I love stories. One of my favorite questions to ask a new friend is, “What is your story?” We all have a story to tell and our stories are powerful. They are proof that we have existed, conquered, stumbled and survived. Eugene Peterson once wrote,
“ The reason that story is so basic to us is that life itself has a narrative shape – a beginning and an end, plot and characters, conflict and resolution. Life isn’t an accumulation of abstractions such as love and truth, sin and salvation, atonement and holiness; life is the realization of details that all connect organically, personally, and specifically.”
We all can identify with and enjoy a good story.
This is how Jesus operated as well. While there are MANY examples of transformational stories in the Bible, John 4 recounts the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Her experience with Jesus left her changed, so much so that she ran immediately back to town to tell everyone. She was not embarrassed by her story, she told them honestly, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did.” Jesus had called her out on her junk but she was no longer ashamed. In verse 39 it says, “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” One woman’s story about her encounter with Jesus impacted an entire town!
Why is it then, that so many students struggle with telling their own story? Why, when asked to tell their testimony, do many students hang their head low and explain they don’t really have one? Why are some students embarrassed to be real about their struggle? I believe we need to empower students to share in a way that is different than we have in the past.
You all know what I mean. In an effort to make sharing practical and simple, we have boiled it down to three main questions: What were you like before Christ? How did you meet Christ? What is your life like after receiving Christ? While this is a good basic outline, some students don’t fit in that neat little box. It’s a good story, but not the only one. For some people their journey was long and gradual, for others they knew the Lord once, ran away a time or two and have made their way back. If we teach students this is the only way to tell their story, it might keep them from wanting to tell their story at all.
Instead of a script to follow, encourage your students to reflect on the times they were transformed by an encounter with Jesus. This doesn’t always have to be a conversion story, it can be a time when Jesus dealt with pride, lust, or un-forgiveness in their heart. When we live this life with God, there will be many moments in our journey where we are changed, gain better understanding and mature. Every trial or circumstance that they have walked through is an opportunity to share about the goodness of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
In Revelation 12, when Christ comes again the scripture says the enemy was defeated “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” We have to encourage students that their testimony is one of the singular most powerful tools they have for sharing the gospel. In our society and culture today, people are more often drawn to a compelling story than a logical breakdown of facts. People just can’t argue with your own personal experience.
Rich Richardson, author of ReImagining Evangelism, wrote, “ Your transformation stories are your greatest personal asset for sharing your faith. If you have any tales of transformation, you can be a great witness to the love and power of God.” Helping students to tell their story is important and incredibly powerful.