I sat in my car and read the texts I received from the small group in youth D-class that morning. They were amazing.

I taught a lesson called “Something to Say”, sharing how each of the disciples died a martyrs’ death–all but John.

“Why would they give their life? Why would they keep talking about Jesus even after they had been imprisoned, beat, chased out of town, and eventually beheaded, scourged, boiled in oil, crucified sideways and upside down…”

Because they had something to say.

It wasn’t just church for them. It had nothing to do with youth group or temple. It was a deep belief that Jesus was the Son of God. That truth transformed their lives, and eventually affected the way they died.

After the lesson we met in small groups and I asked the girls to take out their cell phones.

“Text me, or Jason, or Richard,” I said. “Text me in 144 characters or less why you are a believer.”

Some of the girls took it further. Once one girl realized that this was one way to share her faith, she sent it to a friend who had just lost his granddad, offering to pray for him. Another sent it to her dad, who didn’t know Jesus and she didn’t know how to tell him how much she did love God. One sent it to all of her friends. Most sent it just to me. It was a first step in sharing their faith.

I have saved the messages for now. I’ll eventually delete them, but for right now I am encouraged by knowing that sharing your faith isn’t limited. There are a thousand different ways we can tell others about Jesus and what it means to be loved and transformed by knowing Him.