I Peter 3:15-16
Sharing Your Life Journey
Introduction
A. Read I PETER 3:15-16
B. Ok, I agree with those verses but how do I do that?
C. In your bulletins for the last several months I have had a sentence in there about sharing your life journeys.
D. What does that mean?
E. Your life journey is one of the most powerful ways to reach people with the Good News
F. Your life journey is the story of your life and how God has worked in your life
G. Everyone hear is capable of sharing their life journey
H. Today we are going to break down our life journey into four parts
a. Your Testimony
b. Your Life Experiences
c. Your Godly Passions
d. Your Understanding of the Good News
I. Your Testimony
A. Explanation
1. We need a definition of testimony,
2. Now I know that it can be a scary word
3. Sometimes we get this wrong Idea of testimony and we just cringe at it.
4. So what is a testimony: a testimony is simply the story of how you began your relationship with Jesus
5. When you are giving your testimony, think about a court case
6. Witness give testimony, attorneys argue the case, press for a verdict
7. A witness just tells reports what happen or what they saw
8. You might not be a Bible scholar
9. You might not be the most eloquent speaker
10. But you are the leading authority on your life
B. Illustration
1. When I was on vacation, I went to a Church just outside of Detroit. During the announcements in the beginning of the service, a guy got up and was talking about the ALPHA course. There were going to begin in a couple of weeks and he was trying to recruit people to help and to participate. Well he went on for about 10 minutes. What do I remember from that? Nothing! Later on in the service they had a testimony time. They purposely had two ladies who had completed the ALPHA course. Someone ask them basically three question, what was your life like before, what happen, what is your life like now. Those two ladies in five minutes made me want to say “where do I sign up”
2. That is what a testimony can do
3. See unbelievers view pastors as professional salesman
4. When they hear a testimony, the unbeliever view the person as a satisfied customer
C. Application
1. So how do you give your testimony?
2. You should break it down into 4 points
a) What my life was like before I met Jesus
b) How I realized I needed Jesus
c) How I committed my life to Jesus
d) The difference Jesus has made in my life
3. Some of you can just think that through and if you remember those 4 points can share your testimony with no problems
4. Some of you might need to write it out, nothing wrong with that
5. A couple words of caution, NEVER LIE ABOUT YOUR TESTIOMONY!
6. If you do not have a dramatic conversion story, don’t make it dramatic! Tell the truth
7. NEVER GLORIFY PAST SIN. I am sure you have heard stories about people on drugs, and they seemed like they were having the time of their lives and now that they are saved their lives are boring
8. Don’t give the Devil that much credit.
II. Your Life Lessons
A. Explanation
1. Conversion is should not be the only major thing that happened in your life
2. WE do not go through this life without having to learn so important lessons
3. And that is your life lessons: The most important lesson God has taught you.
4. Insight you have learned about God, relationship, problems, temptation and other aspects of life
5. If you ever want to know were to find some good examples of life lessons study the books of proverbs and Ecclesiastes
6. They are very relevant, and give some practical advice, check them out you might like them
7. Everything that happens to you in life can be used as a life lesson
8. If, and here is the if, if you ask yourself what can I learn from this situation
9. Everyday there is a life lesson to be learned
10. Some insight to be gained, learned, applied, and then shared
B. Application
1. I am willing to guess some of you are sitting there and you can not think of any life lessons
2. Let me give you a few questions to get you started
a) What had God taught me from failure?
b) What has God taught me from a lack of money?
c) What has God taught me from pain or sorrow or depression?
d) What has God taught me about waiting?
e) What has God taught me through illness
f) What has God taught me from disappointment?
g) What has God taught me from my family, my church, my relationships, my small group, and my critics?
