For Those who Believed in Christ as a Child, The Straight Highway

This is the final article in a series on offering help for writing an effective light story. Check out the first one here, and the second one here.

If you miss the opening scene of a book or movie, you often will not understand or appreciate the rest of the story. Beginnings are important. That is why I believe it is so important for us to create and use light stories (testimonies) that clearly introduce how and why we BEGAN to follow Jesus. In a prior article in this series, I noted that most conversion experiences fall into three categories: 

1. Unconscious, “The Straight Highway” – when an individual is raised in a caring Christian environment and cannot remember a clear turning point or conversion moment
2. Sudden, “The Downward Cycle” – when one has a quick and radical turning to Christ with little or no history of exposure to the faith or positive responses to Jesus’ invitation 
3. Gradual, “The Hilly Road” – when one has had a number of opportunities to follow Christ throughout their life and makes a series of incomplete responses until finally they yield with total commitment.

I think of these categories as three journeys to saving faith in Jesus. Regardless of what path you took to begin following Jesus, your light story (testimony) can be used by God to change lives. The guidelines for writing  a light story I provided in the first article in this series are most helpful for people who had sudden or gradual conversion experiences. But those who were blessed to grow up in loving Christian homes have a different kind of challenge. How do you describe the wonderful reality of Jesus changing your life when you don’t remember how it all began

Have you ever heard or said something like this: “I don’t have a very exciting testimony. I grew up in a Christian home. I can’t remember a time when I did not believe in Jesus.” Take a moment now to reject that attitude. Every path to Jesus, every conversion, every light story is exciting. From death to life, from darkness to light, from loneliness to adoption into the everlasting family of God. What could be more exciting? However, the blessing of believing in Jesus early in life requires us to think carefully about how we tell our faith story, especially the opening scene.

The task of creating a brief and clear introduction to how and why you first believed in Jesus is particularly challenging for those who travel The Straight Highway. Your entire life was immersed in faith, the Bible, Jesus, Christian community and worship. There is no clear and sudden hundred- and eighty-degree turn in your life. When you entered the family of God, the angels rejoiced (Luke 15:10), but there were no headlines or social media posts announcing, “A Wild Sinner is Saved.” 

In my work with Christians around the world, I have seen hundreds of creative and effective testimonies. These friends put in the work, and they involved friends and family in fine tuning their language. I have included some characteristics of those stories here. At the end of the document, I have inserted some excerpts from actual testimonies. I pray that this information will help you craft your own light story.

