Sharing Your Story

How many like a good story? Especially when it’s a true story, it’s one that people connect with and relate to.

I was lost but now I’m found… that’s the best story ever!

When we look at the 7 Rhythms of a disciple, every one of these rhythms develop our story as a follower of Jesus. Our story is written every day walking with Jesus and walking with others.

As we do our Daily Devotions, Pray, Repent, Sacrificially give, serving our community, and Worship… Jesus is writing our story.

Some things about being a Christian seem to get easier and more natural the longer we know Jesus: reading the Bible, going to church, praying out loud. But one thing that usually doesn’t get easier is sharing our faith.

For many of us, no matter how long we have known Jesus, the thought of telling other people about the Lord makes us nervous.

Why is that? It could be a fear of rejection…

Maybe it’s an awkwardness of starting a spiritual conversation with somebody, especially with those who believe differently from us…

Anxiety of being asked questions that we don’t know the answer to…

Maybe we are just feeling too busy to get involved in somebody else’s life.

Maybe we worry that our lives don’t match up to “Christian” standards.

Maybe we just don’t have any real relationships with people outside our faith.

Sharing our story is one of the rhythm’s of a disciple. This can be as easy and natural as simply having a conversation with someone. It’s really not as complicated as we think it should be.

It’s about loving God and loving people enough to be willing to share our story with others.

God has given each of us a unique story and opportunity to make an impact.

Jesus used a metaphor about salt and light to illustrate how we are to share our story with others.

Matthew 5:13–16 ESV

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

PRAY

Jesus said that we are salt and we are light.

Salt was much more than a spice. Without refrigeration or modern antiseptics, salt was a necessary and a valuable commodity. It was used as a preservative, to keep food from going bad.

Salt also had medicinal value. It was effective in healing wounds and stopping infection.

Jesus made the point that in a world that is decaying and unhealthy, those who are salt are the hope of preservation and healing.

But… in order for salt to be effective, it must be in contact with whatever needs preserving or needs healing. Salt has to be rubbed into the food or sprinkled over the wound to be effective.

If we want to be salt we have to be close to the people that we want to impact.

Who is in your life, right now doesn’t know Jesus? Perhaps it is someone at work, school, in your family, or your neighborhood.

You may think, “I am so inexperienced in sharing my story. Someone else could do it better.” But if you are the one who is in close contact with that person then you are salt.

We may be around people who have a different view of Jesus but have a common interest. Whether that interest is sports, coffee drinking, school activities, going to the gym—whatever. By sharing our common interests, we are able to develop a friendship and talk about other things. You are salt.

The key is to be intentional, but also authentic, in our relationships. When we see these moments as opportunities to tell our stories of faith or share a spiritual conversation with someone we can bring healing and hope to those who are close to us.

We are salt… but we are also light…

Jesus’ audience was also well aware of the importance of light. Today, we have light with the flip of a switch. Light comes easily but back then, light was fleeting and the only hope in the darkness was for someone to shine some light.

Since there was great darkness and limited light, light had to be strategically placed.

Jesus talked about a city built on a hill.

In those days, cities were often built on hills because it made them appear more impressive and easier to defend.

When someone lit their house lamp, they would place it in the most strategic place in the house.

If you are a follower of Jesus, then you are light in the midst of darkness.

God has strategically placed you in areas of darkness to shine.

You may not like where you live,

You may think that your job is something special or strategic.

You my think that the school that you go to is just random.

The truth is, God has strategically placed you where you are to have an impact.

Jesus said that You are salt and You are light and You are placed where you are by God to be an influence for Jesus.

The Bible is filled with people who probably had feelings of randomness.

Joseph sat in prison

Moses tended sheep in the desert

Esther was enslaved in a foreign land

Ruth picked up left-over wheat in a stranger’s field.

They might not have felt so strategically placed but God used all of them to make a huge spiritual impact in the places He set them.

God has set us right where we are for a reason. Another person who will not think you are randomly placed: the person you impact.

Think about how you came to know Jesus? A coworker, a parent, a friend… it wasn’t some random act, it was a divine appointment. It was someone who shared Jesus by sharing his/her story.

Every person in the world has a sphere of influence.

As Christians, we are salt and light. Our purpose is to love people the way Jesus loves them—with compassion, grace, and truth.

Wherever you spend your time, God wants to work through you to preserve what is good, to heal what is broken, and to shine light into a dark world.

How do we do that?

Remember that God’s Salvation Story is now Our Salvation Story.

There are 4 parts to God’s story of salvation.

Perfect Creation

Terrible Fall

God’s Solution

Partners in Restoration

Perfect Creation

In Genesis, we saw God created the world to be perfect. At the center of His creation, He made human beings—the crown of His creation. God’s plan was for humans to live in perfect harmony with Him, with each other, and with the Earth.

Terrible Fall

Then trouble came to paradise. Instead of happily living in the perfect garden God established, Adam and Eve decided to break the one boundary God had given them. This rebellion, called sin, had immediate and lifelong consequences.

With their relationship with God broken, there was shame, blame, and power struggles in their relationship with each other.

Sin is the natural bent we have to be independent and disobedient to God: selfish, envious, judgmental, and unmerciful in our relationship with others; careless and greedy; and undisciplined, indulgent, insecure, and immoral in our own souls.

This is not what God intended and if our trouble with it is not resolved, we will forever be separated from God and the life He has for us. The Bible says, that the wages of sin is death.

God’s Solution

Man’s solution to these problems are through education, money, religion, government, and morality. So we try and try, and still the world, our relationships, and our souls are a mess. The harder we try, the worse it gets.

