EVANGELISM: What is your story? 11-12-23

EVANGELISM: What is your story? 11-12-23

 

INTRODUCTION

 

More to this life

               Identity

               Integrity

       Intentionality

Evangelism to Seniors

Evangelism as story telling

               God’s story

               Your story

               The other’s story

God’s story

 

Your story

 

My story

 

John Havlik, with the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board, declared that two factors were discovered in launching lay evangelism schools One was that the average layperson has a greater desire to be used in evangelism than church leaders realize. The other was that laypersons require a great deal more help and equipping than most church leaders believe.

 

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

               1 Peter 3:15b NIV

 

I.  MY STORY AND THE GOOD NEWS

 

             A.  Church

                             1.  Family

 

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

               2 Timothy 1:5 NIV

                            

               2.  Scripture/teachings

 

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

               2 Timothy 3:14-15 NIV

                            

                              3.  Love

 

““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””

               John 13:34-35 NIV

 

               B.  Jesus

                  1.  Flannelgraph Jesus

                           2.  Squirrel Jesus

                        3.  Historical Jesus

                              4.  Lord and Savior Jesus

 

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

             Colossians 1:17-20 NIV

 

               C.  Me

 

“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.”

               Luke 8:38-39 NIV

 

II.  YOUR STORY IN YOUR OWN WORDS

 

“The minister lives behind a stained glass curtain. The layman has opportunities for evangelism which a minister will never have.”

               James I. McCord

 

“I find these three C’s helpful in shaping what I am sharing - current, concise, Christ-centered”

               Cyndee Ownbey, Sweet to the Soul Ministries (website), “Sharing your Faith Story”, May 4, 2022.

 

               A.  Your current story

                              1.  Your life in Christ today

                              2.  Your life as a Christian today

                              3.  Your hope today

 

               B.  Your concise story

                         1.  Relevant

                          2.  Succinct

              

               C.  Your Christ-centered story

                             1.  “Don’t bury the lede.”

                                            Oxford English Dictionary - lede - “the opening sentence or paragraph of a news article,                                                                                                                                                                                            summarizing the most important aspects of the story.”

                             2.  Center stage - “limited view seating”

                              3.  Lead actor

 

III.  TELLING YOUR STORY

 

James Haggarty, the Wall Street Journal obituary writer, makes a few suggestions in his book, Yours Truly: An Obituary Writer’s Guide to Telling Your Story, on how to get started:

 

·        Bite the bullet and just write your memoirs. It might not be Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes or Michelle Obama’s Becoming, but just do it.

·        Try writing your own obituary. But make it sound like a story not a resume.

·        Write a rough draft of your best stories or record them into your phone.

·        Write a letter or an email to a friend and save a copy.

·        Annotate your favorite photos with the stories behind them.

·        Use software such as Storyworth or MemLifewhich provide a template with questions and the option to create a book.

·        For those who hate to write, voice recording works. Be sure to make a transcript, though, and add notes explaining anything that might be unclear to readers decades from now.

 

               A.  Write your story

 

               B.  Re-write your story

 

               C.  Share your story

 

“You are a Christian today because someone cared. Now it's your turn.”

               Warren W. Wiersbe

 

The story is told of a young salesman who was disappointed about losing a big sale, and as he talked with his sales manager he lamented, "I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink." The manager replied, "Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty."  So it is with telling our story about Jesus.  Our hope is that our story will help people become thirsty for Jesus.

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.