SHARING YOUR STORY (EVANGELISM PT. 2)
WHY SHARE OUR STORIES?
In my previous post, we talked about how the idea of sharing our faith either gives us a sense of dread or a feeling of guilt. That’s usually because we know we should be but we are either afraid or not sure how to do it. So the point of this series of posts was to take the mystery and fear (as much as possible, since we’ll still be afraid of things we’ve not done a lot) out of sharing our faith.
I also mentioned that I believe that the most effective way of sharing our faith is by sharing our own personal story. There are four reasons for this.
The first is that as human beings we are hardwired to understand ourselves and our world through stories. We see ourselves as characters experiencing life and we interpret the meaning of those experiences and put them together in stories. We naturally tell stories. Stories about childhood, stories about work, our hobbies.
Secondly, we learn better through stories. We can place ourselves in someone else’s story and vicariously live out their experiences with them. It can give us compassion towards them and feel what they felt. Hearing someone’s story helps us connect with them and understand them.
Thirdly, when we hear other peoples stories, it encourages us to think about our own and tell our own. So when we tell our story, it naturally invites others to talk about how they’ve had similar experiences or how their story is different. It helps us to understand our own story better when we hear someone else’s as well as invites us to share our story.
Lastly, stories are better than arguing with someone and also harder to argue with. When we tell our story, we’re simply telling someone our own personal experiences and how we have been shaped by them. It’s a way of humbly and gently explaining to someone what we believe. It’s a genuine way of talking about what is important to us and very rarely will someone be able to argue with us about our own personal experiences. So, with that being said let’s talk about how to tell our story.
We all have different stories and are not always sure how to put them together in a way that flows naturally. Some of us didn’t grow up in church, some of us did and that makes for some big differences in the beginning of our story. Some of us have had some major struggles with addiction, or suffering and some of us have not had to deal with much trauma. So we need examples of others who have similar experiences as us to help us think through telling our story. So I’m going to put forward a couple key stories that we have a lot of information about and hopefully as you hear their story, you might hear things that are similar and feel more comfortable telling your own story.
Let’s start with Peter.
MAJOR MILESTONES IN PETER’S STORY
Andrew brings his brother Peter to meet Jesus John 1:40-41
- What people have played a role in helping you come to follow Jesus?
- What did they do?
- What about them helped show you Jesus is real?
Peter sees the reality of his sin in the presence of Jesus Luke 5:1-11
- When did you first realize just how awful your sin was?
- How would you describe how your sin affected your relationship to Jesus?
Peter responds to the call of Jesus to follow him Matthew 4:18, Mark 1:16-18
- When did you decide to first start following Jesus?
- What were you willing to give up and leave behind?
Peter realizes that Jesus is the Son of God (Confession, Transfiguration) Matthew 16:16, Matthew 17:1-11
- When did Jesus become even more real to you?
- What circumstances made you “wake up” to see Jesus more clearly?
Peter denies knowing or following Jesus 3x’s Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:55-60, John 18:16-27
- In what ways, even after following Jesus, have you failed to acknowledge him?
- Have you ever had a season where you turned away from following Jesus?
Peter is sought out by Jesus and given responsibility John 21:15-17
- How did Jesus seek you out after failing and draw you back into relationship?
- How did you experience both Jesus challenging you in your sin and still lovingly inviting you back to him?
- How has he (or could he) use your failure to love and help others?
Peter is filled with the Spirit and boldly proclaims Jesus. Instead of denying privately, he his proclaiming publicly. Acts 2:14-36
- How have you seen Jesus changing you? Dealing with your fears and insecurities? Making you who you were meant to be?
- How has Jesus used you to show him to others?
Peter goes out of his comfort zone to be part of what Jesus is doing among the gentiles. Acts 10:1-6
- How has Jesus called you out of your comfort zone to do something you never thought you’d do?
- Who are the people Jesus has asked you to love that you struggle to be in a relationship with?
Peter loses his brother to persecution and ends up in jail, and God rescues him Acts 12:1-2, 3
- What pain and hardship have you experienced while following Jesus?
- What doubts did that cause you to have?
- How has he used them to grow you and your faith?
- How have you seen Jesus answer your prayer?
- How has He taken something painful and used it for his plan in your life and others?
Peter is confronted by Paul for his fear of others opinion and his behavior Galatians 2:11
- Where do you still need help following Jesus?
- What are you afraid of? (failing, letting others down, looking bad, etc.)
- Who has helped you overcome sin in your life and become more like Jesus?
Peter encourages others to persevere under hardship and persecution, and by example dies instead of turning his back on Jesus 1 Peter 1:3-9
- What has Jesus brought you through that shows he will never leave you or forsake you?
- What are you currently going through that you trust Jesus will be able to help you through?
- What gives you have hope that death is not the end?
Here is one of the main reasons I love the story of Peter. Tim Keller once said, when was Peter saved? When did he experience conversion? The answer is that we have a hard time pointing to an exact moment. What we do see is a man who is continually in the process of being saved. This has been helpful for me since too many stories focus only on a point of salvation, and not the ongoing work of Jesus in our lives.
What do you think? Are there any milestones in Peter's life that remind you of your own story? We'd love to hear some of them!
Check out the next post in this series, learning to tell our stories along with Paul.