The Bible tells us we can’t fix it because the root problem is inside us. We need the solution that only God can give.

That’s why Jesus Christ came into our world.

Jesus was 100% human, 100% God.

Jesus taught what life in God was supposed to look like.

Jesus showed us how to love people with wisdom, compassion, and selflessness.

But the most important thing Jesus did was to die on a cross as a sacrifice for our sin.

Jesus’ death and resurrection made a relationship with God and restoration possible. It also means God sends His Holy Spirit to live inside us to guide and empower us.

First, there needs to be the intellectual understanding that Jesus died for your sins.

Second, embrace Jesus with your whole heart, accept His love for you, and pour out His love to others.

Finally, allow the Holy Spirit to work in you, to love others as yourself, and to do as Jesus asks.

Partners in Restoration

Now that Jesus has come in to our lives and is working in us, He has called us to partner with Him in bringing restoration to others and to the world.

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We join Jesus in His mission to draw others to Himself, to bring harmony to human relationships, to help move the world back toward beauty, and to aid people in finding peace, joy, and purpose in their souls.

God’s story of salvation is the Gospel, His Good News.

Knowing these four pieces of God’s story makes it easier to communicate our story to others.

Write down your story

God’s Salvation story is vital in developing our story and to share our story with others. Our story must be integrated in God’s story and the best way to do that is by writing down your story.

As you begin to write down your story consider this… every story has 3 parts, before you knew Jesus, the moment you came to know Jesus, and what happened after that moment.

How your life was before you knew Jesus

How you made that commitment to follow Jesus.

How your life changed after Jesus

How your life was before you knew Jesus

While everyone’s “before” looks different, typically there are similarities in the way we lived our lives and how we felt during this time.

Sit down and to write out what your life looked like during your “before.”

Be specific… write down specific situations, experiences, or emotions that come up as you write.

Include where you were spiritually.

What was your lifestyle like?

Who were you socializing with and what activities did you do with them?

What were your emotions in your day-to-day life?

How did you deal with challenges, setbacks, and crises?

What did you feel was lacking in your life?

What were your hopes and dreams?

What did your relationships look like?

Where did you turn for help or advice?

How did you satisfy your inner needs? (loneliness, fear of death, insecurity, etc.)

Were there any consequences you were dealing with for your actions, decisions or choices?

Where were you spiritually?

How you made that commitment to follow Jesus.

As you prepare this part of your story, simply recount the events and circumstances that caused you to consider Christ. Take time to identify the steps that brought you to the point of trusting Christ.

It may be that you were taken to church by a friend and heard a message, or someone told you his or her story and you related to him or her.

Or maybe you had been searching for something that was missing in your life and discovered Jesus another way.

Maybe you haven’t committed your life to Jesus yet… consider where you are and what questions you have about Jesus.

Take several minutes and write this portion of your story. Don’t hold back emotions that come up as you remember your personal situation. Remember as many details as you can. This is where you are telling about Jesus and what He did for you.

Be sure to include these key elements:

How you came to terms with the sin in your life. When did you finally understand you were separated from God?

What made you realize you needed God in your life?

When did you realize you needed forgiveness and had to change the way you were living?

Be honest with the doubts, excitement, or other feelings you had as you were presented with a relationship with Jesus Christ.

How did you actually invite Jesus into your life? Quietly in your heart, praying aloud, going forward in a church service, over a period of time, in one sudden, emotionally packed moment? Was there anyone else involved in you becoming a Christian?

Did you get baptized right away?

How your life changed after Jesus

Write down what your life has been like since you made your commitment to follow Jesus.

Try to capture how Christ is meeting your needs, and what that relationship with God now means to you. Don’t hold back feelings or emotions that may come up.

How has Christ made a difference in your life?

How has His forgiveness impacted you?

How have your thoughts, attitudes, and emotions changed?

What has changed in your relationships with others?

How does your faith in Jesus affect your hopes and dreams?

Where do you see yourself as part of God’s plan?

Maybe this part of your story is incomplete, you may want to spend time praying about this. You may have to recognize there is another chapter in your life that is yet to be written.

But don’t let God’s incomplete story of your life keep you from sharing your faith journey up to this point.

After you have written all three parts of your story, edit and consolidate your story.

Edit and Consolidate your story

Remember that when that opportunity arises, you may have only a few minutes to tell your story.

Look at each section of your story, and try to edit each part down to a paragraph of 6-10 sentences.

As you practice your story, use a timer and keep it to two minutes.

Don’t eliminate the passion or emotion from your story, and don’t skip the parts about commitment, acknowledging the need for Christ, receiving His forgiveness, and accepting the Holy Spirit into your life.

If we are going to be salt and light, we are to do something. And we have to be ready to do something. It is not enough to have good intentions, or to talk about it, or even just to pray about it.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

Be intentional and be strategic. This doesn’t mean we should manipulate relationships or actions with evangelism as our only intent. But, we may need to be a little more purposeful in sharing our stories with others.

Remember that having an impact in someone’s life is holistic and takes time and patience.

It requires seeing and interacting with people in their messes, and knowing they move forward spiritually at their own paces and in their own ways.

Be Salt, Be Light, Be close, and be intentional.

God wants to use us to bring healing, preservation, and shine the love of Jesus in any dark situation.

Take Away:

Have you begun your story with Jesus?

Do you see yourself as being salt and light in the environment that God has placed you in?

HOMEWORK: Take an hour or so and write down your story, edit it, consolidate it, and be ready to share it.