📍 The Elevator That Changed Everything
Pastor Stan Givens says, “If you can’t share your story in the time it takes to ride an elevator, you may never share it at all.” That idea has challenged all of us. What if the next person you see in an elevator, checkout line, or carpool is your moment? What if they’re one story away from eternity?
That’s why we’re learning to tell ours.
📍 Historical Context – Eyewitnesses That Preached
The resurrection wasn’t spread through abstract ideas. It spread through eyewitnesses who had personally encountered the risen Christ. They didn’t just know theology—they knew transformation.
The earliest Christians didn’t say, “Let us tell you about a philosophy.”
They said, “Let us tell you what He did for us.”
- The Samaritan woman ran to her village and said, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did” (John 4:29).
- The blind man told the Pharisees, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25).
- The man possessed by demons in Gadara begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus said, “Go home… tell how much the Lord has done for you” (Mark 5:19).
- Paul again and again recounted his Damascus Road encounter (Acts 22, Acts 26)—how a terrorist became a preacher.
These weren’t abstract doctrines. They were living testimonies.
As John Calvin put it,
“Our lives should be a mirror reflecting the image of Christ. This is the most convincing proof of the gospel.”
📍 Main Theme: Our Lives Tell the Resurrection Story
Yes, we have historical evidence.
Yes, we have Scripture.
But sometimes, the best apologetic is a life transformed.
That’s why we’re learning to tell our story in 30 seconds. Here’s the framework:
📍 Elevator Testimony Template
Once I was… (three honest adjectives)
Then I met Jesus… (when, where, how—be specific)
Now I am… (three true adjectives that reflect Christ’s work)
Example:
“Once I was angry, selfish, and ashamed.
Then I met Jesus in the middle of my brokenness, and He forgave me and filled me with hope.
Now I am peaceful, free, and finally whole.”
✍️ Takeaway Tasks
- Write your 30-second story this week. Use the template above.
- Refine it with a trusted friend or mentor.
- Share it—with someone at school, work, or even over coffee.
Like the healed man in Mark 5, Jesus has done “much” for you. Go tell someone.
As Richard Baxter once said,
“Speak to them as a dying man to dying men.”
📍 Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Thank You for writing a new story in me. Give me the courage to share what You’ve done. Let my words be true, and my life be proof. Use my testimony to awaken others to Your mercy and power.
In Your Name,
Amen.
📍 Challenge:
Take the “elevator test.”
Can you share what Jesus has done for you in 30 seconds?
Don’t just keep the story—release it. You are the proof.