1. The biggest temptation is length and language. The tendency is to write your spiritual biography instead of a brief testimony (see #2). Even if the testimony is relatively short, it is challenging for Straight Highway converts to stop themselves from using insider language: Sunday School, our small group, my youth group, our Bible study, “John 3:16,” sin, and the Holy Spirit (of just “the Spirit”). The reason we use the linguistic shortcuts is because most of our conversations are with like-minded people, people who already know people. That language is fine with your Sunday morning small group, but when you take a coffee break with your colleague Mohamed on Thursday, you must adjust your language. Clarity is the key to an effective witness with unchurched or pre-Christian friends. 
2. Too many details will distract listeners from the central truth: You said yes to Jesus and He has wonderfully changed your life. By omitting proper nouns (names of schools, churches, people, cities, camps, songs, books of the Bible, etc.), you are not creating a false account. It is incomplete on purpose: to help the listener focus on you and Jesus. 
3. The witness is not designed to answer every question about the Bible, Jesus and faith. Light Stories communicate our love for the listener, our gratitude to God, and our passion about following Jesus. When the witness achieves that goal, the listener will almost always be curious about hearing more. Don’t confuse this Light Story with a gospel presentation in which key doctrines and corresponding Bible verses are used. In future discussions, as God opens that door, you can share much more about the wonderful ways you have experienced Jesus.
4. It is beautiful to acknowledge your family as a key way you were introduced to God’s love. That is a great blessing that your listener may not have experienced. But only use 2-4 sentences to describe your family and faith background. Focus on your family’s love for Jesus. Their love and attendance at church is neither clear nor compelling.
5. Consider a structure like this: “Unlike many people around the world, I grew up in a family that loved Jesus, and they loved me. In this environment, it was easy and natural for me to say yes to Jesus at an early age. You may wonder how a child could choose to believe in and follow Jesus. Certainly, a child can’t understand all the aspects of God and the faith. You are correct. A child cannot understand God —- But who can? When I said yes to Jesus as a child, I gave all I understood about myself to all I understood about God. But that was not the only time I said yes. Over the years, I have updated my faith and commitment numerous times. After years of study, I still have questions that are not fully answered in my mind. My faith today is similar to my faith __ years ago. Today, I give all I understand about myself to all I understand about God.” 
6. Jesus once encouraged a group of adults to come to him like a child – simple faith (Matthew 18:2-4). What does that mean to you? Trust, humility, love, allegiance or what? How does that attitude relate to the yes you say to Jesus every day as an adult?
7. Statements like “I have always been a Christian” are not helpful and are inaccurate. Since all of us are born in sin, every Christian has some type of conversion. A better way to communicate might be something like: “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t believe in and love Jesus.” 
8. Consider an opening like this: I have been following Jesus for a long time. It was not a fast decision. It was a process. Have you ever been outside before dawn when the night was almost black? Did you pause long enough to watch the glow in the eastern sky grow until the light was warm and bright. That is a bit like how I came to believe and follow Jesus.  I do not know exactly when the sun rose, but I know this. The sun is shining on me now. Once I was walking in darkness, and now I’m walking in the light.
9. Is an agricultural illustration helpful for your message? When I was very young, my parents planted this seed in my life: God is real. He loves you. You can know and trust him. I love my parents so I naturally received that seed. Over the years, family and friends watered the seed. Slowly but surely that seed grew into a plant. That plant – my life – continues to stretch toward the sun, the Son. I’m not sure when it happened, but I know it happened. I accepted the truth of Jesus, and I have committed my life to grow toward his love and guidance. 
10. Consider telling one story that illustrates what Christ means to you as an adult. When you started believing as a child and that meant things to you then. How does belief in Jesus impact your life now, today?
11. Some people who came to Jesus via The Straight Highway mention things that their early decision to believe saved them from: shame, consequences of sin that could last a lifetime, stress on their parents and siblings, and missed opportunities. 
12. Although you heard about Jesus and were active in church as a child, was there ever a time that you wandered away – or thought about wandering (in your passion or your actions)? Choose a time that might relate to most listeners: pain, loss, disappointment, fear, failure, lack of meaning, etc. I have heard testimonies that include some pivotal moment in life: the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a major illness or injury, a moral failure, a period when they were preoccupied with materialism or some other challenge. How did you encounter Jesus at that point? How did you choose Jesus again? How did that decision relate to your decision to say yes to Jesus as a child?

Testimony Language used by Other People who Grew Up in Christian Families

As you consider how to write your light story, it might be helpful to see the language used by other people with similar journeys to Jesus. The following are excerpts from light stories of people I have known. 

Laralee: “When I was a child, my parents took us to church every Sunday. We learned about God, we learned about the Bible, we learned about Jesus. I learned about Jesus, but I didn’t really know Jesus. I learned the facts, but I didn’t really feel Jesus’ love for me. 

“When I became an adult, I began to want all of the things that I thought were important in life. I still remembered Jesus, but I wanted more. I wanted a good job so I would make lots of money and buy nice things. I wanted to be respected by my family and friends. I thought this was what life was all about. So, I spent my life getting all of these things. But something was missing.

“When I was 33 years old, I went to a new church. I met people there who weren’t living for the things I was living for. They were living for Jesus. Not only did they know about Jesus, but they felt Jesus’ love and loved Him back. And they shared that love with me. They wanted nothing more in life than to live for Jesus and to love Him with all that they had. I could see that their lives were different than mine: better, happier, more fulfilling. I wanted what they had. 

