Once you get close to your Muslim friend and you’ve had multiple conversations about faith and beliefs, the opportunity will naturally arise for you to share your testimony with them. “Testimony” is simply your story of coming to be a follower of Christ and the “testament” to the change Jesus has made in your life!
Most Muslims will think that you are a Christian because you inherited your faith from your parents and ancestors. So, you may never hear your Muslim friend ask you “How did you accept Christ?” Nevertheless, the opportunity to share your story will probably appear as you both swap stories or tell each other about your faith. For example, you might have to introduce the idea by saying, “At one time in my life, I made the decision to follow Christ because…” which will open the door to share more.
Your testimony doesn’t need to be scripted out, however it does help to reflect on your personal journey with the Lord before sharing it with others. This way, the Holy Spirit can open up your eyes to see more of the Lord’s impact on your life than you might have originally thought. If it helps, write it down like a story, with a beginning, climax, and resolution– with the resolution being the positive changes you’ve seen in your life. You can even practice saying it!
Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you prayerfully prepare your testimony:
1. What was my life like before Jesus?
This question is different for everyone. Some of us don’t have too much that happened before we accepted Christ because we were very young. For others, we spent many years “in the world” or following an empty religion or ideology so there is a lot more you can share. Regardless, reflect on what life felt like without your relationship with Jesus. Write down what emotions you felt and how you dealt with life when the true God was unknown to you. Why? Because your Muslim friend is probably feeling similarly to how you used to feel.
2. What convinced me to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior? When and where did this happen?
Remember the spiritual process you went through, how you understood that salvation can only be through Jesus Christ. Write down the Bible verses or passages that spoke to your heart during that time. If there was a time of confusion or fear of making this big decision and paying a high cost, write these down.
When you decided to follow Christ, did you respond to an altar call at church? Were you with a friend or praying alone in your room? Think back to the words you prayed and how you felt after you surrendered to Christ as your Savior. Understand that while you may have had an emotional conversion experience, your Muslim friend might be more inclined to reasoning and logic, or vice versa. When your Muslim friend decides to accept Christ, their experience may not look like yours, or be motivated by the same causes– but it will definitely have the same result, a personal relationship with Jesus!
3. How has my life changed since knowing Jesus?
What has been the biggest transformation within your heart and in your life since becoming a Christ-follower? Where would your friends or family say they’ve noticed change in you? How have you lived differently than you would’ve before? How has your relationship with your Creator changed? Is He still unknown and far or a Heavenly Father with whom you fellowship? Write these things down. Showing your Muslim friend the contrast in your life will make them see that something is missing from theirs.
4. Is there a specific thing Jesus might want me to share with my Muslim friend?
You won’t know the answer to this question without lots of prayer and open-mindedness. Sit with the Lord and meditate on His Word and His work in your life. Be willing to share things with your Muslim friend that maybe you’ve been too scared or ashamed to share before with others.
5. Is there anything I don’t need to share?
Keep in mind that you do not need to share every part of your life journey of coming to a relationship with Christ. If you and your Muslim friend are both sharing trials you have gone through, do not feel forced to share the gritty details of everything if you don’t have to! Doing this might overwhelm and exhaust your Muslim friend mentally, and it is still wise to keep healthy boundaries with your Muslim friends. As you answer these questions, pray about which parts of your testimony you do and do not feel led to share with your Muslim friend.
6. How long should I share?
Your testimony may have enough stories and incidents to cover two hours or more! Or, it may barely take a few minutes. Many factors affect the length of our testimony. If you love storytelling and are naturally talkative, you will want to take more time than a person who does not typically share a lot.
The length of your testimony may vary, but as you share, keep your eye on the one listening to you. Be aware of their body language: are they showing interest and asking questions or have they started to fumble with their phone, look around, and be distracted, or do they seem uncomfortable or possibly emotional?
Look at their response/reaction and use this to decide if you need to skip over some parts of your story or if you might be led to share more details. You can even cut it short and continue sharing other parts of your story another day when they’re more receptive.
7. How do I end my testimony? What should I say next?
As you finish your testimony, keep it open ended to give your Muslim friend the opportunity to comment or follow up with a question. Here are some examples of what you can say:
“This is my story, do you have any questions about it? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and I won’t be offended!”
“I began a new life the day I met Jesus, and every day I get to know Him even more!”
“There is so much more that the Lord did in my life afterwards. I am always amazed how He cares not only for the big things in my life, but for the small things as well. His love is life changing!”
“This is how I chose to follow Christ. I would do it all over again, no matter what background or religion my family came from. And I know He continues to pursue people I love and know, like you, to know Him! Have you ever been curious about Jesus?”
Prepare your support system
If you feel the Holy Spirit prompting you to share your testimony, you can ask your Christian friends to pray for you! Depending on your past, some things in your story might be hard to reflect on and revisit. The prayers of your support system can help bolster you to stay strong and protect you from spiritual attacks. Your friends can also be praying for your Muslim friend’s heart to open up to the Holy Spirit while they hear your story.
As you wait for the right time (don’t wait for years!) pray and meditate on scripture to prepare your heart.
“Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” Psalm 119: 12-16
At the end of the day, let the Lord speak through you more than focusing on the right words to say or not say. Respond obediently to His prompting, and the Holy Spirit will take care of the rest. After all, it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convert your Muslim friend, not yours!
Prayer before sharing your testimony
Dear Lord, thank you for sending your Son Jesus Christ so that I can have a relationship with you. As I share my testimony with my Muslim friend, please let it be Your words coming out of my mouth, not my own. Let the focus be on You and Your unconditional love. Amen.
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