Sharing Your Life Journey

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?