My Story Can Change The World Series

My Story can Change the World

Mark 5:19-20 (NLT) But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.”20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

Last week I spoke on the 7 things that make a great church, Great Purpose, Great Preaching, Great Power, Great Persecution, Great People, Great Praise, and Great Promises.

Each one of these great things brings a different emotion, a different feeling, to our lives, to our story.

I find that our emotions often come to the surface when there is joy, sorrow and anger coming to the forefront.

I get emotional when I tell of the mercy the Lord has shown me and others. Some say I have a tender heart, or tender spirit. I don’t know about that, I just know that I have a thankful heart because I sure don’t deserve the grace the Jesus has given me.

A few years ago a man asked his friend to go to a men’s retreat with him for a few days, for some man time and maybe have a little worship. Reluctantly he went; he gave his heart to the Lord in the hills of Santa Cruz.

Upon returning home, his family saw the difference in his life, he was a new person. With his story, 55 of his family and friends came to Christ. Did he change his world? Did their world get changed?

Acts 5:17-20 (NLT) The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”

If you continue to read down to verse 23 you will find that the ceil doors were still locked when the guards went to open on them. God had delivered them from behind locked prison doors. Go tell the people that you have been set free.

Their story changed the lives of the people at the temple and the guards. Don’t you think even the Sadducees’ world was rocked? How do you think they explained this act of God to their world?

Matt 28:18-19 (NLT) Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Twelve men went out into their world and changed it forever.

How big is your world and how much influence to you have in it?

Each day our world gets bigger. Every trip to the store or to work or school will cause our world to grow.

Every time my phone rings, my world CAN get bigger. I say CAN, because I could just hide behind my fear of being an exposed Christian.

Not a Christian of pride, but a Christian hiding from what the Lord has asked me to do.

Luke 9:26 (NIV)If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Japaz prayed for the Lord to expand his world.

How many times did Jesus tell someone to go to Jerusalem, Samara and to the ends of the earth? Has His commands changed from then until now?

When Jesus called each of His disciples, whose life, whose world did He change?

Sure, the 12, but what about their families and friends. Don’t you think the talk around the dinner table, the work place and even out on the water was about those crazy guys out there following that strange Jew? Do you think that there world was changed forever?

Has His gift of salvation for the Jew and Gentile changed to just the select few, our closest friends?

How many NON-Christian people are your friends?

How many sinners are you in contact with each day?

How many of them have you invited into your world? I’m not talking about inviting them to church; I’m talking about you building a relationship with, making friends with them?

I’m talking about you changing your world by entering some ones else’s world with your story.

Do you remember the number that the missionary Gunda said that he wanted to have under his name when he stood before the Lord? One-Million souls, he wanted to have some kind of connection with. His story of his spiritual experience, his spiritual DNA would be in their spiritual blood line.