God designed witnessing. His idea. Not ours.
All want their lives to count for something;
to leave their mark when life is through.
How can we realistically be involved in local, personal gospel-giving like God intended?
Practice.
Most people don’t get instantly good at something without a bit of practice.
Getting your story balanced. Are you a good story-teller?
A powerful, simple, short testimony introduces people to your Savior and Scripture.
We are not going to reach our world if we cannot reach our network of contacts.
In a different post, we provide “prompter questions” … to help get that full testimony expressed verbally and out onto paper. Imagine being so comfortable with your testimony that you can tell it in three sentences, or three minutes, or 10 minutes.
A testimony is just a human introduction to the gospel.
How would one go about extracting a testimony from every believer?
Imagine the ideal setting for quiet audio recording, with a friend.
That rough draft audio testimony gets uploaded to a transcription service.
Transcribing 📝 that draft to a typed format.
Then allow skilled, gifted communicators to suggest storyline edits and fillers for flow.
Please ensure Scripture is emphasized.
Add pleasant design elements, from a professional.
Then get it out to everyone.
A testimony can be seen in 3 parts: your life before, during, and after salvation.
1) Include a snippet of who I was before Christ (doesn’t have to be long) 2) what transpired at the pin-point of salvation reception, that miracle of the moment, then 3) evidence of new creation thereafter.
Sounds so simple.
Do we believe God? Then we must also believe in Hell. Since Hell is real, then we should be actively involved in warning people not to end up there. Please sir, God would love for you to spend eternity with Him instead.
Get that gospel testimony formatted for maximum distribution on multiple platforms:
FB
YT
IG
SubStack (what’s that?)
TXT (literally a text-message introducing the gospel)
Reels
Shorts
Radio 📻 episode
Podcast
Airdrop share (that’s a thing)
How about a tiny square QR code quote cards (we call this a drip-drop). Simple. A small 2” square, rounded edges featuring a quote and compel to scan. Short, compelling quote … scan for more. Boom. Done.
Printed booklet (This method is powerful because it cannot be censored.)
Most testimony booklets are small, 4.5" square. Single fold. Staple bound. Maybe 6 to 12 pages, large font, including photos.
Imagine a vast army of believers, each carrying a personal and professional witness … on their person daily, total saturation of every nation, personally-authored booklets starting with some of these titles on the cover, for example:
Oh, here’s one:
My spiritual journey … (Boom. You’d open that, right? Smiling face of the actual human who just handed it to you right there looking at you.)
Here’s a little booklet I wrote on: “How God got my attention … “ [How would the receiver think? Well, that’s cute. I’d read that.]
My favorite thing about God …
Total transformation … I used to be a different person.
Can I tell you my favorite story?
Here’s one thing to remember …
Life is significantly better now …
Can I share with you a spiritual thought?
A radiant countenance! … (my grandpa would consistently compliment people on their countenance)
The question that stopped me …
I thought I had it all put together … (flip to open)
One thing I want my grandkids to know …
Can I tell you about the best day of my life?
I had serious doubts …
One thing I know for sure …
I’d love for you to meet my best Friend ever …
Why do people keep handing these to me? Is God trying to say something?
Short version of my life story :-)
Here’s something to read on your next break …
From Confusion to Clarity …
The best part about tomorrow …
Please let me share this with you …
I didn’t understand this when I was young …
Just sharing because I care …
A little book about my family … (also introduces you to my Heavenly Father)
Not all tragedies are terrible …
I wish someone explained this sooner …
How God rescued me …
Quick, fun, crazy story …
Got time for a heart-felt story?
How I got ready for eternity …
How to talk to your kids about Heaven …
God helped me understand these four simple things …
[Wait, hold on, are you suggesting that I write a tract? Hmmmmm. Aren’t all the tracts already written? Do you want to face Jesus having not written anything on the topic of the gospel?]
Here’s another booklet title idea:
Bored? Here’s the most unboring thing I know of … :) (improper grammar, but that’s how they talk.)
Please read before tomorrow … (today is the say of salvation)
We don’t have to agree on everything. (opens first flap) But we should agree with God on the big five …
Small parts of the Bible I do understand :)
Somebody shared this with me and so … I share it with you now. :)
Facts we all face …
Curious about eternity?
Just a friendly reminder (we all need Jesus)
I found eternal life secure …
What are we talking about? Sparking spiritual conversation.
It should be common and natural.
Bible evangelism in 2023.
What all equipment is helpful and needful?
Almost gotta have a smartphone game in your gospel presentation. Negligent not to.
In the year 60 Anno Domini: way back then there was no printing press. Yet the gospel message reached the known world through the Actions of the Apostles and the Help of the Holy Ghost. In 2023 … printing presses abound. We have home printers even, readily available. We can gear-up each morning with gospel cards. We don’t go anywhere without our phone. We can take with us: First class. Full color. Super affordable. Customized tracts.
2023 tools of transmission:
How to effectively get a message to the locals and the masses in 2023.
What if we got serious this year … like more than one-hour-per-day serious … about getting the gospel out in 2023?
Snippet summary from an article entitled: How to Reach the Masses (on WikiHow)
Define the message or idea you want to spread.
Are we clear on the message? It’s pretty clear, right?
Lock onto your intended audience for said message.
