15 Second Testimony

 

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

Village Church Planting is built on several biblical principles. One of them is Jesus’ promise that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us we shall be his witnesses. A witness is a person who has seen and experienced an event and then tells other people what has been seen and experienced. We become Christ’s witnesses when we tell others what Jesus has done in us and for us.

Many followers of Jesus are surprised to learn that they can share a meaningful testimony about what Jesus has done for them in just 15 seconds. I remember one time I was teaching a group of experienced leaders how to share their 15-second testimony. A bishop was among the trainees and he corrected me saying, you mean a 15-minute testimony, not a 15-second testimony.” I said, no, a 15-second testimony.” The bishop laughed and said “You can’t share your testimony in 15 seconds!” It was fun to teach him and the other leaders in the room how to share their 15-second testimony. It is both simple and powerful.

The reason it is simple and powerful is because the 15-second testimony uses a simple pattern to tell of God’s power at work. Listen for the pattern in my 15 second testimony: “There was a time in my life when I was worried and afraid. My brother was in the war and we didn’t know if he would live or die. But then I invited Jesus to come into my life. Now I have peace and I know that God is with me wherever I go. Do you have a story like that?

Here is the pattern: First I tell about a problem, difficulty or hardship I experienced before I met Christ. Then I tell how I met Christ. Then I describe my life after I met Christ. Another way to describe this pattern is first I had a problem, then I found the solution in Jesus Christ, now He is transforming me.

Craft your 15 second testimony well. Practice telling it many times. Tell it with joy in your voice and love in your heart! Tell it often as you look for persons of peace. Train others to tell their story of salvation in a simple, powerful way. You and your church members have many, many friends and neighbors who are looking for hope. Life is hard and the world is broken. But Jesus has brought you and your people great hope. So be a witness for Christ. Tell others of the hope you have in Him.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

E1-15

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