3. Now you all have valuable life lessons to share
4. Now using them in a timely matter is important
5. Let me explain
C. Illustration
1. Let say you are talking to a person who just lost their job and they are feeling like a failure, depressed, disappoint, scared cause how are they going to feed their family
2. This is the time you share your life lesson about how you lost your job and were going though the same emotions that they were going through
3. If you have never lost your job, do not make up a story were you have
4. Listen to their story and tell them you are sorry and their situation is really tough
5. Be honest and open
6. A just because you are a Christian, it does not mean your are immune to hard times.
7. Be honest and open to share those experiences, and what God taught you and how God got you through the situation.
8. That is sometimes the most powerful witness you can have.
III. Your Godly Passions
A. Explanation
1. Certain things in life we get you exited by just mere mention of the word
2. There are area in you life that you can talk about for hours and never get board
3. There is a reason for that. The God that created us, wired us in a certain way to give us passion.
4. Your Godly Passions are the issues God shaped you to care about the most
5. Some area in life will just make you ultra exited
6. A few examples are: abuse, addiction, depression, the unborn, the persecuted, the poor, the mistreated, the disadvantaged, a disease, the list could go on and on.
B. Illustration
1. How many of you know Al Murhuat? He runs the Murhaut religious good store. Great Guy
2. How many of you who know Al Murhaut can tell me his passion area (let me see your hand)
3. What is it? Abortion, the unborn
4. You cannot be around the guy for more then 5 minutes without finding out his Godly passion.
5. He is so passionate about the unborn.
C. Application
1. Use your Godly passion to be a witness to people
2. Two things will happen
a) In the world we live in today, especially here in America, we go on and on with our routine, that we lack passion
b) Basically we have the blah blah blah mentality
c) If an unbeliever see our passion, see how much we care, sees our love for the situation or person, that is a powerful witness
d) This world is looking for something to be passionate about, they can see you example and want that passion.
e) The 2nd thing that will happen is when you use your Godly passion you will have an opportunity to reach people in that areas
f) You will have an opportunity to reach the people in your passion area.
g) By just acting on your passion, you will have come in contact with people in your passion area, they will see your love for them
h) And that love will make a big impact on their lives
3. In a passionless society, those who have passion, have a great opportunity to reach people.
4. Use your Godly passions
IV. Your Understanding of the Good News
A. Explanation
1. The good news what is the good news
2. The good news is the message of salvation
3. To fully understand the Good news you have to understand why it is good
4. Romans 6:23 tells for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
5. We know that we can not be in heaven if we sinned
6. So we would be destined for eternal Hell
7. But the good news is that Jesus came to this earth
8. Lived a perfect life
9. Died on the cross for our sins
10. Rose again
11. And now offers salvation
12. All we have to do is belief in our hearts and confess with our mouths that He is Lord and we will be saved
B. Application
1. I know sharing the Gospel message can be scary
2. We often sit there and make sure we say the right words at the right time
3. There are a ton of different methods out there of doing this
4. The four spiritual laws, the Evangelism Explosion method, The Romans Road, and tons of other methods
5. They are all good, and they all explain the good news
6. Which one is the best?
7. The one that works best for you is the best one.
8. Find a method that works for you, that you understand, that you can explain
9. And use it.
C. Illustration
1. My first year counseling at Edinboro, I had the opportunity to share the Message of good news with one of my campers. I was so nervous. I was worried about saying the right words, I was worried about messing it up, and I was thinking if I were not perfect this kid would never receive salvation.
2. Well I was not perfect, but God was.
3. He used my fumbling around with words, gave me recall of things He taught me a long time ago and gave me the correct words to say to the kid
4. And the kid accepted Christ as his savior that night.
5. It was not me, God work through me, the Kid accepted God, not me
6. I went away from that situation praising God and thanking Him for what He did. And realizing how much I needed God
Conclusion
A. I have no problem standing up here and explaining how to share your life journey
B. Its logical, practical, and for me anyhow easy to explain
C. If you need more help as far as how to do it, ask me I will be more the glad to help
D. Hear is the part that I cannot do. I cannot make you do it.
E. I can not force you to put it into practice
F. Nothing I can say or do, will make you put this in practice
G. Obviously reaching people with the Love of God is a good thing
H. We know that it is in the Bible
I. We know that God loves us
J. We know that God has never made a person who he did not love
K. But do you care?
L. If you care, you will reach out and share your life journey
M. Is this an area of your life that you need to improve?
N. God calls all of us to be reaching, not just the pastor, all of us have this responsibility.
O. Now go do it.