“Eventually, I dedicated my life to Jesus. And for the first time in my life, I felt the love of Jesus, and I knew that I had been forgiven for the bad things I had thought and done. I knew that Jesus loved me, and I started living every day to please him. I know this was what I was made for. I was made to be a follower of Jesus. And there’s nothing in the world I’d rather be.”

Madeline: “Growing up, my parents taught me about God and His Son, Jesus. I said that I believed in God and that I wanted to do what was right. But as I got older, I saw that I was really living for myself, for popularity and success, and not for Him.

“My first semester of college was difficult. Away from friends and family I felt lonely, classes were challenging, and my grandfather and a childhood friend of mine died within two months of each other.  I didn’t know where to turn. I remembered the God I had known as a child. I silently cried out to Him, and asked for help.  

“Shortly after that, a friend invited me to come with her to a small meeting of girls who studied the Bible together each week. I had known about God since childhood, but I never really understood that He loved me and wanted to have a relationship with me. I learned that God wanted me to rely on Him through the challenges I was facing. After many deep and honest discussions with the girls, I decided that I wanted to say yes to Jesus – again. I closed my eyes and just talked to God. I told Him that I wanted to live my life for His purposes, not my own. I had learned a great lesson. Without Jesus, my life was empty and without meaning, even self-destructive.  

“After first hearing about Jesus as a child, I have experienced many challenges in life. But I am so thankful for Jesus. He is a friend that I can trust, and He is always with me.”

Bill: “I first decided to follow Jesus when I was 12 years old, but I did not really understand what that would mean until many years later. I have prayed for God’s help most of my life, but only in recent years have I really begun to understand how good God is. He is the source of all that is good for me, my family and friends. The Bible is the source of wisdom and guidance that helps me know how to live day to day. It also helps me keep growing in my understanding of Jesus’ life for me and all those who follow Him. How can I not follow the One who loves me so much that he would give His life for me?”

Joe: “From the very beginning of my life, my parents loved me and taught me that there is one true God. He created the universe, and he is love. Throughout my childhood, I learned more about God and what it means to follow the Son of God, Jesus. 

“As I got older, however, I began to rely more on myself. I never rejected God; I just forgot about him. I thought that I could control my life. But then my life took turns that were complicated, painful, and scary. I began to realize that I wasn’t doing very well at controlling my life. Although I had learned about trusting God all my life, I was not placing my trust in God as an adult.

“It was my wife’s idea for us to start reading the Bible together each morning. These times of reading, discussion and prayer were like cool waters on parched earth. The more I listened for God’s guidance, the more peace and confidence I developed. It was like I had run into an old friend, someone who saved my life a long time ago, but I forgot to stay in touch with him. Despite my faults and failures, I realized again that God accepts me, loves me and has forgiven me. He is with me always, and that gives me confidence and clarity about the future.  

“My life is far from perfect, but I am so glad that God walks with me every day. I know I will continue to face struggles, but God is with me. And that makes all the difference.” 

A Final Invitation

This desire to communicate Jesus is one fruit of the Spirit’s presence in our lives. But we tend to use insider language when we talk about our faith. These testimonies encourage like-minded church members, but the impact on outsiders is diminished. As much as our church friends may need encouragement, I suggest that the greatest and highest purpose of your testimony is to bring light to darkness, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to those who have not yet begun to believe and follow Him. That kind of testimony takes hard work and preparation. I pray that this series of articles have inspired and equipped you to create a light story that will be effective with friends who are not from your background and know little about your faith.  

In Matthew 5, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” Receive those words and begin to build a taller lampstand for God’s glory and for the good of the world.

The Process of Conversion and Choosing Words that Connect

Stories have the power to move people. Authors, the movie industry, educators throughout history, and Jesus have used this method of communication. In my prior articles (here, here, and here), we discussed crafting our testimonies and identifying the three paths most saving faith journeys take. As you begin to create a brief and clear introduction to why you began to believe in and follow Jesus, you quickly discover the difficulty in finding language that is accurate but also effective for your listeners. How do we understand and explain this mysterious but wonderful experience of conversion?

