Day 6 - Fresh Start
SHARING GOD WITH OTHERS
Now that you have experienced the love of Jesus, don’t keep it to yourself. Share it! Share this great love with others who need to experience His love. Sharing God with others really is simple. Just tell your story of how you came to receive Him into your life. There is nothing more convincing than sharing your personal encounter with Jesus Christ, using a format like 1. What my life was like before Jesus; 2. What brought me to Jesus; 3. What my life is like now. This is where the Holy Spirit comes into play. He loves to help us to share Jesus with others.
Jesus’ final words to His followers here on earth are found in Acts 1:8 NIV.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:18 NIV
The keyword there is “witnesses.” What is a witness? A witness is someone who tells of what they’ve seen and heard. A witness doesn’t make things up. Witnesses give their own personal experience. If you saw a car accident and the police asked you to be a witness, what would you say? You wouldn’t make things up. You would simply tell them what you saw and heard. That’s the same thing we’re called to do as Christians. Tell people what Jesus has done in your life. People can try to disagree with what scripture says, but they can’t argue with your experience.
SHARE WITH YOUR WORDS
God wants everyone to come into a relationship with Him, and He gave us the privilege of telling the world. Talking to others about your relationship with God is one of the ways that you share God’s love with people who are hurting, lost, hopeless and discouraged. When you share what Jesus has done in your life, your heart is reminded of how great He is, and it helps you stay connected to Jesus. We want everyone to know and experience Jesus’ love!
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” - Matthew 5:14-16 NLT
SHARE WITH YOUR LIFE
We not only share God with our words, but we also share God through the evidence of a changed life. When others begin to see that your faith in Jesus has affected the way that you live, it becomes further proof that God is indeed real. God desires that we begin to reflect a lifestyle of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control toward others. These are called the fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is always at work in you to produce these fruit in your life. We can demonstrate our faith by showing acts of kindness and giving our resources for the sake of others.
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? - James 2:14-16 NLT
There are many misconceptions about being qualified to share Jesus with others. Here are a few of these false misconceptions:
TODAY’S CHALLENGE:
Take time to write down your story (using the 3 points suggested below) so that you will be ready to share it with someone today! Then share your story with someone who does not yet know Jesus. Here are a few items to consider when writing your story:
1. My life before I trusted Christ (The purpose of this section is not to glorify your sinful past. It is simply to help people understand the state of your life before Christ.) What ultimately caused you to be broken over your sin and to consider Christ and eternal things?
2. How I came to faith in Christ (The purpose of this section is to explain how you learned about the gospel, what the gospel message is, and how you responded to it.) When and how did you become aware of the person and work of Christ? What is the message of the gospel that saved you? How did you respond to the gospel message?
3. My life since I trusted Christ (The purpose of this section is to describe how Christ has changed your life.) How have you changed? How has life changed?
Fresh Start: Beginning Your Faith Journey
As a new believer, what’s next? Being a Christian is bigger than praying and asking God into your heart. Discover what your next steps should be through seven days of encouragement in our Fresh Start: Beginning Your Faith Journey e-Book, a guide that will walk you through how to move from just believing in Jesus to becoming His disciple. Click here to download your copy today.