“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” – 1 Peter 3:15
It’s odd how many Christians are happy to be followers of Christ, but who are uncomfortable at the thought of telling others about it.
It’s a disconnect many of us struggle with. Jesus seems to understand this though, which is why he promises to teach us to become fishers of men. He knows that for most, this won’t come naturally. Since I’m one of those (I can find it easier to preach a sermon than strike up a spiritual conversation with someone), I’m always on the lookout for ideas to help me improve my reaching capacity.
Here at BridgeWay, we’ve landed on something we like to call 60 Second Stories, where we sit down and write out a short paragraph that completes the sentence: “I love Jesus because…” or “I follow Jesus because…” Sixty seconds goes by quickly, so it can only be a couple of short paragraphs.
Why Stories?
Because stories are easy to create and easy to share.
A one-minute story amounts to a paragraph or two at the most. By writing them out, you can then rehearse them, which drives them deeper into your memory lobes, which means when the time comes for the Spirit to prompt you to share, you’ll have something to draw upon.
Secondly, stories are powerful.
You may doubt that for yourself, but don’t. Simply walk into a noisy room and shout out, “Once upon a time…” and watch the room get immediately quieter. Stories are easy on the ears, and magnetic for the heart. Revelation 12:11 even tells us that the word of our testimony has power to overcome the Dragon (i.e. Satan.) Your story might be just the thing which God uses to awaken faith in another person, or jam a spoke in the wheel of their unbelief and doubt.
Thirdly, stories are personal.
They’re your story. You don’t need any special theological training to come up with them. As you grow in your faith, you’ll eventually need to learn how to share “the gospel” with others, which is a structured explanation of 1) Jesus’ death and resurrection, 2) why his death and resurrection are important, and 3) how to become Christ’s follower and share in the blessings of his death and resurrection. Learning the gospel will require a bit more study and memory-work.
But not with coming up with stories. Those hardly need any work at all. John 9 tells the story of a blind man whom Jesus healed. When Jesus’ enemies came to the man later, peppering him with theological questions to uncover some dirt about Jesus, the man finally threw up his hands and said, “Look, I don’t know about any of these things you’re asking. All I know is that I was blind, now I see, and he did it!”
And this is what you’re doing with your story. I was in this fix. Now my life is changing. And Jesus did it!
Types Of Stories You Could Write
Because Jesus’ work in a person’s life can touch so many areas, another thing about our stories is that they will be varied and ongoing. Your library 60 second stories should always be growing. They can include:
- A conversion story. “I love Jesus because he saved me…” then take 60 seconds to describe how he did that.
- A deliverance story. “I love Jesus because he helped me through…” then take 60 seconds to describe a difficulty he helped you face.
- A doctrinal story. “I love Jesus because there’s no one like him…” then describe one facet of Jesus’ life and message that is incomparable with anyone else, and unforgettable to you.
- A truth story. “I love Jesus because he’s taught me…” then describe a lesson you’ve learned in following him.
- An experience story. “I love Jesus because he showed himself to me by…” then write out in a few sentences how you experienced his presence and power.
Why Just 60 Seconds?
- Most of the testimonies in the Bible – even Paul’s – are 60 seconds or less. Most of Jesus’s parables could be told in 60 seconds or less. Most of the David’s psalms could be read in 60 seconds of less. There’s a lesson here. Each of us can do this!
- They’re easy to come up with, easy to memorize, which makes them easy to share with others. (And most of the time in normal conversation with others, you won’t have more than 60 seconds to make your point. Consider it an “elevator pitch”. You can always expand on it later, but you have to first get in the door of the conversation.)
- We live in a sound-bite culture. This forces you to be brief.
Don’t Forget The Benefits To Creating 60 Second Stories
It Will Be An Aid To Sharing Your Faith
Obviously, one key benefit of developing the discipline of coming up with 60 second stories is that it will help you be a better witness for Christ. I can’t count the times where I get into a spiritual conversation with someone, and think of the perfect thing to say…the next morning when I’m brushing my teeth.
Peter says, “Always be prepared…” to defend your faith. We do this in advance of the opportunity. Yes, there’s a verse in the Bible where Jesus says we shouldn’t worry about what we will say or how we speak when it comes to defending him, because he’ll give us the words in that hour (Matthew 10:19). But there’s a specific context here. It’s when you’re arrested and bought before the authorities! Unless that’s the situation you find yourself in, it’s best to do what Peter says. Give some thought and prayer to what you might say in witnesssing situation. At least that way we give the Holy Spirit something to work with.
It Will Be An Encouragement To Your Own Heart
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,” says Psalm 103. But we do forget. It’s oh so easy for us to slip into automatic pilot with our spiritual lives.
Because we don’t see Jesus with our eyes or hear his Spirit speak to us with our ears, because we walk by faith not by sight, following Jesus is not one continuous Cirque de Soleil laser light show. So in those moments of same-‘ole-same-ole, we have to grow up in our thinking, and intentionally remind ourselves why Jesus Christ is the best thing going for us in our lives.
It will help you grow in your worship of God.
Once you begin reciting all the ways Christ has changed your life for the better, the idea of walking away from him or losing your faith will start to fade away. Why would you do such an absurd thing.
Read through the entirety of Psalm 103. Do you see what David is doing? He is listing all the reasons why he loves the Lord. It’s one long 60-Second Story from start to finish. No wonder he can say, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless his holy name!”
So take some time to come up with your own psalm of thanks to God, and see what it does to your own heart.