DEVELOPING A TREASURY OF TESTIMONIES   by Scott Jobe

We are all encouraged to share the Good News (Gospel) in our lives.  We are encouraged to first write down our testimonies whether in a notebook, on a computer, or when more polished --in video clips that can be placed in Albums.  It is often easier to write an inspirational experience down first and then later speak about that inspired experience.  Once we write something down, we can read & reread it until it becomes more comfortable and familiar to speak. We can also couple with someone who is willing to listen and write down a testimony so it can be more concisely shared at another time.

In our continuing preparation and search for our own unique Treasury of Testimonies within Contemporary Christian Ministries, we want to help collect, develop, and write down some of these invitational testimonies.   We are looking for others to help form a team to serve in this way. Let's call the team Light Senders who will help pass the torch of testimonies in communities, including Contemporary Christian Ministries. We are looking for people with listening abilities, writing abilities, and discernment.  We are also looking for those who may be gifted technically in the eventual development of short invitational testimony clips for an Album to post on a TREASURY OF TESTIMONIES website. The Light Senders team helps to pass on the torch which is the invitational testimony, itself. Would that be something God would want YOU to help with in Contemporary Christian Ministries?  Would YOU be part of this team to help collect, develop, and write down testimonies for use? We have been asked to develop our own short testimonies with an attached invitation at the end (around 100 words or less). Ideally, these testimonies are based on recent events in our life and the application of the Gospel or Good News of God (within the last thirty days) that can be shared in a short elevator ride (or other instances).

We are ALL called to give testimony and invitation to others.  It is a basic response in our Christian discipleship, responding to the “flow of Holy Spirit”, to share that which has been graciously given to us.  It may take practice to get our “Treasury of Testimonies” ready for others we may encounter. It is important to start our invitational testimony right by setting the mood, so to speak.  We want to practice Spiritual Disciplines when discerning our invitational testimony. Spiritual Disciplines include prayer, meditation, inspirational Christian music, scripture study and meditation, communing with nature, service projects, ministries, and anything that helps us be connected to Jesus and obtain Spiritual wisdom.  

Here is an example of a short testimony with invitation I recently wrote and shared:

“Recently I struggled with a bad tooth.  My dentist pulled and replace it with an implant and crown.  This process has been painful but good. It reminds me of my life and spiritual journey.  God, like my dentist, planned to remove that which was bad in my life and yours (wrong doing) and replace it with God's righteousness and His awesome love found in the actions of Jesus and our relationship with Him.  Contemporary Christian Ministries teaches about this.   Awesome experiences can be had in the workshops, worship, and fellowship at our weekend retreats. Would you go to the next CCM weekend with me? I can drive to the event and give you additional details as the CCM event approaches”. This short invitational testimony is an example of the goal we are wanting to achieve. We all have long in-depth testimonies that we can perhaps share later as a relationship with someone else develops, but we often need a short invitational testimony in the beginning.

As we gather testimonies like this one, we can then meet in communities later to share testimonies of enrichment in our events and to also practice our invitational testimonies for use in inviting new people to know Jesus Christ and to introduce them to Contemporary Christian Ministries. Not only are the words we use important (and their conciseness), but so is the way we speak those words and the nonverbal communication that takes place in sharing an invitational testimony.  We will also need to pray for opportunities to share our invitational testimonies after we have had time to make them naturally flow from us.

Please email your short 100 words or less invitational testimonies, any questions, and/or your willingness to serve as a Light Sender Team member, to help develop and pass on the torch (invitational testimony) to scottjobe.cofc@gmail.com Many already do invitational testimonies within and outside of Contemporary Christian Ministries but it will be good for us to be intentional in collecting, developing, and sharing invitational testimonies.  These testimonies we collect, develop, and practice in written format can eventually lead to us sharing with a speaking video clip of invitational testimony. These can be used for opportunities to Evangelize and Enrich others.  Let us intentionally form a group of Light Senders to develop brighter torches (concise 100 words or less invitational testimonies) to share not only at our Contemporary Christian Ministry events but also to our world.