Praying Singles
Making a Difference through Prayer, Ministry and Service
Sharing Your Life Mission Every Day
You found a local gas station selling gas for $1.49 a gallon. Who do you tell?
If you are like most people, you would tell your family and close friends first to make sure they were able to take advantage of the 'unbelievable treasure'. You would then tell as many people as you could so they too could share in the savings.
Do you believe Eternal Life with God is an 'unbelievable treasure'? Once you have invited Jesus into your heart as your personal Lord an Savior, you should.
What should you do next? The same as with the 'unbelievable treasure' of $1.49 gas. Tell your family, close friends and everyone you meet about the 'unbelievable treasure' of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. You don't want them to miss out do you?
Sharing
I can't tell others about Jesus! They will laugh at me!
Have you even felt that way? I have. If you were asked to give your testimony, could you?
Everyone has a testimony. A testimony is simply a story. In relation to spreading the Good News of God, it is the story of your relationship with God. Can't tell it? Maybe you need to make sure you have that personal relationship with Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Sharing your personal testimony can be somewhat scary if you rarely or never practice it. Here are some tips from Chuck Swindoll...
One time-honored and effective method of evangelism is the giving of your personal testimony. The skeptic may deny your doctrine or attack your church, but he cannot honestly ignore the fact that your life has been changed. He may stop his ears to the presentation of a preacher and the pleadings of an evangelist, but he is somehow attracted to the human-interest story of how you-John Q. Public- found peace within. Believe me, the steps that led to your conversion and the subsequent ramifications are far more appealing and appropriate to the lost than a pulpit exposition of John 3 or Romans 5. If you have not discovered the value of telling others how God rearranged your life, you’ve missed a vital link in the chain of His blessing.
1. You want to be listened to, so be interesting. No one, no matter how gracious, enjoys being bored. It’s a contradiction to talk about how exciting Christ really is in an uninteresting way. Work on your wording, your flow of thought, and your key terms. Remember, the person isn’t saved, so guard against religious clichés and hard-to-understand terminology.
2. You want to be understood, so be logical. I suggest that you think of your salvation in three phases ... and construct your testimony accordingly: (a) before you were born again—the loneliness, lack of peace, absence of love, unrest and fears; (b) the decision that revolutionized your life and (c) the change, the difference He has made since you received Christ.
3. You want the moment of your new birth to be clear, so be specific. Be extremely careful here. Don’t be at all vague regarding how you became a Christian, speak of Christ, not the church. Refer to the decision you made, the moment in time when you received the Lord. Be simple and direct.
Emphasize faith more than feeling.
4. You want your testimony to be used, so be practical. Be human and honest as you talk. Don’t promise, “All your problems will end if you will become a Christian,” for that isn’t true. Try to think as an unbeliever thinks as you are speaking. Refuse to pick theological lint. Restrain yourself from plucking the wings of religious flies. Theoretical stuff doesn’t attract his attention as much as practical reality.
5. You want your testimony to produce results, so be warm and genuine. A smile breaks down more barriers than the hammer blows of cold, hard facts. Be friendly and sincere. Let your enthusiasm flow freely. It’s hard to convince another person of the sheer joy and excitement of knowing Christ if you’re wearing a jail-warden face. Above all be positive and courteous. Give thought to this, my friend. Ask God to open your lips and honor your words...but be careful! Once your missile hits the target, you’ll become totally dissatisfied with your former life as an earth-bound, secret-service saint.
The Faith Method
Sharing your faith starts with a simple question that most anyone will answer...
In your personal opinion, what do you understand it takes for a person to go to heaven?
According to the Bible, it takes FAITH. We can use this word letter by letter to explain what we mean.
F is for FORGIVENESS
We cannot have eternal life and heaven without God's forgiveness. "In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." (Ephesians 1:7a)
A is for AVAILABLE
Forgiveness is available. It is...
AVAILABLE FOR ALL
"For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
BUT NOT AUTOMATIC
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 7:21a)
I is for IMPOSSIBLE
It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven.
GOD IS...
Love (John 3:16 - above)
Just - "For judgment is without mercy" (James 2:13a)
Man is Sinful - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
This leads us to ask "How can a sinful person enter heaven where God allows no sin?"
T is for Turn
Turn means Repent
Turn from something - sin and self - "But unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3b)
Turn to Someone; trust Christ only - "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3b-4)
"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
H is for Heaven
Heaven is for eternal life
Here - "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10b)
Hereafter - "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:3)
How - How can a person have God's forgiveness, heaven and eternal life, and Jesus as personal Savior and Lord?
FAITH - Forsaking All I Trust Him!!
"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)