‘The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.’ Muriel Rukeyser
I was struck by this quote recently. Science doesn’t give us all the answers to life’s big questions. Ultimately, the world isn’t about atoms, it’s about stories - it’s about how we understand who we are, and our purpose in life.
The Christian faith is one big, unfolding story. Recorded in the Bible, it spans human history and is centred on Jesus Christ. It is only in the context of this big story that we find meaning and purpose for our individual stories.
What makes a good story
A good story grabs the attention, and can disarm the listener. That is why one of the most convincing tools we have in evangelism is one that we all have at our disposal - the story of our own personal experience with Jesus, and the contrast between our life before knowing him and our life after becoming his follower. In a secular, post-modern, pluralistic world, your story leads into objective truth.
So with summer missions now in full flow across the church, both at home and abroad, here are 10 top tips for telling your story of how Jesus has transformed your life!
- Be Humble. As Christians, we can often come across as superior and arrogant when telling our stories. Remember we are still sinners in need of God’s saving grace every single day.
- Be Inquisitive. Your unreached friend might never ask to hear your story, so why not be the initiator? Ask questions like, “Have you ever thought much about Christianity?”
- Be Brief. Tell the whole story in less than three minutes. You are much better off leaving them wanting more, and if they want to know more, they will ask follow-up questions.
- Be Clear. Don’t tell strange or complicated storylines that only make sense to you, or to people from your context.
- Be Understood. Pitch it to those who have never gone to church. Terms like ‘born again’, ‘saved’ and ‘accepting Jesus’ are not generally used outside of the church, and therefore may not be understood correctly.
- Be Honest. Don’t be afraid to share the uncertainties and struggles you have faced, both before and (importantly) after choosing to follow Jesus.
- Before/After. Think of a key word or phrase that identifies who you were before you met Jesus, and another that describes who you are now that you have a relationship with him (for example, lonely / accepted). Repeat these words when telling your story.
- Start/Finish. Grab attention with your first and last sentences. Avoid statements like ‘I grew up in a Christian home’ or ‘I was born in 1953’. Consider using your keywords instead - for example, you could open with: “I was lonely before I found Jesus…”; and close with: “…so following Jesus has changed my loneliness to acceptance.”
- After, After, After. Don’t spend most of your time talking about your life before Jesus. The most important part of your story is what happened after you became a follower of Jesus, and how that continues to shape you and help you navigate the bumps of life!
- Make Jesus the hero, not you or your minister! The listener needs to hear that your acceptance, joy and fulfilment is because of Jesus and the good news of the gospel.
So whether it be at a mission event or over a cup of coffee with a friend or colleague, let’s be fully equipped to share our story of God’s amazing grace through Jesus, so that others might come to discover their place in God’s big story.
Neil Harrison is the Presbyterian Church in Ireland's Mission Development Officer, based in Assembly Buildings, Belfast.