Beyond the Walls is a weekly email to help Christ followers move beyond the walls of their church buildings, homes, comfort zones, and culture to engage those we live among with the Gospel.
Last week, we looked at the power of stories as we begin to have faith conversations with those we encounter where we work, live, and play. By the way, my wife and I finally saw Avengers: Endgame last week. After the movie, we talked about some of the Gospel themes throughout the movie: sacrificing one’s life for another, restoration, and new beginnings just to name a few. Like I said last week, everyone loves a great story!
As we begin having faith conversations with people, those conversations should be a fluid interweaving of three stories: our story, their story, and God’s Story (The Gospel Story) intermingled with other people’s stories.
This week, I want to focus on the telling of our story or more specifically, your story. While other people’s stories, like those on www.morethanstories.org and www.iamsecond.com can be powerful, the most powerful story is your story – the story of how God has changed your life and is still changing it.
I am reminded of the story in John 4 where Jesus engaged the Samaritan woman at the well. After her conversation with Jesus where He radically changed her life, it says in verses 28-29 “So the woman left her water jar and went into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” As a result of her story, they came to Jesus and in verse 39, we read “Many Samaritans from the town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’” (emphasis mine)
God has given you a story to share. Unfortunately, many Christians think their story is the story of how they came to know Christ years ago. And while that is a vital part of your story, it is not all of your story. For the person who is not yet a Christian and is searching for answers, the most pressing question on their mind is “If your God is so real, what did He do for you yesterday?” “Last week?”
What makes your story so powerful is not how He changed your life 25 years ago but how He is working in your life day by day. The unbelievers we are in conversation with need to hear stories of answered prayers, of how God’s Presence gave us the ability to persevere through a difficult time, of a God who is real and personal and involved in all the aspects of our lives. They need to see that the Gospel is not just a story of what Jesus did 2000 years ago for us but how the Gospel speaks into all the different facets of our life today.
So, what is your story? What has God been doing in your life? What has He been speaking into your life through His Word, other people, life’s circumstances, and His Spirit? Look at your story as a never-ending novel of your walk with God with each new day as a new chapter being written; a new chapter for you to share with those God places in your path.
And if you struggle with those questions, if your story is still stuck in the retelling of how you came to know Christ years ago, then I encourage you to take a closer look at your relationship with God. Talk to your pastor or contact me at johnwhaley@therooftop.org. I would love to speak with you!
As we begin having faith conversations with people, those conversations should be a fluid interweaving of three stories: our story, their story, and God’s Story (The Gospel Story) intermingled with other people’s stories.
This week, I want to focus on the telling of our story or more specifically, your story. While other people’s stories, like those on www.morethanstories.org and www.iamsecond.com can be powerful, the most powerful story is your story – the story of how God has changed your life and is still changing it.
I am reminded of the story in John 4 where Jesus engaged the Samaritan woman at the well. After her conversation with Jesus where He radically changed her life, it says in verses 28-29 “So the woman left her water jar and went into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” As a result of her story, they came to Jesus and in verse 39, we read “Many Samaritans from the town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’” (emphasis mine)
God has given you a story to share. Unfortunately, many Christians think their story is the story of how they came to know Christ years ago. And while that is a vital part of your story, it is not all of your story. For the person who is not yet a Christian and is searching for answers, the most pressing question on their mind is “If your God is so real, what did He do for you yesterday?” “Last week?”
What makes your story so powerful is not how He changed your life 25 years ago but how He is working in your life day by day. The unbelievers we are in conversation with need to hear stories of answered prayers, of how God’s Presence gave us the ability to persevere through a difficult time, of a God who is real and personal and involved in all the aspects of our lives. They need to see that the Gospel is not just a story of what Jesus did 2000 years ago for us but how the Gospel speaks into all the different facets of our life today.
So, what is your story? What has God been doing in your life? What has He been speaking into your life through His Word, other people, life’s circumstances, and His Spirit? Look at your story as a never-ending novel of your walk with God with each new day as a new chapter being written; a new chapter for you to share with those God places in your path.
And if you struggle with those questions, if your story is still stuck in the retelling of how you came to know Christ years ago, then I encourage you to take a closer look at your relationship with God. Talk to your pastor or contact me at johnwhaley@therooftop.org. I would love to speak with you!
For the Fame of His Name!
John Whaley
National Pioneer, The Rooftop US
Comments