A Challenge to Tell Your Christian Story to Another Believer This Week

What’s your Christian story?

The Bible is filled with stories of people who reached out to others simply by telling their story. Andrew told Peter he had met the Messiah (John 1:40-42), and Philip echoed a similar story to Nathaniel (John 1:43-45). The man born blind told all he could tell after meeting Jesus: “Once I was blind, but now I see” (John 9:24-25). The apostle Paul told his story more than once (Acts 22:1-21, 26:1-23). So, I ask you again: “What’s your story?”

The Point: Why Our Stories are Important

1. Everybody has a story. Every follower of Christ has one to tell that includes sinfulness, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. 
2. Nobody needs special training to tell his or her story. Training can be helpful—for example, we can learn how to tell our story clearly and concisely in different circumstances – but we can tell our stories simply because they are ours. 
3. Our stories are evidences of grace. Some may seem more dramatic, but all are stories of grace-saturated life transformation. Even the very ordinances Christ gave the church—baptism and the Lord’s Supper—are designed to tell the story. Our sharing in these events shows that the story has now become our story; the gospel has become intensely personal and real.

The Reality: We Don’t Share Our Stories

Yet, most of us don’t tell our story much, even to other believers. My evidence is purely anecdotal, but here’s my experience from studying hundreds of churches over the last 25 years:

• Pastors tell their story in the call/hiring process, but many newer members have never heard that story. The longer a pastor leads the church, the more likely it is some of his flock won’t know his story.
• Children and teens often know nothing of the events surrounding their parents’ or grandparents’ turning to Christ.
• Some adult children don’t learn the details of their elderly parents’ conversion until late in life – sometimes not until making funeral preparations.
• Small group members have sometimes never heard the story of the leader who facilitates their group each week.
• Most church members know the stories of only a few—if any—other members.

What We Need to Do: Tell Our Story

If we take seriously the Great Commission to reach our neighbors and the nations (Matt 28:18-20), how will we tell non-believers our story if we don’t even tell it to brothers and sisters in Christ? In fact, this issue is not an either/or issue. By telling our stories within the Body, we glorify God and encourage others. We also learn to tell our story in a “safe” place. By then telling our story to a lost world, non-believers come to know the Redeemer. It’s really that simple. 

So, where do we start? Tell your story to at least one other believer this week.