Share the Love - Share His Love Through Your Story, Part 1

Everyone has a story right.

But did you know the your story has the power to change someone's life. It's true today, you'll discover how to turn your story into a tool to share God's love someone you deeply care about. Stay with me. That's today. Thanks for joining us for this edition of living, albeit Chip Ingram trips are vital to this international discipleship program. This program should continue this series share the love to talk to anyone about God explaining how to tell your gospel story naturally and effectively teaching people have some additional thoughts well with his message from acts chapter 26 first trip.

A lot of people play all the sports and you know were number one put all those trophies up on the mantle. There's a great big mantel in heaven, and if you are a child of God upon his mantle in your story is his story about the supernatural love of God. What it does in the human heart and the change that it brings in its powerful Revelation 1211. It talks about that the saints in a time future in their battle against Satan himself and it says they overcame him. Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their life even unto death, the word of your testimony, your story is powerful. However, most Christians don't know how to share their story in a simple clear way that communicates the love of God. Other people what I want to do is I want to teach you this morning how to tell you story and figured maybe the very best way to do it was to see the model that's outlined in Scripture three times in the book of acts the apostle Paul tells the story.

Acts nine acts 22 next 26 in this occasion he gets to stand before Agrippa Herod the great great-grandson Romans given him this opportunity King.

He is a practicing Jew. Although history tells us that his lifestyle didn't match up very well, but he knows all about Jewish law and Jewish custom, the apostle Paul is a prisoner is over to pick up the story in acts chapter 26 and the apostle Paul has one last shot to make his defense and of all the things that's what he does. He tells his story. This is the outline he tells about his life before Christ.

In verses four through 11. Then he tells very specifically how he met Jesus and then 30 talks about the difference Jesus made in his life and what you can't get that down because it's very simple your life before you met Christ how specifically you met him and then the difference that he made follow along.

Let's just read his story and I'm literate to take those principles and were going to outline all of our stories so the days to come over cup coffee over a meal sit next to someone on the bus they may ask the question in about 3 to 5 minutes. You will learn very clearly how to share your story verse one chapter 26.

Then King Agrippa said to Paul, you have permission to speak for yourself. So Paul motioned with his hand and he began his defense, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you listen to me carefully now is going to build some credibility and say this is what my life was like before I met Christ personally. The Jews all know the way I lived ever since I was a child from the beginning of my life in my own country and also in Jerusalem have known me for a long time and can testify if they are willing but according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee and now it is because of my hope and what God has promised our fathers that on trial today.

This is the promise are 12 tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night okaying it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead. I too was convinced that I ought to do everything possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth and that is just what I did in Jerusalem on the authority of the chief precept that many of the saints in the prison when they were put to death.

I cast my vote against them.

Many times I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished.

I tried to force them to blaspheme in my obsession against them. I even went to foreign cities to persecute them and so he gives the story and you just realize there was a murderous zealous religious actually not who is just trying to kill every Christian in the name of God then noticed the shift and what you listen for how specific he is. Verse 12 on one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests about noon okaying as I was on the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun blazing all around me and my companions. We fell to the ground and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me.

It's hard for you to kick against the goats that I ask who are you, Lord, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. The Lord replied, now get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I'm sending you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

So is very specific. It was noon the sun was bright even tells us what language he heard it.

It gives the actual word disorderly you are there and picking up in verse 19 he talks about what difference it made. So then, King Agrippa, I wasn't disobedient to the vision from heaven first to those in Damascus and then in Jerusalem and all Judea and the Gentiles. Also I preach that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.

That is why the Jews sees me in the temple courts and tried to kill me, but I've had God's help, to this very day and so I stand here and I testify to small and great alike. I'm saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen that the Christ would suffer and will be the first to rise from the dead and proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles. At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense you are out of your mind Paul he shouted your great learning is driving you insane.

I'm not insane, most excellent Festus. Paul replied what I'm saying is true, and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things. I can speak freely to him. I'm convinced that none of this is escape his notice because it wasn't done in a corner and now after he's said this is my life before. This is specifically my relationship how I met Christ.

This is how things have changed. Then he ends his story was sort of a part provocative question he asked for a response.