Resonate specifically. See their eyes and reactions. Speak as if they are listening.
Get on the platforms your intended audience already uses.
We used to get on porches, now we also get on screens.
Tailor your messaging to connect with that audience. The second-most important action you can take to gain an audience is produce powerful content consistently that relates with humans. Praying for Spirit-power is the first-most important action. :) Different audiences have different tastes and biases, so you’ll have to connect creatively to gain more influence.
Tell your audience about outcomes. Some people don’t enjoy the process of thinking. :) Just skip to the end, please. Then, if they are still listening, you have permission to explain simply how you arrived at that conclusion. Finish first, then the steps. :)
Make accounts on multiple major social media networks. If you want to truly reach the masses, then you’ll need a presence on as many networks as possible. Most social media accounts appear free. “Social” media is a way to be social. The new social way provides very powerful platforms for spreading messages. Focus content-production into a few core platforms, and then make broader accounts so you have a presence across multiple platforms for reach and pull. The major platforms today are YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, and Tumblr. There are also smaller sites and apps that cater to more niche audiences. Pull traffic. Include links to your website and other social networks, as people eventually follow on their preferred platform of use.
Make YouTube videos to engage your audience further. Only do this if you’re serious though. YouTube is one of the most popular websites in the world, and many people like watching videos more than reading posts. Making videos to talk about your message makes you much more visible and can gain you a bigger audience. Starting a channel is pretty easy. You just need a camera (which is IN your phone) and some basic video editing that only take a few minutes to learn, or you can delegate. Google owns YouTube, so Google searches make YouTube videos pop up early. This is great for visibility.
Are we going to get the gospel out this year, or are we going to empty-talk about it again?
Start a podcast to tap into your market. Podcasts are exploding in popularity as a lot of people listen as a main source of entertainment and news throughout the day. Casting gives you opportunity to speak at length about any issue you want, thereby you can really connect with your audience. The startup costs are low since you only need a microphone (which thankfully comes included IN your phone). It's almost harder not to. To make less work for yourself, you can upload your podcast audio to YouTube. That way, you can cover both platforms without having to do double the work. SubStack makes podcasting simple.
Create a blog for more long-form content. Blogs give you all the space you need to explain your ideas. Christians don't blog, however. What do we have to blog about? [That was sarcasm. Motivates some. Irritates others.]
Start a Telegram channel. Telegram has SuperChats where people go for intriguing information on topics they enjoy. Go to your app store and type-in: Telegram.
Choose traditional media if you have the money and audience. Radio, TV, and print are not as popular anymore, mostly because social media is significantly cheaper for broad reach. However, some demographics, especially older age-groups, consume traditional media more than internet media, so you’re missing out if you don’t try to tap in. AND social platforms block content that is deemed too amazing for the carnal mind to comprehend, such as the real truth about Jesus! Or: salvation is exclusive, through Christ alone. [That’s not welcome content.] TV, radio, or newspaper messaging should direct traffic to your other platforms. Don’t skip any segment of society. Reach them all. Physical messaging can be very expensive, so make sure you have a solid, worthy message and enough budget first. Strategically, traditional marketing drives traffic to your digital presence.
Tap into emerging social media networks to stay relevant. Social media changes as fast, new networks pop up all the time. Keep an eye on the social media world so you can spot any up-and-coming networks. If something looks like it has potential, get in early to take advantage of it.
Tik Tok, for example, shot up to almost 800 million users between 2018 and 2020. Tis Tok is wicked, foreign-owned, corrupting, reports everything you do to the enemy. Yet, people use it.
Users spend 95 minutes per day on TikTok (#1 most of all social platforms)
Users spend 23.6 hours per month on TikTok (#1)
78.6% of internet users use TikTok to look for funny or entertaining content (#1)
Go ye into all the platforms. Reach our world where they are. Glued to a screen.
Be consistent with posting on all networks. No matter what platform you use, consistency is key. Your audience will get bored and move on if you only post infrequently or randomly. Develop a schedule and aim for a few posts per week to keep your audience interested. Schedule wisely. Be steady, not overwhelming.
Insert keywords into your content so it spreads better. Keywords are how content ranks in internet searches, so having the right keywords in your content helps it go viral.
Add pictures to your posts to increase engagement. Side note: make certain you own the rights to those photos.
Buy social media ads to increase your reach. Organic shares can get you a lot of attention on social media, but your reach WILL still be limited on purpose. Pay to play.
Write articles for major publications to get more exposure. A well-placed article or guest post could get you a ton of free exposure. If you have a message to spread, try writing it up and submitting it to a major publication or website. If it’s accepted, then thousands of people could see it and start following you (or your message).
Use analytic programs to track your engagement and spread. You won’t know how much attention you’re getting if you don’t look at the data! Luckily, there are some simple programs you can use to see if your message is resonating with people and you’re actually reaching the masses.
Engage directly with your audience to build a following. If your audience interacts with you, interact back! As people comment or email, reply.
Collaborate with larger influencers to increase reach. There are tons of people online with huge followings that can really boost the influence of the message.
If not one person responds at all for the first week, and the first month, and the first year, still produce content that makes GOD smile. Honor Him. Noah produced righteous content for 120 years. Jeremiah saw no audience engagement. We share because it’s right to do. :)
Better Equipped