A few years ago, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and eventually experienced a CPAP machine. Amazing! This little breathing unit changed my life. I told EVERYONE about how my life was changed, now that I was sleeping properly again. No social situations were inappropriate for me to share the glory of the CPAP machine with people – even strangers at a store check-out got to hear about it.
After a few weeks of this I was convicted by the Holy Spirit. I was excited about a positive change in my life but it was not the most important change in my life. I was missing the point.
My life completely turned around when I finally decided to follow Christ over 20 years ago. Jesus forgave my sins, changed my heart, fixed my relationship with my wife and give me purpose. Some of this happened right away while some took more time. Eventually, Jesus even provided me a new career, one that involves helping his churches in Canada to be more healthy and more missional. None of these changes would have been possible without the unmerited gift of the Gospel – the good news of what Jesus did on the cross for me and everyone else who puts their faith in him.
When you turn away (repent) from your life without God and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you become a new person – from the inside out. As you are led by the Spirit instead of the flesh, you will experience a life as a ‘new person’. This truly changes everything about you. You should have plenty to be excited about. And plenty of give God credit for.
So, what’s YOUR story?
Can you describe the change Jesus has made or is making in your life? This could be anything: maybe you are less angry, less prone to sin, more loving, more kind, less anxious or more peaceful, less selfish or self-absorbed. Maybe you have been able to forgive someone who caused you harm or overcome an addiction that is causing you harm. Maybe you have simply forgiven yourself or started to love yourself.
A friend of mine uses three questions to help people share their story:
- Why are you a follower of Jesus Christ?
- How has your life improved since you became a follower of Jesus?
- Why would you recommend following Jesus to someone else?
NOTE: If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ, this is a great time to ask yourself who do you say he is? If you don’t know Jesus at all, do your research. Read the Gospel accounts in the Bible in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Google Jesus. Dig into it like your life depended it.
If you have already accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. Congratulations! Now, take time to reflect on the 3 questions above. Note your answers. Share them with other believers and practice sharing your answers. Sequoia Impact Communities are the perfect place to rehearse these conversations. You may feel awkward at first but over time you will gain confidence in sharing.
IMPORTANT: Make Jesus the hero of your story: Whatever you share, do your best to give credit where credit is due.
Just like the CPAP gave me a fresh lease on life through better sleep, Jesus gives us a better lease on life by removing false gods from our lives – things we focus on and find our worth in. Jesus replaces those false idols with the one true God, who lived and died for us, so that we would never have to live without him, now and for eternity.
Let’s be great storytellers who are always ready and willing to share the story of Jesus’ impact in our lives.
You can share your story with me anytime!
Blessings,
Andrew