For hundreds of years, theologians, philosophers and sociologists have tried to understand the nature and the process of religious conversion. Many have tried to create names for the various stages or steps of conversion. The reality is that conversion is not a simple linear process like driving from Atlanta to Orlando. An understanding of the various components of conversion, however, does help us better appreciate and communicate the beauty of God’s gift of life. Here are the stages of conversion listed by David Hesselgrave (Communicating Christ Cross-culturally):

1. Discovery. I received a basic knowledge of God and the Gospel. 
2. Deliberation. I began to think – How will I allow this information to impact my life?
3. Determination. I made a decision, quickly or slowly. I believed in Jesus and committed my life to him.
4. Dissonance. I learned that my new life was in conflict with many of my previous values and habits. I decided to follow Jesus no matter what. 
5. Discipline. I choose to identify with the people of Jesus in his church and participate in God’s mission.

How do these stages match your faith journey? These stages may involve many years or a few minutes, but each stage is vital for a faithful, authentic, biblical conversion. Regardless of the nature of our faith journeys, God’s Spirit was working with us all along the way. A praying mother, a godly professor, a Christian book, a dramatic play, a loving friend, a chance conversation with  a stranger, or a personal crisis may have played a part in your decision to repent and accept Christ’s lordship (1 Corinthians 3:5-10; John 4:34-38). This is the beauty of God’s prevenient grace as the Spirit leading us to the moment we said yes (justifying grace).

My friend Dr. Robert Tuttle often talked about these touches of the Holy Spirit in our faith journeys. He thought of them as links in the chain of grace in our lives. There may be one link that stands out as THE Link. We may give it a date and refer to it as our conversion. That’s fine, but the chain is long, and every link is beautiful and wonderful. It’s all God’s grace.

Word Choices

In writing a brief and clear introduction to how and why you began to follow Jesus, it is critically important to avoid “Christianese” and “churchy” language. This is more difficult than you probably realize. In general, it’s usually best to avoid any proper nouns – the name of your church or camp where you had some experience such as Emmaus, the Passion Conference, or BreakThru Retreat. Here are some recommendations from friends who have rewritten their own testimonies after listening to the advice of people beyond their own culture, faith, and language groups:

• Instead of “born again” use something like: spiritual birth, spiritual awakening, come alive spiritually, given a new life, or my eyes were opened.
• Instead of “saved” use something like: rescued from fear and shame/guilt, delivered from despair, or found hope for life.
• Instead of “lost” use something like: heading in the wrong direction, separated from God, felt so dark, had no hope, or had no purpose.
• Instead of “gospel” use something like: God’s message to the world, the good news about Jesus’ purpose on earth or God’s message of hope for the world.
• Instead of “sin” use something like: rejected God, missed the mark, fell off the right path, rebelled against God’s law, disobedient to God, did not respond to God’s love in a way that honored God, did whatever I wanted to, whatever made me feel good or going my own way with no thought of God.
• Instead of “repented” use something like: admitted I was wrong, changed my mind, heart, or attitude – everything, decided to turn away, turned around, made a 180-degree turn from what I was doing, obeyed God or followed God’s Word.

Please Borrow My Friends

Many Christians are surrounded by people who live, think and talk in very similar ways. Almost all of their friends and family members identify themselves as some type of Christian. They go to a local church or they used to go. They live in a culture where they hear and see Christian language on a regular basis even outside the church world. Consider the messaging Americans often see or hear on billboards and words heard in television and social media interviews with athletes and politicians. And therein is our challenge when it comes to writing our light stories. In our normal lives, we can use language shortcuts and slang because everyone we know “speaks the same language.”