He says, verse 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets, I know you do. Implication if the prophets are true. If what Moses said everything I'm saying is true, the implications about Jesus are true and then notice King Agrippa knew exactly what he meant. Agrippa said to Paul, do you think in such a short time, you can persuade me to become a Christian. Paul replied short time along. I pray that not only you but all who are listening to me today. They become what I am a Christian except for these chains. The king arose with the governor, and Bernice and those sitting with him. They left the room all talking one of the said this man isn't doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment. Agrippa said to Festus, this man could've been set free. If you did not appeal to Caesar. So the apostle Paul has an opportunity to defend himself tells a story and he divides a store and a real simple outline. I won't ask you raise your hand.

How many of you I have your story written out somewhere or how many times where you been able to share it. But what I can tell you is this. If you will walk with me for about the next 20 minutes or so and even with the pen. You know what I'm going to do is I'm gonna walk through how to tell the story.

I'm going to show you exactly how you can make a few notes in bullet points and tell your story. I'm getting courage at the end of our time to literally this afternoon. Take 1/2 hour or 45 minutes, maybe an hour for some and literally write down this is what my life was like before Christ.

This was the day in and for some it won't be a very real specific day. I realize there's some that had a little bit different experience.

But this is specifically my relationship with Christ. How I met him and this is how my life changed. If you will invest that time to write that out. I will guarantee you God will give you an opportunity to share that in the most natural normal way with some people than you ever dreamed and you'll find yourself sharing God's love and having the confidence to share it.

I got email from someone had a chance to sit down and he wanted to learn how to share a story and so I said I'd be glad you took and ask chapter 26.

In fact, I've been in this passage many times take a lot of groups through it and it was a Sunday afternoon. I shared with him and he later wrote me an email.

He said you know what I been a Christian since I was seven years old and I didn't think I had much of the story. I actually grew up in like a really great home. My parents actually really love each other. I've never been on drugs are there been an alcoholic. I don't have anything fantastic to say but when I started to write down my story and you know how exciting is it to say that when I was 5 1/2 years old. You know at my bedside with my father. I trusted Christ. He said, but what I realize was the theme of God's unconditional love and the confidence and what it did in my life.

He said you know I wrote all that out.

It took me about 45 minutes or an hour. I wrote it all out and it got real clear. He said the next day I was with the fellow at work was a brand-new Christian. His wife was not a follower of Christ.

He invited meet.

Would you want to grab dinner with my wife and I says so I go. We dinner together in the conversation when around self-confidence and a been a very confident person and his wife turned to me and said, where you can such self-confidence and he said I realize I get God self-confidence from his unconditional love and about the next 3 1/2 to 5 minutes.

I shared what my life was like how I met Christ personally.

The theme of his unconditional love and he said you know it was so freely and so well received, even though I've been a Christian since of a 70 I've never shared my story so all I want to tell you as we go up. I'm trying to set you up if you get the idea to get the idea. This is alike and then listen to this I might do this someday some wife.

I'm really trying to say do it your trophy of God's grace God wants you to be able to tell your story. It's the simplest and maybe the most powerful way you ever share his love with people. People that you care about. So are you ready I want your story is, what was your life like before Christ.

And when you make your outline. I encourage you to write it out, but I'm an outline person so you might bullet point. First you want to talk about some external issues you would just coming if if there was a movie camera following you around before your life before you met Christ mean, you know, where did you grow up in what was going on and what were you doing and what was your vocation. Were you single or were you married or you know this was your job. Let me just give people snapshots.

This is externally what your life look like and that if somehow there was a little internal recorder that could record the things of your heart and the struggles and what you felt and what was going on inside what you feared and you want to talk about some of the internal stuff what was going on inside and in the final thing you want to do is you want to talk about the realization of your need. No one ever puts their faith in Christ until at some point.

At some time they realize I need God. I really need forgiven. I need hope and so you know what was what was at the begin to move you to realize you had a need and then second, you want to tell how did you personally come to know Christ. If you answer these questions again with a few bullet points. What caused you to consider Christ as a solution to your need. Usually there's some exposure.

Usually you met a person for some of us about you. I had never open the Bible in my life until I was 18 years old and I BII literally said you know I don't know if this is true or not but I'm can examine it. But what what caused you to consider what motivated you to finally trust Christ what what was the tipping point. What happened in your life and for some of us it's a tragedy for others as someone walked out on us.

Sometimes we went through a really difficult time of met people to really hit bottom or on. By contrast, I meet people that really hit it out of the park and they just thought if I ever accomplish this, or had that are married hammer lived there earned that much or got that degree while and then they get to that may allow this.

Is this all there is in it was a turning point. What if you had to do right.

