Chapter 3: Sharing Your Story
Have you ever wanted to buy a particular object and, after you have searched high and low, finally found it? After buying it you suddenly realize that what you have purchased is not only exactly what you needed, but is the best investment you have ever made. In fact, you are so excited about it you can’t wait to tell all your friends that they should get one too.
With everyone you speak to, no matter what the conversation topic, it’s only a short time before you have managed to turn it around into a testimony session about what you have bought. It doesn’t really matter if people want to listen or not (in fact after a while your friends and family start to roll their eyes and shake their heads knowing what’s coming next) – you can’t stop talking about it.
Going Deeper…
In the Gospel of John chapter 4 (please read from verse 1 to verse 42) the story is told of a woman who was met by Jesus near a well. Jesus spent time talking to her about things in her life that had gone wrong and then invited her to believe in Him. The result of that encounter with Jesus was that the woman gave her life to Christ, just as you have.
Her response was quite amazing. She was so excited by what had happened that she left behind the water she had collected and raced into town to tell everybody she knew, in fact it says she told the whole city about what Jesus had done in her life. You can imagine her going from house to house overflowing with excitement about what had happened. ”You’ll never believe what happened to me today at the well. I met a man who told me everything about my life. He told me that I’ve had 5 husbands and that I was living with my 6th partner in a de facto relationship. Then He went on to tell me how my life could change and how I could discover real meaning and purpose, and well, I think He must be the Messiah. How else would He know? In fact I gave my life to Him. You’ve got to come and meet Him. You must come and see this man that holds the key to eternal life.” All over town she went, sharing her experience with anybody who would listen.
Many were transfixed by what she said. They could obviously see a difference in her. They all knew her. Her reputation was well known in the town. Everyone knew she had problems and that her life was a mess and yet as she spoke they could see she was different.
They saw that this woman who was a sinner was now different, and this sparked in them a desire to know more. Many of them believed because of the woman’s testimony, but then they wanted to experience the presence of Jesus for themselves, so she took them to a place where they could meet Him.
It is important that after you have shared with your friends and family, that you bring them to a place where they can experience the presence of Jesus first hand. That place is anywhere Christians gather together to worship God. Some places you can take them to are: Church, Youth, House Parties, etc.
Why don’t you write your own story of your experience with God. You can then share this with other people who do not know God. To help guide you in writing your story, you might want to begin with how your life was before encountering Jesus. In doing this, you could answer the questions, “What did my life revolve around?” or “Where did I get my security and happiness from?” To follow on from there, you can share of your reaction to the Gospel message. To conclude your story, explain what life is like after deciding to follow Jesus.