ELEVATOR TESTIMONY: Goodbook 05-17-12

Goodbook messages arrive every Monday, Thursday, and Friday with a Scripture reading and ideas for how to apply the reading in our lives. We are reading through the book of Acts. For additional Scripture reading, you can follow the Advanced Track.

Reading: Acts 16:32
(Advanced Track: 1 Kings 9, 2 Chronicles 8)

³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.

Application:

In the last devotion, we talked about the importance of actions when it comes to being a witness for Christ.  As Roosevelt once said, “People do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  Our demonstration of God’s love is as important as anything we could say.  Our care for others opens up a door for the Gospel message.

Still, words are important.  Once people know we care about them, they often care about what we know.  It’s important that we are able to speak about the Good News of Jesus.  Paul and Silas spoke the word of Lord to the jailer.  Now, they did not have a Bible with them.  They weren’t reading to the guy.  They were speaking from their heart about the Good News they had encountered with Jesus.

I call this our elevator testimony.  One time I was serving as a chaplain in a hospital.  I got on the elevator at the 3^rd floor (which was the top floor).  The janitor also got on.  When the doors closed, he turned to me and asked why I became a pastor.  I literally had three floors to share my faith with him.

If you had three floors, could you tell someone about the Good News of Jesus?  What would you say?  Here’s what I said.  I told him that all my life I struggled with acceptance and approval.  I did some very hurtful things to myself and others in an attempt to fit in.  But then I met a God who loved me and wanted to be with me so much that he would rather die for me than live without me; a God who made me good and had good plans for my life; a God who forgave my failings and gave me the strength to be all I was created to be; a God who was making a difference in my life and in our world.  I fell in love with this God and wanted to help others know, love, and follow Him.  Ding!  Ground floor.

Here are a few more examples from the book of Acts, in case you want to hear other elevator testimonies.  You can find one from Peter in Acts 10:36-43.  You can find one from Paul in Acts 14:15-18.

Now it’s your turn.  Imagine you had three floors to share the Good News with someone.  Think about what you would say.  How would you describe the Good News about Jesus to someone else.

1) Write it down.
2) Share it with a trusted Christian friend to get their feedback.  You could share it with me or other Goodbook members.
3) Pray for an open door or an opportunity to share your testimony with someone in your life, perhaps someone who you’ve already been demonstrating God’s love to.

Share your thoughts, questions, and ideas about how to apply this…