Years now, what would it be and then be specific about where and how you actually put your faith in Christ mean when Paul did it even tells us what language he gives us the actual words. It was a noonday sun. It was brighter than the sun we fell to the ground coming my my when I get to share my story when I get done. My prayer is that if someone could listen to what I did it specific enough that even if I didn't explain it. They could say you know what I think I I could do what he did. I could put my faith in Christ. The way I heard chip or you put your name in there and then finally if there's a key verse God's word never returns void if you can specifically give people here's a core verse that sort of summarizes your journey to be different for different ones and then finally, how does your life change after trusting Christ and you want to get that movie camera back out and look at the external issues you what what what happened in the things that are external that people can see and by the way, share be honest you don't ever have to sort of improve on what God's done weed we don't have to sort of exaggerate just tell people honestly and candidly what's occurred that they can see on the outside that you can see what's occurred and changed on the inside. And then this is really important share honestly. Were you still struggle. I've heard people share their testimony that when I offered him I think they must already be in heaven. My life was a redneck. I met Jesus. Everything is great. I never met a Christian that everything's great promise to make everything great promise that you never have any problems. He promised that progressively we change he promised to give us hope in the midst of lots of real difficulty so it will be carefully share very honestly about what God is done, but that still a journey. Does it make sense okay what I thought I would do is is give a sort of a shot at those of the principles so let me just take a moment and I'll share my story using this outline okay you probably heard parts of it here and there but if I was sitting down in we had a couple coffee and I said hey where did you grow up and you told me where you grew up. And so what was it like growing up, and you told me little bit about your family and this and that and then just normal or casually might say what you tell me about your life externally.

What I say is what I grew up in a home.

Parents were schoolteachers and we were in general, pretty pretty moral.

My mom was an amazing person. The guidance counselor. My dad X Marine Guam Iwo Jima science teacher. He was a great athlete, so I was really no pushed and admired and wanted to be a good athlete and my dad was one of those guys that I never heard him say I love you until late in his life. I never he was in a hugger but I knew he loved me in the way he loved me was that in that generation is he would help you become successful. If you did really well. That's the way you got Lupton so he hit grounders until they would bounce off my face and if I get for raising the V we had a deep talk about what happened with the be and it was really me.

That was his love language it was.

I really want you to do well because I learned in my house early that if there's a theme. It was if you can become successful, then you'll really be happy and I want to help you be successful, and the way successful is this. It's really easy you know you get up earlier than everybody else use it very clear goals, you develop a strategy to get there and when their sleep and you work when they go to bed you keep working and I'll tell you what sun you will be successful when you're successful, will be happy and so I became a workaholic. By the time I was 13 I had six or 7 yards three paper routes at one time I let my parents $3000 when I was 13 years old at 6% interest.

I decided I I read an article about Pete Maravich when I was about seventh grade, I saw all the drills that he didn't started doing those drills for about eight or nine hours a day and decide I'm going to date a pretty cheerleader to get Abascal scholarship I'm going to graduate in the top of my class. I'm to be in this club and the all-league and this and that and and I went like absolute wild man. After that I didn't do any drugs.

I didn't do any alcohol. I was too busy, but internally I was desperately insecure. I was very short and very skinny so I had that little chip on my shoulder trying to prove myself.

I was very mouthy very arrogant head of real foul mouth and really lonely inside because my dad begin to drink more and more and more as I got older and I just had a big wound. I did know about but that's what my life is like so the realization of my need came the night that I graduated from high school. I vividly remember sitting in an empty apartment off a high-stakes campus with a 25 or 30 people and as a note, those days I called it the refer a joint. Whatever you call it, but they were passing it around and we were telling stories about high school and as it came around the gal named Jackie turned to me and said you must be very happy tonight and that she was one of those girls.

It was a friend and were lot of study halls together and talked honestly and member turning single why do you say that and because we talk, she was well you know you did well in school. You did that cute little cheerleader you got a scholarship and she named a few things and I didn't realize that every single person pursues something or someone that you believe is going to make you happy. Everyone behaves in a way that makes sense to them.

Even if you don't articulate it even if you don't think it through your behavior, your energy, your time, your money, it all. I mean if you could do it altogether.

All of us go toward something that makes sense.

I didn't realize the mantra was if you work hard aren't successful you'll be happy and when she said that was like a light came on and I don't feel happy with just a reminder this message share his love through your story is from a series sure the love how to talk to anyone about God for lots of reasons we can be hesitant to talk about her faith. That's why chip taught this four-part series to boost your confidence and hope you have spontaneous conversations about your relationship with Jesus. If you'd like to hear this message again the chipping remap is perfect for free access or one tab sharing of these powerful messages. If you prefer CDs take advantage of our honor discounts.

