Somebody once said that we should share Christ at all times and speak if necessary. It is a good reminder that people read our actions more than our words. If we expect to give faithful testimony, our actions are important. However, we can give the message more effectively and with a greater likelihood that it will be understood if we speak. People are likely to start looking at our deeds with a critical eye after we say something about loving the Lord, but our words are probably what gets their attention first.

 People sometimes think they need special words or methods in order to share their faith. They may fear that they will make a theological mistake. We need to get over those concerns. Christianity is a way of living shaped by a relationship with Christ. If I am talking about life, I am talking about my life in relationship with Christ. When I speak intentionally or unintentionally about my relationship with Christ in conversation with another person I am testifying in the biblical sense. It need not be a speech, and I need not ask the other person in the conversation to concur in my faith. I simply need to speak about my faith with the same simplicity and natural words I use when speaking about cooking or the books I read.

 I have not yet reached a place where I need not work at intentional testimony. It happens more readily now than it used to, but I must still push myself sometimes. I think one of Satan’s best squelches is the contemporary habit of taking offense at everything. It is easy for me to avoid faith speech if I start to worry about offending someone. I get the idea of inviting someone to church, but as I face that person and start looking for the right moment, I get a little frisson of fear. What if it makes them angry? What if they don’t want to be friends any more? It is easier to get past that moment by reminding myself that I am who I am and I need to be honest about it. Maybe we should stop using the words “witness” or “testimony” so heavily. Maybe we should simply say that faith speech is being honest about who we are in relationship with Christ at all times.

 Faith speech is not a sermon. It is normal conversation that can take many forms. It isn’t all about converts, either. Faith speech links believers to one another just as surely as it attracts those who do not believe yet. Faith speech is part of our ministry of encouragement to one another. In fact, faith speech encourages the speaker, too. It comes in many forms.

• Would you like to visit my church with me this Sunday?
•  God loves you.
•  God bless you.
•  You are in my prayers.

 People in dressy clothes on Sunday morning in a marina attract attention. When we lived in a marina, we walked to church every Sunday morning, and later in the week we would see people who asked, “Where were you going all dressed up?” That question gave us opportunities to invite people to go to church with us. Not too many actually joined us, but occasionally someone would. People knew what we believed, and sometimes they said things like, “I know you go to church, so ….”

 After I became more intentional in faith speech, I found numerous opportunities to say, “God loves you.” The world is a troubled place, and people have problems. I am constantly amazed at the things people tell me about their problems. When they do, my first response is often, “God loves you.” I say those words, because I want to remind them that God is not the source of the problems. People say, “I think God is testing me,” and I want them to know that God is not in the business of giving us grades. God sent Christ to die for us. The God who loves us that much is not going to instigate evil in our lives. The evil comes from elsewhere, not from God. When I testify to God’s love, it often, but not always, leads to a deeper conversation.

 When I made up my mind to be more faithful in testimony, I wanted some easy way to inject faith speech into my conversation. I seized on the very common phrase, “Have a nice day.” Most cashiers say those words as the customer is leaving, and I started responding with the words, “God bless you.” I get all kinds of reactions, but many people say, “Thank you.” No matter what the reaction, I know that they get my message, which is more than just a blessing; it is a reminder, a prick, a word of love, a little surprise in the middle of the day. I think it would be wimpy to say, “God bless.” A blessing needs an object. I say, “God bless you,” and the blessing falls on the person I am speaking to.

 Sometimes the simple words, “God bless you,” lead to a lot more. I don’t say them only to cashiers. I like to say those words in parting at what seems to be the end of a conversation, and more than once the conversation has restarted with a new direction. Those simple faith words are used by the Holy Spirit for real blessing to me and others.

 Sometimes people tell me things that immediately call for prayer. When an acquaintance e-mailed me that she had been laid off from her job, I wrote back with a prayer for her in the e-mail. I don’t know what this person believes about God, but I know what God believes about her. God loves her. When I hear such news in the checkout line at the grocery store, I respond, “I will pray for you.” I pray silently right then and there that God will help this person find work that is fulfilling and pays the bills. When I get home, I add that person to my prayer journal. Maybe I will see that person again, maybe not, but I have spoken in faith, and the Holy Spirit will work with that testimony.

 There are opportunities for faith speech in all sorts of conversations. The important thing is to be completely honest. If someone says, “I don’t know how anyone believes in God any more,” I must honestly say, “Well, I do.” Someone saw me writing and asked, “What do you write about?” I answered, “I write about the Christian life.” She responded, “Oh, I’m an atheist. I don’t believe in God,” to which I replied, “That’s okay. He loves you anyway.” We don’t need to be stuffy, and we leave judgment to God. Jesus said that no matter where we go, we should never stop talking about him. Our Christian testimony is not a complicated thing. Speaking words of faith is really just living and breathing our faith.

If you saw someone shoot and kill your neighbor, you could help the police with your eyewitness report, and you could testify at the trial of the murderer. Your testimony might even help to put a murder behind bars. Sadly, nothing you could do in that process would ever bring your neighbor back to life.

 What if your testimony could bring someone to life? Would you do it?

 Every follower of Christ has a testimony that can help someone find new life in Christ. Every one of us can be witnesses to what Christ has done for us, and when we do that, we share words and deeds that may be used by the Holy Spirit to transform someone’s heart. We don’t need a degree in theology, nor do we need to be ordained to give this testimony. In fact, we don’t even need to have memorized somebody else’s testimony. We simply need to be honest and open about our relationship with Christ.

 I think we make it too hard, because we really do think we don’t know enough. I also think we fear the repercussion if someone rejects the message. These are two different problems, and we need to get over them.

 First, we do know enough. One of the easiest ways to be open about our relationship with Christ is to invite someone to church. To do that clearly testifies that Christ is part of our lives, and to invite someone to go with us ought to be as normal as to invite them to go with us to a football game or an art exhibition. We invite our friends to join us in activities we enjoy. There are many other ways to share God’s love, too. If we let God lead us, it can be as natural as talking about new babies and family reunions.

 Second, there could be repercussions, but you might be surprised how infrequently people get angry about it. I have invited people who didn’t go to church with me. I have said, “God loves you,” to people who replied that they don’t believe in God. I have never had anyone attack me, although one man did say “I guess being Lutheran is the next best thing to being a Christian.” I have never had anyone shout at me so far.

 Maybe the biggest hurdle for some people is the idea that there is a special “authorized” way to testify to our faith. There isn’t. If you doubt me, read how Jesus talked to people. He started where they were. For the woman at the well, he simply asked for a drink of water. For Zaccheus, he invited himself to dinner. When a lawyer tried to entrap him in a semantic argument, he told a story. I think our best testimony is offered when we simply speak of our faith as naturally as we speak of our children or our work. We don’t need to stress over it; we simply need to let it out.

 It is important to think about why we don’t testify more often, because it is even more important to remember why we do testify. We testify, because faithful testimony for Christ pushes back evil. We testify, because the only hope for a world full of people with broken hearts is the grace, forgiveness and transforming power of the Holy Spirit. We may not see the fruit of our testimony in many people’s lives, but we leave that work to the Holy Spirit.

 The next time you speak with someone and feel a nudge that says, “This person needs the Lord,” don’t ignore that nudge. Pay attention. Watch for the right moment to say, “Would you like to come to church with me this Sunday?” or simply say, “God loves you.” Follow the Holy Spirit’s leadership. Our world needs a lot more faith speech spread around. Jesus said that we are to be the light of the world. Some of us appear to be saving our lights for a darker night. It’s dark enough already. Let your light shine.