God has given you a Life Message to share – as a believer you become God’s messenger on earth.
You have a storehouse of experiences that God wants to use to bring others into His family:
+ Your testimony - the story of how you began a relationship with Jesus
+ Your life lessons - important lessons God has taught you
+ Your Godly passions – the issues God has shaped you to care about
+ The Good News – the message of salvation
YOUR TESTIMONY
This is the essence of witnessing – simply sharing your personal experiences regarding the Lord. There is no other story just like yours (similar maybe), so only you can share it. It’s hard to argue with personal experiences, so they give you more credibility when sharing them with unbelievers.
Shared stories build a relational bridge that Jesus can walk across from your heart into the hearts of non-believers. Many people who won’t accept the authority of the Bible will listen to a humble, personal story. And you have a story for every experience in which God has helped you - different situations will call for different testimonies.
YOUR LIFE LESSONS
These are lessons and insights you have learned about God, relationships, temptations, and other aspects of life.
There isn’t enough time to learn everything in life by trial and error (although I know of many who are happily prone to pursue all manner of trials and errors), so it makes sense to learn from the life lessons of one another. (Much reluctance, prejustice and sceptism often prevents us from doing so)
Much needless frustration can be avoided if we learn from each other’s life lessons; extracted from everyday experiences.
YOUR GODLY PASSIONS
It may be a passion about a problem, a purpose, a principle, or a group of people. You cannot keep yourself from talking about that which you are passionate and care about most.
God gives some people a Godly passion to champion a cause – often a personally experienced difficulty (abuse, addiction, depression, etc); or
A passion to speak up for groups of others who can’t speak for themselves – the Bible is filled with commands to defend the defenseless; and so forth…
God gives us different passions so that everything He wants done in the world will get done (no one human can do it all!) – listen to and value each other’s life message.
THE GOOD NEWS
The Good News is this that when we trust in God’s grace to save us through what Jesus did, our sins are forgiven, we get a purpose for living, and we are promised a future home in Heaven.
God never made a person He didn’t love – everybody matters to Him (even the dull and the ignorant {also the evil ones}).
We must care about unbelievers because God does; love leaves no choice. (Not saying you have to marry them…) Ask God to fill your heart with His love for them.
As long as you know even one person who doesn’t know Christ, you must keep praying for them, serving them in love, and sharing the Good News with them.
Imagine the joy of greeting people in Heaven whom you helped get there. The eternal salvation of a single soul is more important than anything else you will ever achieve in life. Only people are going to last forever.
GOD MADE YOU TO BE:
+ A member of His family
+ A model of His character
+ A magnifier of His glory
+ A minister of His grace
And
+ A messenger of His Good News – this purpose can only be done on earth (the others you will keep doing into eternity)
So spread the Good News; you only have a short time to share your message and fulfill your mission.
‘Time is God's way of keeping everything from happening at once.’ - Anon
Gives me hope and steels my patience…I love you ~ SB
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