But if you want your faith story to be understood by people outside your group, you have to adjust. That’s difficult if you don’t have any relationships with outsiders. But you have my permission to borrow one of my friends. As your write and edit your Light Story, imagine that your first opportunity to share it will be with one of these friends:

• Davis, a school administrator in China. He has had no exposure to Christianity other than the negative things he has heard from his government messengers.
• Hannah, a medical researcher from Iran who moved to Arkansas. She is a devout Muslim who has never been to a church and knows almost nothing about the faith.
• Keith, a farmer in North Carolina. Although he lived his whole life in the USA, he only went inside a church one time – as a child. He can’t recall even part of one Bible verse he might have heard somewhere. The only Christian song he recognized was the melody – not the lyrics – of Amazing Grace.

Your Job and God’s

To write an effective light story, we need to understand our own journeys to Christ and be diligent about using language that is understood by people who have not had our faith experiences. It takes hard work, but it is fun and very rewarding. 

To be clear, our job is to share; it is God’s job is to draw and convert people. We have a small but important role in God’s glorious mission of light. Sharing our testimonies with grace is a foundational part of Christian discipleship – regardless on one’s training, geography, vocation or temperament. We are – every disciple of Jesus – the light of the world.  

In the next and final article in this series on sharing our light stories, I will provide specific guidance for those who grew up in loving, Christian homes. This is a great blessing, but it requires us to be careful in our language choices if we want pre-Christian friends to understand our stories. 

Regardless of what type journey took you to Jesus, here is help for writing an effective Light Story.

Every person who has been transformed by Jesus has the desire to communicate God’s grace in a way that others will be curious and motivated to seek Jesus themselves. This desire to communicate Jesus is one fruit of the Spirit’s presence in our lives. 

In a previous article, I invited readers to write their own Light Story, a brief and clear introduction to why and how you first began to follow Jesus. Perhaps you have shared some version of your testimony many times. That’s great, but keep reading. We tend to use insider language when we talk about our faith. These testimonies encourage like-minded church members, but the impact on outsiders is diminished. In Matthew 5, Jesus invites us to build taller lampstands to shine God’s light. In Colossians 4:3-6, Paul asks for prayer so that he might proclaim the Good News clearly, and he invites us to “be wise in the way you act toward outsiders.” In I Peter 3:15, Peter invites us to “prepare to give an answer,” that is to do the work to be effective in communicating the Gospel. With hard work and prayer, a Jesus follower can create a faith story that will be more effective with friends who are not from their background and know little about their faith. 

Over the years, I have worked with countless Christians as they wrote their light stories. The most common comment they have shared is something like, “This was much harder than I expected, but I’m so glad that I took the time.” It is a challenge to know what words to use to describe the miracle of salvation. Part of the difficulty is related to the various paths we take to Jesus. Whatever your journey has been like, this series of articles provides guidance in writing a light story that will be effective in almost any context.

Just as we all have different personalities and fingerprints, our journeys into the family of God also vary. There is general agreement among researchers that most conversion experiences fall into three broad categories: (1) sudden; (2) unconscious – when an individual is raised under the influence of Christian beliefs and cannot document a clear turning point, and (3) gradual. I like to think of these categories as three journeys to saving faith in Jesus.  To write an effective testimony, it is helpful to first think about your specific journey. Which of these best describes your journey of faith?

1. The Straight Highway (“unconscious”)

Some of us experience Jesus early in life through loving families and friends, and our faith grows and  develops over the rest of our lives. As a young child, they responded to Jesus with all the faith and commitment that a young child can offer. As they got older, their faith grew just as everything else in their life was growing. As a teenager, there were new challenges – and these young believers updated their commitments to Christ. Something similar happened in college. And that pattern has continued season after season. The Straight Highway gently rises before us as we walk with Jesus, grow in our faith, and shine his grace brighter and brighter every day.

I think this is God’s preferred plan – healthy, loving families who consistently demonstrate and communicate the grace of Jesus. One of the many benefits of the Straight Highway is that converts and their families do not have to suffer through the wild disobedience of adolescence and the related consequences.

