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.