Did you know that your testimony could change course of someone’s life?
Pastor Greg Laurie encourages us to tell others about Jesus by simply sharing our testimony. He provides examples and insight from his book .
Greg points out that some of our stories may be more dramatic than others.
“I have a friend named Michael Franzese who was a member of the Colombo crime family; he was a member of the mafia, well that’s pretty hard testimony to top.”
“I’ve known other people who are addicted to drugs, or alcoholics…all sorts of things.”
What’s your story?
If you are having trouble finding your story in the previous examples, you might be able to relate to the following,
“You may say, ‘Gosh, I never had an addiction. There was a time when I was four years old and I went on that Oreos binge, but apart from that…’”
Wherever your story falls on the wide spectrum, it still directly paints the picture of how you came to believe and how God’s grace came into your life.
“Here’s your testimony without even knowing you: Once you were blind but now you see, once you were headed to hell, now you’re headed to heaven, why? Because you put your faith in Jesus Christ.”
“There’s somebody out there that will not relate to the gang banger testimony or the drug user testimony, but they might relate to a person who was moral, hard-working and educated but they too saw their need for Jesus Christ.”
Not everyone is open to hearing the gospel message. Greg encourages us to practice sharing our faith by telling our story,
“Telling your story is a great way to share your faith without preaching at a person.”
“Sometimes people will say, ‘Don’t preach it me.’ Maybe it’s because our voices got loud and we’re pointing our finger in their face, but by sharing your story. It’s a way to build a bridge there. You’re showing them how you were and what you used to think before you were a believer, and how you made that step over to faith in Christ. They’re hearing the gospel indirectly. It’s a great way to start.”
Your story is a part of God’s story.
“The objective is to use your story to build a bridge to His story, the story of the life death and resurrection of Jesus.”
As Christians, we are commanded to be a part of the Great Commission. Greg points us towards Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19.
“The Great Commission is to, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel,’ that’s for Mark’s gospel, but then in Matthew’s version it is also said, ‘And make disciples of all nations.’
“So put it together, the command from Christ to us is to go out into our world, engage people with the message of the gospel, and if God gives us the privilege lead them to Christ, then help them get up on their feet spiritually.”
We can make a profound impact in the kingdom by expressing the power of Jesus Christ in our lives. All we have to do is tell someone.
