Know Your Story

I love that you guys are joining me as we prepare for the harvest! What an honor it is to use this time to honor God and aniticipate what He’s going to do!

So we have been looking at John 4 this whole week and we have pulled out some key things about preparing for the Harvest. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit and we need to be true worshipers. Today we are going to see how powerful our stories are and why we need to share them with others.

Every time we encounter someone, we encounter their story. We have no idea where we are at in their story, if a chapter has just begun or if its coming to an end. We might find them in a really joyful and exciting part in their story, or we might find them in the midst of a broken and dry desert. Every person has a story, and if you are in Christ, you have a story that must be told.

After the Samaritan encountered Jesus, she couldn’t keep it to herself. In verse 28 it says, “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.”

She was in such a rush to tell others about this possible Messiah that she left the one thing she was supposed to get. She left her water jar at the well. Maybe she was so excited that she forgot it. Or maybe she wanted to go as quickly as possible and that jar would’ve weighed her down. Either way, it shows just how taken she was with her Savior.

This woman didn’t know everything about Jesus, but what she did know she shared. Jesus knew everything she had ever done, things that she had tried to keep secret, and He lovingly brought them up in their conversation at the well. She could have been so embarrassed by His knowledge of her sin, but something was different. He wasn’t condemning her. He wasn’t judging her. I know this because she wasn’t offended or ashamed. She may have changed the subject, but she stayed with Him.

And the power of her testimony brought the whole town out to hear what Jesus had to say.

So my question for you today is this, when did Jesus change your life? Was it a moment or a series of encounters? Was it when you were a child or an adult? What drew you to Him? Was it His kindness? Was it conviction of sin? Was it His love?

In 16 words this woman told about her encounter and it piqued the interest of an entire town. 16 words!

So why is this so important? Our stories are powerful and we are told throughout the Word of God that we need to share them. Psalm 107:2-3 says,

Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—

those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

3 those he gathered from the lands,

from east and west, from north and south.

God has gathered us up as a farmer gathers a harvest. He has gathered us up as His children. Our testimonies reveal the power of God in our lives through Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:10-12 says, “Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

If you don’t believe your testimony has power, take time to read Revelation 12 today, it says that ultimately we will triumph over Satan himself by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony!

Our testimonies offer hope, and they point to the life giving work of Jesus. It’s pretty easy to come up with a testimony when we take away all of the excess. You might have a time when you can go into a deeper conversation with people about what God has done and is doing in your life. But for today I want you to think about this scenario:

You run into an acquaintance at the store and they begin to tell you about how hard things have been for them lately. They are deeply struggling because they have lost a job, or a spouse, or a child. They feel hopeless and afraid. What words would bring life into that situation? There’s no way for you to answer the big question of why God would allow any of it to happen, so what do you say?

You give them a compassionate glimpse into what God has done for you. You say something like, “I can’t imagine going through that kind of grief. My heart breaks for you. In those times of deep sorrow I have learned that the only peace and hope I can get is from Jesus. He turned my life around.”

Bring Jesus into that moment. Not in a know it all sort of way, or in a way that diminishes their circumstances. But in a genuine, loving, and compassionate way.

Our testimonies change people’s perception of Christianity. It is no longer just a religion, it is a relationship. It is no longer just traditions, it is a life giving transaction between a God and those He has saved. It is no longer something to perceive, it’s something to experience. People are sceptical of Christians but when we share our real stories about a real savior, their hearts become softer and they might be more willing to take the next step in their faith journey.

Today, write out your brief testimony. Make it 20 words or less. Make it simple. Make sure Christ is the main point. Then post it in the comments. I’d love to read them today.

The New International Version. (2011). (1 Jn 5:10–12). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

The New International Version. (2011). (Ps 107:2–3). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

The New International Version. (2011). (Jn 4:28–30). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.