Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Life SINCE Encountering Jesus

Photo by Pam Williams


Romans 10: 14-15 tell us that in order for others to become Christians we need to tell them about Jesus. Sharing what Jesus did for us gives others hope that He will do the same for them.

Friends and family are interested in how God became real for us. They may resist finger-pointing, guilt-instilling lectures, but they want to know what makes us tick—and God is a huge factor in that.

Each episode of God working in our lives is like a scene from a play. When they are all put together they become a complete story—our testimony. Our testimony helps us and others understand how much God loves us and how He is working to bring us into a right relationship with Him. God can then use that story to minister to others.

In the third part of our testimony we focus on how our encounter with Jesus has affected our lives, whether we became Christians at a young age and can’t remember a time when we didn’t believe in Jesus or we put our trust in him after we were grown. Like the difference between a caterpillar and a butterfly, those changes affect how we approach life and how we react to what life throws at us.

These questions might help us reflect on life SINCE encountering Jesus: Why am I a Christian? How does knowing Jesus now compare to my previous (childhood, adolescent) faith?

How did/does knowing Jesus address the longings, desires, and restlessness that I identified in my life before encountering Jesus? Am I just beginning to deal with these matters, or have they been completely transformed?

What changes have I seen God make in my attitudes and actions? These could be subtle or obvious changes. How long did it take before I noticed any changes?

Our testimonies are very individual and personal. No two are alike. Some testimonies will have a longer “before’ section, while others will write more at length about their life “since” encountering Jesus. One person’s story may be complex and intricate; another person’s story will be simple and brief. There is no right or wrong style, length or vocabulary to a testimony. That’s what is so amazing! God reaches out to each of us wherever we are, connecting us with those He knows we can relate to, using the approach He knows will be most effective for us.

Sharing our experiences with God is undeniably the best way of reaching others with His message of love and forgiveness. Never underestimate the power of your story. Give your best to putting it together. And then share it often. One person telling another person how Jesus has changed their life is the best tool we have for evangelism.

Note: This is part five in my posts on sharing our faith story. Stop back Sunday for the final chapter in the series.

Many blessings!

Pam

©2015 Pamela D. Williams