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Intro

So last week we finished up with our series on Timothy, and we talked about how to keep our focus on Christ, and how it is important to make sure that we are having conversations about God with our friends. We are commanded in Scripture to make disciples, but how do we actually become a disciple maker?

Matthew 28:18–20 NIV

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

S we know that we have to make disciples, so what does that mean, well in essence it is just passing on the information that you know on to someone else. So today I want to talk about how to actually have those conversations, and how to pass on our knowledge of Christ. So tonight I want to talk about different ways that we can actually have those conversations.

Your Story

The first and easiest to remember way to have these Gospel conversations with a friend, is to simply tell your story, and how you came to make Jesus as the leader of your life.

We can see in the parable of the man who was demon possessed and healed by Jesus that he was commanded to share his story.

Luke 8:38–39 NIV

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

This man was wanting to follow Jesus and continue to learn under him, however Jesus knew that he would have a greater impact by going back to his hometown and telling everyone what Jesus had done for him.

That is exactly what telling your testimony, or story is all about. It is simply telling other people what Jesus has done for you.

Now I think one reason that we dont share our story as often as we should is because we dont truly understand what Jesus did for us. Yes we know the story, Jesus died, Rose again, and went back into heaven. But do we truly understand what that means for you and me. That means that the creator of the Universe decided to give up His home in heaven, where they use Gold as asphalt, and instead chose to come down to earth and live for 33 years for the sole purpose of dying for yours and my sins.

We recently celebrated veterans day. We should all be grateful for the men and women that have served voluntarily to protect our country. They are willing to give up their lives so that we may continue to live ours in freedom. The coast guard has the motto so Others may live, and that is the creed that they live their lives by, and they deserve our respect and honor for the willingness to give up their lives to protect ours, however Jesus was not only willing to give up His life, but He came to earth knowing He was going to die so that you and I could have eternal life.

So how do you share your story?

The easiest way to share your story is to start at the beginning, tell what your life was like before you made Jesus the leader of your life.

Before I made Jesus the leader of my life, I was what everyone one call the good kid, I mostly made good decisions, I went to Christian School, went to church almost anytime the doors were open, and knew all the right answers to give when someone would ask. However I was still living my life to please myself. I was mostly making good decisions, not because I wanted to honor God, but because I didnt want to get into trouble. So it wasnt that I wanted to do right, I just didnt want the consequences that came with doing wrong.

And that is all it takes to share the beginning of your story, next you would share what circumstances brought you to realize that you needed a savior.

For me it was a combination of things, it started with my brother trusting in Christ, see I was giving excuses like what would my friends think if I told them I wasnt saved, because they all assumed that I was. Well then my brother got saved and was in the youth praise band, and I saw how his friends responded to him. Then one day my Youth pastor shared his testimony about how God was slowly removing all the excuses he had to saying yes to Jesus, and I realized I was in the same boat. I watched as God had removed reason after reason why I shouldnt follow Him, and that night I finally decided it was time to make Jesus the leader of my life. So I went and spoke with him after youth group that night and then spoke with my parents, and made Jesus the leader of my life in the middle of my living room.

So that was the circumstances of how I came to know Jesus, finally finish up with telling them what God has done in your life since you trusted Him.

In my life it has definitely been an interesting journey, and I have seen God lead me from different areas and places I never would have imagined I would be. Between serving as a camp counsellor, and finally becoming a youth pastor when I hated public speaking and would much rather just hide. Now I have realized that I have much more to live for than just myself, but I truly have found a purpose in living my life for Christ, and my decisions are no longer based on just wanting to avoid consequences but doing my best to always do what is right.

And that is pretty much all that is needed to be able to share your story. It doesnt have to be long, in fact it actually works better if you can keep it in the 5 minute or less range.

Other ways to share the Gospel

So that is a quick way on how to share your story but there are also other ways to share the Gospel, maybe you are nervous to share those details of your life. Well you can choose to use what is called the Romans Road.

The Romans Road is a group of Bible verses all found in Romans that teach us about Salvation.

Romans 3:23 NIV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 NIV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9–10 NIV

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Romans 10:13 NIV

for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

So these are the verses of the Romans Road, its really easy to find, you can just type what is the Romans Road into Google and it will pop up, but I encourage you to write them somewhere if you are planning on using it so that you dont have to rely on internet.

There are also other ways to share the Gospel we went over the G.O.S.P.E.L. method last summer with stand for God Our Sins Paying Everyone Life.

No matter which method you chose, the important part is to actually do it.