has a better understanding of what God has
actually done for him.
I
have them answer these questions:
- ·
WHY did you need to be saved? What was the problem?
- ·
WHO could save you? Why does He have the ability to do that? What did He do for you?
- ·
WHEN and HOW were you saved? (This is
the part where they share the details of their personal experience.)
- ·
How do you KNOW that you’re saved?
(This is where they share a Bible verse that assures them of what God has done
for them. This has nothing to do with
their feelings.)
I
try to emphasize that the main character of this story is the Lord Jesus. It is not so much about what the child did,
but about what the Lord Jesus has done for them. I also encourage them to use Bible verses in
their testimony. God’s Word is truth.
Here
are the salvation testimonies of two of my children, written using this format:
Seth:
When I was 6 years old, my family
was having our Bible time in the afternoon.
We were talking about the Lord’s return.
I started to cry because I knew if the Lord came back that day I would
not be ready. My mom and I went back to
her room to talk. I knew that I needed
to be saved because I was a sinner. I
had told many lies and I knew that Revelation 21:8 says that all liars will
have their part in the lake of fire. I
knew that as a sinner I deserved to spend eternity in hell. But then we read 1 Timothy 1:15- “Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
I understood that Jesus had died on the cross for my sins and took the
punishment that I deserved. I told my
mom that I wanted to be saved. She told
me to talk to the Lord about it, so I prayed and asked the Lord to save
me. I know that my sins are forgiven
because Acts 16:31 promises, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be
saved.”
Eric:
I
was raised by parents who knew and served the Lord. They taught me the gospel at an early age, but
I never acted upon it. I thought I was a
good person and went through life without thinking of my need for
salvation. But more and more, I became
aware of my sin, and I knew that I could not be good on my own. Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous,
not even one.”
One
evening at Bible club, when I was nine years old, the teacher taught a lesson
on eternity. He said that all men were
sinners, and sin leads to death and hell.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.” I knew that I was on my way to hell, a place
of eternal darkness, torment, and separation from God. There was only one way to be saved from this
horrible punishment. God loved me so
much that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to earth as a man. He died and shed His blood on a cross, bearing
my sin and punishment. He later rose
from death so that I could have eternal life. All that was left for me to do
was to believe and accept His sacrifice for my salvation.
When
I went home that night, I knew the most important decision of my life lay just
ahead. I confessed my sin to the Lord,
thanked Him for taking my place on the cross, and asked Him to take control of
my life. I
know that I am saved because John 5:24 says, “He who hears my word and believes
Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has
passed out of death into life.” The Lord
has been working to change me. I want my
life to glorify Him.
"Then they said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for us.'"
-Psalm 126:2
