The Power of Your Testimony: The PICTURE of Your Story

Passage: Revelation 12:11

This is a continuation of the five keys areas or “5Ps” of our testimony as a tool for intentional personal evangelism. The 5Ps revolve around these:

• Problem Area

• Picture of the Problem

• Period or Place

• Person Now

• Praise and Prayers

Last month, we looked at the first P, which is the PROBLEM AREA. These are the crisis areas of our life before we met Christ. Some could be alarming (such as addictions to drugs or alcohol or prostitution/crime). Some could be silent and less visible such as fear, jealousy, lust, lying, greed, etc.). No matter the silence, loudness, visibility, or nature of the sin, the Bible says ALL have sinned (Rom 3:23).

The second part of our story is the “PICTURE OF THE PROBLEM,” which is another key component of the 5Ps of our story.

Pictures are the painted images of a story. They bring a story to life and make it more memorable. People might forget words, but will always remember an image. The PICTURE of your story should highlight one or two practical experiences of your problem area. These should be done with utmost moderacy and not in alarming details. This is tempting to do.

The picture that people need to see in your testimony should shed light on what problem(s) you went through, so that others can relate and identify with you. For example, a picture of an alcohol problem could be “As an alcoholic, I found myself drinking heavily each day, wasting money on several bottles a day”. The brand of the alcohol or demonstration of how you drink, and the staggering effects it has on you are unnecessary. In fact, this could lead others to sin as they fantasize about the drinking, rather than bringing the needed help.

In sharing the PICTURE of your story, it is important to note that the intention here is not to celebrate our past but to help someone identify with your sinful past. The vital key to sharing the PICTURE of your problem is to show remorse and brokenness rather than laughing or joyously celebrating the past. People should see in the PICTURE that you are painting that your regret, not something you want to identify with any longer. An example of a PICTURE of our story can be found in Apostle Paul’s testimony before King Agrippa in Acts 26:10-11.

Thank you for spending a few minutes with me on this session of the 5Ps. Next month, I will highlight the third P, which is the PERIOD OR PLACE.

Remain blessed as you stay committed to reaching the lost for Christ.

Segun Adeyemo is an evangelism intern for the Dakota Baptist Convention.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” – Revelation 12:11