Oct 31 2006
45 Seconds…
What can you accomplish in 45 seconds?
I’m reading Bill Hybels book, “Just a Walk Across the Room,” and he says we should be able to tell our “story,” or “testimony” in 45 seconds. He gives 4 criticisms that “Christ-followers” do when they try to share Jesus with others:
- Long-windedness
- Fuzziness
- Religionese
- Superiority
I’m talking about The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) this Sunday and this chapter seemed to go with the passage of Scripture I will be teaching on.
The truth is we call all be guilty of all four but # 4 was my problem for many years. Of course that is the theme of this blog. How about you, what seems to be your stumbling block to sharing your faith with others?
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9 responses so far
Frankly, a lot of the problem is attributable to the church itself.
We keep telling folks “how to give a testimony”, or to witness for Jesus. We toss out Paul’s testimony before Agrippa as a 5 minute model, or we give the outline we use for CWT or EE or F.A.I.T.H. and say “do this”. We also build a testimony into some program like those, and say it’s an important part of it (which implies we need to “get it right”).
When I became a granddad, nobody ever told me what model to follow when I told someone about my grandkids. If I’m in a 2 minute cab ride and someone asks, I know what to say. If I’m visiting with someone for a week, and we’re sitting on a porch for an afternoon, I know what to say.
Perhaps if folks’ experience with Jesus was as real as their experience with their kids and grandkids, they wouldn’t have such a problem talking about Him. Also … we think we have to attain some level of competence at “giving a testimony” or witnessing .. helloooo .. we even make folks write stuff out in some programs… as if God won’t do anything if He doesn’t like what we say.
I try to just be real and remember that the point of my “giving a testimony”, or witnessing about my Lord is not giving it, but it’s the listener and how God can use what I say to their benefit.
Bill is borrowing a page from sales and networking training sessions I have attended. One guy calls it your “elevator” commercial. How long until the elevator doors open is how long you have to give your testimony, or your commercial for what you do. Usually, that is 30 seconds or less.
Problem is, it sounds so cheesy. One trainer told me that when people ask the question, “what do you do,” answer like this: “I’m glad you asked. You know how people fail to plan for their retirement, or their kids’ education? Well what I do is…” I tried it a few times. People went running for the door! They wanted to jump OFF the elevator.
To me the key is to be real, and non-threatening toward those whom you are sharing your testimony. Once I was in the car with a real estate agent. She was showing us homes, and we had a really short time frame in which to buy. She asked if I was concerned about that. I said, “You know, I’m really not concerned at all.” She asked why I was not concerned, and I replied, “Because I’m focusing on three things. First, I trust in the Lord with all of my heart. Second, I am not relying on my own wisdom or understanding of the situation. Then third, I am giving God the credit for everything good that is going to happen. The Bible tells me that if I do these three things, He is going to make this journey much easier for me. So I’m not worried.”
Was that under 45 seconds?
Don’t get the point of Hybels book wrong. He is saying to build relationships but when you have an opportunity to share Jesus don’t go into a life history. Summarize it in “45 seconds.”
#2 - Fuzziness most likely. This was good to think about.
#4, definitely. I’ve been hanging out with several guys who gather a couple of days a week at lunch at an indoor-outdoor cafe near our church in one of those “culturally hip” parts of town–restored victorian homes, classic old buildings, 40 and 50 somethings who are professionals, small business owners, creative type folks. Our common interest is that we all went to grad school at the Univ. of Houston, and we are all Cougar football fans of a sort. They have a “section” in the north end zone of the stadium and on Saturday, I’ve been sitting there with them. They get kind of rowdy and several of them do a lot of beer drinking. The first time I went, I kept a wary eye out for people I might know.
Lee,
Hide the beer in a coca cola cup. You’re good to go.
No charge ;>)
We are doing the Hybels series in January @ our church! Can’t wait! Bill is rigth on. I met him a few montha ago & it was great to see a leader who is down to earth & cares about THE church not just his!
I think it is when we proclaim a truth we don’t walk. We talk about how great the good news is, but we don’t live it. And, i’m not just talking about what people immediately think of… the sinful lifestyle “Christians.” I’m talking about not walking by faith; I’m talking about not living in accordance with Colossians 2:6. I’m saying that all too often we totally live by sight, not by faith, and it is pretty evident to people who aren’t believers that we aren’t living any differently than they are. So, we say we need to build relationships, but, if we really do, then they see the truth of our lives, and, if we don’t, they don’t have any reason to listen to us and assume that we are like most other “Christians” they have gotten to know. All of that is a stumblingblock to people hearing us when we actually do share, and, in a circular way, it also then becomes a stumblingblock to our sharing in the first place because we don’t want to be seen for what we often really are. Did that make any sense? It just kinda “came up.”
Bryan,
Yes, that did make sense. Interesting thoughts; I’m glad you shared them.
I’m currently reading “Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement” by Lauren Sandler. The author isn’t a Christian, but she spent months and months going to different “Christian” events (churches, Bible studies, youth groups, concerts, etc.) as part of her reseach for the book. It’s interesting, but also sad hering what she’s since concluded after spending so much time among Christians.
She was in settings where she was willing to build relationships with people, willing to listen and to ask questions, but as she got closer to people she was able to see how they truly were, and sadly, came to the conclusion that Christians are exactly like the rest of the world; they can be just as disrespecful, loud, annoying and materialistic as anyone else. The only thing that is different about the Christians is the way they vote. In other words, she thinks it’s just another policical group.
Because the “Christians” she met weren’t truly “walking the walk” as the saying goes, building relationships with some of them was part of what seems to have turned her off from Christianity. If people had been living their faith, and it had been something real, who knows how it could have turned out differently. Just in how they conducted themselves they were a witness (good, bad, or ugly) for Christ, and they weren’t a witness to be proud of. It’s very sad, because that’s just one person’s story; there are too many others who have went through the same thing.
-Kelsey