A Messenger!

We are now the ambassadors of Christ! We are just messengers to share our story, but the Holy Spirit opens the hearts of listeners to believe in the Lord. To write a compelling story, we need feedback and support from other believers:

• Read your story in your Christian group, ask for feedback, and make corrections or updates accordingly. 
• Rehearse your story until it flows naturally. 
• When sharing your story, it is beneficial to include areas of your life that speak to your friends' situations and challenges.
• Ask God to bring new people into your life and put a passion in your heart to care for their salvation. 
• Ask a Christian friend to accompany you and pray while sharing your story. Your Christian friend may also share and reemphasize parts of your story. The testimony of two can be more effective! 
• Demonstrate your faith in real life by staying positive despite a crisis.
• Find ways and opportunities to help and bless others. For example, leaving home for work a bit earlier gives ample time to give someone a ride or help replace a flat tire.
• It is important to treat listeners with respect and dignity, even if they criticize or make fun of you. Remember, they may be on their journey towards faith, and your respectful attitude can make them feel empathized with and respected, regardless of their initial reaction.
• Demonstrates forgiveness by forgiving people easily. 
• Avoid cliché words like "The Word." Instead, say, "The Bible."
• Avoid telling jokes that may belittle you and minimize the power of your story.

When with friends, we may wonder how to change a discussion so we may share our stories. Since our stories relate to almost everything people discuss, we can find ways to open a dialog. For example, we may say, "John, there was a time that I was very engaged in those matters because I cared very much, although I couldn't help in any way. But since that incident in my life, I have a different view about everything!" Then when someone asks, "What incident?" we can tell our stories. But if nobody asks a question, we may ask, "Do you want to know what happened to me?" If there is no interest, we can wait for another opportunity. 

Examples of Opportunities to Share Our Stories:

Invite a non-Christian friend to lunch as your guest. Create a comfortable environment by sharing the positive things you've noticed about them. This will make sharing your story easier the next time they invite you to lunch. You can start with, 'Ray, you're a good friend. I'd like to share something important from my life. Can I have 3 minutes of your time?' After their consent, share your story.

Another example is planning a party and inviting your co-workers and some born-again Christian friends. Then, when the time is right, ask one of your born-again friends to share their story. As an introduction, you may say, "John, some of my friends may not know what happened to you that changed your life. Please share it with us."

Another example is walking every week and praying for your neighbors. Then, if you see them, greet them warmly and say, "Hello, our good neighbor!" Depending on the response, you may open a conversation and share about your new life. For example, you may say, "Today, I decided to walk in the neighborhood and pray for our neighbors. Is there anything specific you want me to pray for?"

Being prepared is key to sharing our stories. God calls those who are ready; we should be ready to serve. So, let's prepare ourselves to share our stories and help people find salvation!

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