However, people who have this journey sometimes whine a bit when they begin to write their testimonies. “But my life has been so boring.” “I never had a wild period.” “I grew up in the church.” If that sounds familiar, take a minute to thank God for the miracle of your salvation. He has a vested interest in helping you craft a witness that honors him and creates curiosity in your listeners. There is nothing boring about Jesus. If this is your journey, I provide some specific guidance on writing your stories later in this document.

1. The Downward Cycle (“sudden”)

There are those who were unaware of God’s grace for a long portion of our lives. Although God had been loving us and working in our lives all along our journey, we never knew this, or we just rejected the thought. Finally, at just the right time, God broke through to our heart of hearts. God may have used the voice of a friend or a preacher or a family member. God may have used the Bible or other Christian literature. God may have used a crisis in your life or a supreme joy. But something woke you up. Perhaps you received new knowledge about God, or something you had previously heard suddenly became True in your heart. You realized that you had a need and desire for God, and you said yes to God’s grace with belief, repentance and gratitude. You entered the family of God. The direction of your life changed quickly and radically. Your priorities and behavior took a hundred- and eighty-degree turn. 

Those who experienced The Downward Trail before conversion may have less trouble focusing your testimonies on a relatively concentrated period of time. In a moment or over a period of hours, days or weeks, you moved from darkness to light. You may, therefore, be able to relate to the radical and quick change that Jesus worked in Paul’s life that is described in Acts 9. You too suddenly began walking with Jesus on a new road toward a wonderful destination.

Sometimes this instantaneous or sudden type conversion has been seen as the norm or even the only true conversion. This narrow thinking is biblically unfounded and can cause authentic Christ followers who have different journeys to doubt their salvation. 

1. The Hilly Road (gradual)

James Engel describes this journey of conversion as:

…the most common manner in which those with little or no prior exposure or meaningful Christian background come to faith in Christ. It can extend over quite a period of time and encompass a progressive change from rejection of Christianity to acceptance. It may climax in what appears to be sudden conversion, but the act of turning or decision is secondary to the process itself. (The Road to Conversion: The Latest Research, posted by MissioNexus https://missionexus.org/the-road-to-conversion-the-latest-research/)

People on this journey were exposed to the grace of God in various times and places over a period of weeks, months, or years, but our responses to God were fickle. Sometimes we acknowledged God’s grace with gratitude, but our dominant responses were procrastination or rejection. There were many ups and downs in our journey. At times, we are sorry for our sins and pledged to do better. At other times, we ignored God and willfully made wrong turns. But the Hound of heaven persistently pursued us. Eventually we came to our senses and said yes to our Savior with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Our lives were transformed, we began to follow Jesus, and our journey has become more purposeful, peaceful, and joyful. The road of our lives has become straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

Regardless of what type of conversion journey you have had, there is only one way to enter the family of God. Jesus is the way. In response to his grace, we believe, repent, and pledge our unwavering allegiance to follow him. 

The Lord was with You All Along the Journey – Even When You Were Unaware

In a sense, there are actually no instantaneous conversions. All of us are converted through a series of holy touches by the Spirit of God. One beautiful aspect of Wesleyan theology is the concept of prevenient grace. This term relates to the persistent love of God focused on a person prior to their conversion. God moves, protects, and guides every life prior to justification when they say yes to God’s grace. We are unaware of most of these holy touches as they happen, but after conversion, we can appreciate many things we did not see earlier. 

Take a minute now to review your journey. As you look back, there are many obvious moments when God broke through to you and you responded in some way. But linger a bit longer in sanctified remembering. What were some of the less obvious occasions when the Spirit was guiding, protecting or revealing grace? Take a moment now to thank God for those events and persons. As you sing Amazing Grace, remember to include these acts of prevenient grace along with the way you experienced God’s justifying grace.

Regardless of what path you took to begin following Jesus, your light story can be a powerful and effective tool that lifts high the light of Jesus. Empowered by the Spirit, your brief testimony will lead people from darkness to light. This is your most basic and important ministry tool. In the next two articles in this series, I will provide guidance on how to make language choices related to your specific journey to Jesus and examples that might inspire your own writing.