Telling Your Story.
Welcome, who I am and what I do.
This session comes with a warning, it is very practical if you were wanting to just sit and listen to someone talk for 45 minutes leave now.
Icebreaker
find someone you don’t know and tell them 3 things about yourself only one which is true. You have to guess which is the real thing.
Go. <P>
Let me start by reading 2 Corinthians 3:2
I love hearing peoples stories and most people are fasinated by other peoples lives, just look at the number of programmes and magazines about celebritys or reality TV. But if you add God to that equation, what you get is dynamite. You have an incredible story to tell! Do you believe that? Turn to the person next to them and say as loud as you can, I have an incredible story to tell. Your story is His story and what ever you think about it, it is something God can work through. It is contagious and infectious. The key to telling your story is simple: You need to have thought about it.
Or it might be a bit like this: Show Shrek Clip where donkey first bumps into shrek and waffles on and on even though Shrek doesn’t want to hear.
You need to practice not so it can be repeated parrot fasion but so that it can flow when God’s spirit prompts you. So lets get practising.
1: Before. Think about these things and no more. What was you like before you were a Christian? Where were you spiritually? How did that affect your feelings, attitudes, actions and relationships. Grab paper, pen write it down, then find someone you don’t know and tell them your story to that point and then change over. Give feedback. Never appologise for your story, never say well it’s not very interesting but! Never try and make it something it isn’t, your life is your God given story. Keep it real. I heard a great testimony last year at Easter people that basically said I grew up in a Christian family, always went to church, never rebelled and one day I realised I believed all this stuff and had done for some time. It had a huge impact because so many there could relate to it.
2: How did you become a Christian? Why did you. What or who were the influences? What were your motivations? Where were you? Write it, tell it etc as before. Most people don’t have a Damascus road experience they are just the ones we hear about more and read in books etc. Personal Example: My Dad heart attack when I was 13, sat me at the table and read some Bible and said If I don’t make it through the op tomorrow I’m sorted, I will be fine. He had such confidence facing death that it started my faith journey, it took about another year but it started there.
3: The last bit, After becoming a Christian, what has it meant since. How have you changed, any habits etc. What has God done this year, this month, this week. Write it, tell it as before. Round up. Ask how many people found it difficult. This is why this is a helpful exercise because if we can’t do it in an environment like this how will we do it else where. Your story will impact people if you have the courage to tell it and let God use you. Those who know you are interested in you and your life. Other people can relate to your story. They can’t argue with the fact that your life has been changed and this is what you believe and motivates you etc. Pray for opportunities, if you do you will be amazed how many you get. Don’t feel you have to tell your whole story everytime just drop in the appropiate bits, what is relevant to the conversations you are in. Avoid the jargon.
Close by reading Philemon 1:6 Pray at the end for the group.
