At 2:30 this morning, I was teaching an Introduction to the MyFriends Lifestyle.
We were practising how to talk naturally with people who do not yet follow Jesus. I asked the group to describe something they had heard at church that might interest a non-Christian.
It was harder than it sounded.
We quickly used familiar Christian words such as fruit, spiritual maturity and discernment. They made sense to us, but probably would not make a workmate want to hear more.
Eventually, someone said:
“I heard a talk about how going through difficulties can help us develop resilience, wisdom and strength.”
Now that sounded like a water-cooler conversation.
By then I was tired, so later I gave the transcript to ChatGPT and asked it to help retell our stories in language that might connect with non-Christians.
That may be a useful tool for you too.
You could paste in something you heard at church, experienced during the week or learned from the Bible, and ask:
“Rewrite this as a brief, natural conversation with a non-Christian. Avoid Christian jargon, do not exaggerate, and leave room for the other person to respond.”
Then, instead of saying:
“I went to church and heard a sermon about spiritual maturity.”
You might say:
“I heard a talk this weekend about how difficult experiences can develop resilience, wisdom and strength. It made me wonder whether some of the hardest seasons of my life have also shaped me the most.”
A good water-cooler story often has three simple parts:
- Something happened.
- Faith helped me respond differently.
- I left room for the other person to ask a question.
The goal is not to hide Jesus. It is to speak about him in language that connects with the life the other person is already living.
This week, think of one thing you heard, experienced or learned from God.
How could you tell it in thirty seconds so that a non-Christian might genuinely want to hear more?
Walking together,