Have you shared your faith recently? Have you talked about your relationship with God, had a Gospel conversation, or shared your testimony? If not, one of the reasons may be that you haven’t found any good opportunities to do so. Or at least what seem like good opportunities.
We don’t want to be awkward so we look for ice-breakers, natural ways of bringing a conversation to the topic of faith. If you’ve been struggling to do that, maybe you’re looking for something too big. Maybe you’re looking for a natural time to share your whole life story, to give a long testimony about your life and relationship with God.
Can you think smaller? What about the numerous quick interactions you have on a regular basis? What about the tweets from people who are struggling, your quick conversations in the checkout line, or comments on social media? What can you share in 15 seconds?
15-second stories
In a recent email to The Findables, Marilyn Adamson from EveryStudent talked about exactly that. Christians are often taught to share their testimony in three parts:
- Your life before you knew Jesus
- How you started a relationship with God
- How Jesus has changed your life
If you’re going into detail, sharing all of those details will take a while. If you’re texting someone, you might end up in TLDR territory. If you’re talking to your cashier, everyone behind you in line will get mad. That’s why Marilyn recommends being able to tell your story in four sentences.
While on a flight, a man asked what she does for a living. After explaining EveryStudent.com, he wanted to know why she does that work. That’s where her four-sentence testimony came in:
“I was an atheist, but became friends with a Christian whose life I really admired. I questioned her for over a year. She provided evidence for God that became so weighty, I asked God into my life and he changed my life in significant ways.”
That only took 15 seconds to share. It was short and sweet and with enough information to pique interest. “That might be all the time you have, or should take, to be polite,” Marilyn says. “It’s also ‘salty.’ You give someone a little bit, and they can ask for more.”
It’s like having an elevator pitch for a project or business proposal. You can’t describe everything important in the pitch, but you can give enough information for the person to know whether they want to hear more.
Tell your story quicker
So we challenge you to develop your own four-sentence testimony, something that you can say in 15 seconds. Take some time, pray through it, and write it down. After you’ve repeated the testimony a few times, you should be able to remember it when the time comes.
If you need some help thinking it through, here are some examples:
- “I used to think that God was out there somewhere, but I never knew if he heard my prayers, or cared. He seemed silent. A friend told me how I could know God in a personal way, and now I see him answer me on a regular basis.”
- “I struggled for a long time with depression. I tried everything that society said should fulfill me, but nothing worked. Eventually, I realized I had an emptiness inside that only God can fill. In following God, I’ve found a purpose.”
That last one is mine. Or it is for now; I might rewrite it later. That’s the thing. These don’t have to be perfect. Write four sentences that tell your story and then try it out.
These 15-second testimonies are great for short in-person interactions as well as digital conversation. They’re great for any of the following:
- Tweets, including replies to someone else’s tweet
- Social media comments
- WhatsApp or text messages
- Instagram Stories
- Conversations around a video from the Jesus Film App
So try it out and let us know how it goes. If you need more tips on how to talk about God, check out this email series from Starting With God.