Remember, the MP3s are always free.

Just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org or give us a call at triple late. 333-6003. I'll be right back in just a minute with some final thoughts to today's message but before I do. I've got to share a story. There's a young gal named Kylie and it's just written. I mean old school and I own a piece of paper and she says I just wanted to thank you for the work of the Lord that's happening in your ministry. My fiancé and I have been blessed by listening to your podcast series on spot. If I and God is use your teaching to really facilitate our growth and love for one another.

Well, I have to tell you there was one certain series that I walked by and I saw, I thought to myself, you know what we should do that as a couple. Well we did we been listening to it and discussing it and it started a revolution in our lives. I've watched the Lord now transformed my fiancé into a new man.

He's walking with God like never before. Thanks to the work and grace of Jesus in his heart, in your teaching chip.

He's a man after God's own heart. I'm forever grateful. Thank you all so much for all that you do. God bless Kylie. I just have to tell you as much struggle as there is in relationships and finding the right person and having a great relationship.

I am thrilled that we are Living on the Edge really target and help people grow single people figure out how to find the right person how to grow in that relationship and how to do it God's way.

You know when you think of the pressure that young people were under I would remind you that when you pray, and when you give to Living on the Edge you're making a difference. You know we can be critical and talk about millennial's what's happening here is what I know God has a group of people out there that long. For him there spiritually hungry. They want to grow and God has given us the opportunity to connect help equip and see the Kylie's and her fiancé become the kind of people that will be greatly used by God thanks for whatever you can do during the season to help support Living on the Edge financially day want to tell them the special opportunity we had this December love to fix when you give to Living on the Edge you become part of a great team of Christians who are committed to sharing the truth of God's word on every platform. He makes available really keep doing that as long as were able, if you like to help us do that December is the perfect time because every gift we received is doubled, dollar for dollar to send a donation. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org Donate on the app or give us a call at triple late. 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003. Your generosity is much appreciated.

Will chip in today's message you modeled how we can tell our story by you telling your story. Good teachers use that technique for helping people learn, but is there more behind why you did that yesterday there really is quote first. What I want people to see is how simple it is it it basically boils down as the apostle Paul modeled asking some very simple questions and then overlaying your life experience. Okay, so could you give us a quick refresher on a few of those questions.

Question number one is this is what my life was like before I trusted Christ.

This was my life, not just the external issues, but this is how I thought this is how I felt these were issues in my heart and what happens is we all have those. The second question is how did you actually receive Christ and on this one.

I just want people to remember people that were talking to don't get our lingo so when you say something like well I prayed or I trusted Christ, or I gave him my heart so that you do know that makes absolutely no sense to someone that doesn't know Jesus. You know you walk through it in a very pedantic way where this is what I was thinking and this was diverse and so this is what I actually prayed so that when you're done speaking that person because of how you've expressed your journey of actually coming to Christ would know exactly how to put their faith in Christ if they wanted to. You have 1/3 question that were gonna talk about in our next broadcast, but it's how has my life changed since that time, and the only thing I'll say because will teach on that next time is we don't have to exaggerate what God is done. We just need to tell exactly how her life is changed. Second, as I want to give people hope because, down deep, here's what I've seen people don't believe that God can actually use them.

We see and hear people and they think well the people God uses they have it all together. Or I could never do that, or they must be super spiritual. Or I know I don't measure up or I'm just a regular person or no one would really listen to me. The people that you will share with you make the biggest difference is just the real you being you showing up. We don't have to be super personality.

Any super gift your life your story. The power is in the message, not in the messenger so God has a story that he wants to get out.

He is working in your story. What we want to help you do is calm only lovingly in a way that people can understand is simply tell them what God has done in your life. Now let me ask you, who in your relational network needs to hear that story pray for them today and then ask God. Lord, give me a chance this week. Maybe I don't tell my whole story made. I don't quote share the gospel but we you let me begin to tell my story and build a connection at the heart level and then watch what God will do as we wrap up I want to say thanks to those who make this program possible through your generous financial support. Your gifts help us create programs purchase airtime and develop additional resources to help Christians live like Christians you've been blessed by the ministry of Living on the Edge. Would you consider sending a gift today.

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Your support is greatly appreciated will be sure to join us next time which continues a series. Share the love so venomous Dave. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge