Tell Your Story

In case you haven’t been with us or didn’t realize this is the last week of us spending three months focusing on reaching out to those around us. We began in July asking the question why we should share God with the world.

This allowed us to understand how God is at work within us and wants to help us to prepare ourselves for being open and willing to share the love of God with our friends, family, and those within our communities.

We followed that up with having some of our church family sharing with us their Jesus Stories. Their stories on the way that God has impacted their lives. We then had Pastor Kay speak from her heart on being willing to overcome our fears to be who God wants for us to be.

This week we wrap up our sermon series “Love Your Neighbor.” We have been looking at a set of principles that can help us be a blessing to those around us. These principles spell out the word BLESS.

We have seen the importance of beginning with prayer, along with listening, eating, and serving to allow us to develop relationships with those around us. You can find all of these sermons on our You Tube channel.

This week we focus on the last “S”, which is “story.” Our scripture comes from John 9:1-17. The words will be on the screen.

9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

Please pray with me…

What a story that this man has.  Can you imagine him telling his friends and family about Jesus and how he once was blind but now he can see. This is both a spiritual and physical life-changing story.

Not all of us have these types of stories but those that have given our lives to Jesus have all experienced a spiritual life change. We have all been on a journey with Jesus. A spiritual enlightenment that should have changed our perspective on how we should live our lives.

(Transition)

When God created human beings, he designed us with an incredibly complex set of tools for communicating with one another. Think about it, sure, we can communicate with words that are spoken or written or sung, but there are so many other ways we communicate without words.   

For example, we communicate with facial expression. With a smile to communicate friendliness, approval, or happiness. With a furrowed brow to communicate anger, disapproval, or frustration.

What are some other ways we communicate without words? “Eyes” – As the famous quote says, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” Whether it is surprise, terror, sadness, or side-eye… Our eyes speak volumes! We especially saw the power of eyes speaking during COVID while our faces were covered.

“Touch” – So true! You can communicate a lot through a high-five or a hug!

“Gestures”– Oh, yes, gestures! How we move our hands can express different feelings especially when we are driving.

“Posture” – Yes, our posture communicates a ton about our openness and interest.

There are so many ways we communicate without words, and when it comes to helping people find their way back to God, most of us hope we can do it… without words. It is why we like the saying “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.”

(Transition)

But we can’t tell our stories without words. Words are necessary in order for us to be a blessing to those around us. And yet, most of us hold back, and not necessarily because we don’t recognize opportunities to speak. Do you ever get that feeling that you should say something to somebody but in the end you decide to keep your mouth shut.

(Transition)

The man in today’s scripture reading was blessed by Jesus and then he became a blessing to those around him. One advantage he had over us most of the time is he didn’t have a choice. He was asked specifically to share his story.

The story is amazing. The questioning leads to the man letting those that were listening know about what God did for him. It is the end that has the man expressing what the actions of Jesus did for him. “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” the man says, “He is a prophet.”

The story was powerful. The man ends by making sure they knew who to credit for the miracle. He is telling them to give credit to Jesus. Our story should also show how Jesus saved us and changed us.

(Transition)

I can think of another time in scripture where a man had an amazing story. Jesus lands his boat and a man comes up to him who obviously had some issues. His issues derived from him having demons invade him which was causing him to struggle.

He said that his name was Legion representing the large number of demons that were affecting him. Scripture explains him this way.

“This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.”

The demons end up leaving the man and those in the town come to see what happened. This is what it says about the man now “15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind”

What a story of transformation this man would be able to share. In fact, the man wants to go with Jesus and share his story but that is not what Jesus has planned. He tells the man to

“Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” That is what the man does, we are told that he “went away and began to tell in the Decapolis x how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.”

This is why we begin with prayer. God has a specific plan for us both individually and as a church. God knows where and with who he wants us to tell our story too. We need to be open to God and be ready to share our story with who God places before us.

(Transition)

The word “Gospel” which is how we refer to the first four books of the New Testament tell the story of Jesus and how he spread the word of God and then died on a cross so that our sins could be forgiven.

The word “gospel” means “good news.” In the case of the New Testament, it is the “good news” of what Jesus said and did for humanity. But we should have our own ‘good news” of how God has changed our lives.

The problem is we can stop ourselves from sharing our “good news” because we come up with excuses on why we shouldn’t. We allow our own doubts and fears to cloud our willingness to use words to express how Jesus first loved us.

One excuse we use is that “we aren’t the right person to talk to other people about God.” Our minds tell us “We don’t have what it takes.” We think sharing our story is only for the super religious people, those who understand tons about the Bible. After all, what if a debate were to break out? I don’t have all the answers!

None of us have all the answers. One way to try to find an answer is to ask someone you trust and hope that they will have the answer. If that doesn’t work you can try going online and see if Google can help. Most of the time you will find an answer to your question you just may want to try to confirm it is the right answer.

But we at times may not find an answer we’re happy with, but what we have is better! When Jesus sent his disciples out to share his good news he said to them:

“Do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

We aren’t speaking words on our own. If you are a follower of Jesus, we have the Spirit of God living inside of us that wants to help speak for us. THAT’s what it takes. A willingness to believe that God is with you and will help you with the words to say and the actions to take.

(Transition)

Another excuse we give to not share our story is that “I don’t want to impose my beliefs on other people.” We’ve all seen the stereotypes, whether in movies or on the evening news… Angry Christians with bullhorns trying to jam the Bible down people’s throats. If that’s what you’re afraid of… good! Don’t do that!

However, we can humbly and authentically share the difference that following Jesus has made in our lives. That is not imposing your beliefs on anyone. It is allowing someone to receive information that they may have not had available to them before.

If we really believe what we’ve found in Jesus is good news, why wouldn’t we share it with others? To keep it to ourselves would be like hoarding bread when others are going hungry. The words we speak that can help point others in the direction of bread.

Our first reading points out….

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Heart and voice, God does not leave us alone during our times of communicating with those around us. He will be within us giving us the words to say. We may not even get to see the results of what we say but we should be willing to bless that person because we have been blessed by God.

(Transition)

Another excuse that can stop us from sharing our story, is that, “It makes us feel uncomfortable.” I have to cut right to the chase on this one, of course it does! Often sharing our story looks like two nervous people talking to each other. But we should not allow that to stop us.

Sharing our story is us choosing to be vulnerable to those around us. It is us saying to that person “I trust you enough to let you know a little piece of my history.” We are showing that we care enough to share a part of us with them.

What you will most likely discover is that the more often you share your story the more comfortable you will become. This is why I recommend writing out your Jesus Story and sharing it at least the first time in front of people you trust so that you can become more comfortable with your own story.

(Tell my story)

My Jesus Story begins in fifth grade, the school year had just started when on September 18 my sister was born. The expectation was that I would have a heathy sister, that turned out not to be the case. She was born with an extremely rare muscle disease. She was not able to breath on her own.

We went almost a year with her in the hospital. This meant that during the week my brother and I would go from house to house spending usually a few days or a week at a time with a friend. This was fun at first but it got old quick and I was wanting to go back to having a home.

But I did have a home. My home was the church. It was there that I felt loved and was safe. It was at church that I was surrounded by people that I knew loved me and cared about me. That did not mean I was happy but at least I found a place I felt loved.

Saturdays were spent for the most part at Children’s Hospital. We would see our sister who would look at us but couldn't move or speak and then my brother and I would go outside to the playground right outside of the hospital.

(Transition)

I became angrier and angrier as time went on. My frustration grew to the point it could be said that I hated my sister for being born. I blamed her for all of my troubles and all of the pain that I was feeling.

I was angry at my parents. I felt that they had abandoned me. I felt like I had no family, no home, and no life outside of my church and my relationship with Jesus. It is why the church is so important to me. It is the church that became my safe place.

I cried twice during the life and death of my sister. The first time was during a church service. Where I wept to the point that it could be called wailing because of my belief of not being heard and forgotten.

The second time was at church camp when I had time to spend a week in one place. It was Christian community and God that kept me going during those dark times in my life. It was God that eventually helped me some 35 years later to allow me to completely forgive my parents and also myself for the anger I felt toward a sister that had done nothing against me.

This story is why I say so often that God will never leave you or forget about you. I lived it. That is why the Christian community means so much to me. I lived it. God and Christian community can help you through anything that you are facing in your life.

(Transition)

Those that have already shared their Jesus Story were given a sheet to help them prepare the story that God wanted them to share with the congregation. If you want to find those Jesus Stories you can find them on our website or You Tube channel.

Let me quickly share that with you. I will also be including this preparation sheet on this week’s newsletter. The steps are pray, be vulnerable, write it down, practice, and ask for help if needed. We will quickly look at each step.

Pray: Take some time and allow God to speak to you on what He would like your Jesus story to be. You may think you know what you want to share, but Jesus may have other ideas.

Be vulnerable: Be willing to be vulnerable. You don’t have to tell all the details but be willing to let others inside your triumphs and/or struggles.

Write it down: You may believe that you have what you need to say in your head, but please write it down. This will allow you to refer to your notes if your mind goes blank while you are talking or writing down items make them easier to memorize.

Practice: This is very important if your story causes you to get emotional. Emotion is good, but repeating your story allows the emotion to remain without becoming so emotional that you can’t get the story out.

Ask for help: I am available and would be happy to help you formulate and practice what you are wanting to say.

(Transition)

We have a story to share with the nation, a story of truth and love. We have been blessed by God. We have been impacted in some way through our relationship with Jesus. We show our love to God through our willingness to share our story with those around us.

Let us pray…