TELL

With JESUS …

• Where you live, learn, work and play …

• To the people, place or pain God has called you …

• As you connect, eat and do life with others …

TELL - Your Story and His Jesus

John 4:39-42

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in [Jesus] because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Luke 24:44-48

[Jesus] said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

Acts 11:20-21

Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

Acts 26:17-28

I (Jesus) am sending you (Paul) to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Why Tell Your Story and The Story of Jesus?

• Jesus says so!

• What’s the why behind Jesus’ Why?

  • God’s wrath is real (See John 3:36, Romans 2:5, Ephesians 2:1-3)

  • God’s love is revealed (See John 3:16, Romans 5:8-9, 1 John 4:10)

  • There’s only one Way (See Matthew 7:13-14, John 14:6, Acts 4:5-12)

  • There are only two destinations (See Luke 12:4-5, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, Hebrews 9:27-28)

• It’s who we are now.

Acts 1:8

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.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we ARE Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Understand the Process of Coming to Faith

• Most people don’t come to faith through just one interaction. And even if someone does (for example, through street evangelism), that person was probably prepared through a pretty common process.

• Here are the 5 stages of coming to faith:

1. Trust

2. Curiosity

3. Open

4. Seeking

5. Follower

• Think about Your 3. What stage or threshold is each person at? Here they are again …

1. Trust

2. Curiosity

3. Open

4. Seeking

5. Follower

• Here’s a handout on the 5 Thresholds of Conversion and Conversation. It has some very helpful questions to ask Your 3 as they journey through the 5 thresholds to faith in Jesus.

Train in Telling Your Story

• 15 Second Testimony

  • Personal testimonies are so powerful because they demonstrate that God has power to change lives! Who can’t relate and who would debate the story of how your life changed when you met Jesus?

  • One of the biggest mistakes in sharing our testimonies, however, is that we share too many details. Sometimes the listener won’t even give us enough time to get to the part where Jesus has changed our lives.

  • The other problem is that we just don’t know where to begin and so fear keeps us from telling our story.

  • The 15 Second Testimony is amazing tool that makes is really easy to tell your story by just using a few simple words or phrases. It seems quite scripted, but that’s on purpose. The method keeps you on track and helps you from getting too wordy. That’s why it’s called the 15 Second Testimony!

  • The good thing about a 15 Second Testimony is that you can always expand on it if the person asks you some questions or if the situation lends itself to a longer testimony. The skeleton is there. All you need to do is add some flesh.

  • If you became a believer at a very young age and don’t remember your life before Jesus, then think of two words that describe a time of growth where Jesus helped you overcome a crisis or uncertainty or a struggle with sin. You still begin with the same phrase, “There was a time when ….” Then explain in a word or two what Jesus did for you and how you responded to Him. And finally, finish with two words explaining how your life changed after this spiritual breakthrough. This, then, wouldn’t be a salvation testimony, but a sanctification testimony.

  • You could do the same thing with a more current testimony of Jesus’ intervention in your life. You don’t just have to go back to “ancient” history when you were saved. A story from Jesus’ recent work in your life is a powerful testimony too.

  • Finally, as they say, “Practice makes perfect.” So have everyone practice their 15 Second Testimony.

  • What a wonderful way to get to know one another and get ready to share your stories with others.

  • Also by practicing, the 15 Second Testimony won’t feel so scripted. It will start to flow naturally from your lips and naturally in your everyday conversations.

Train in Telling The Story

• There are many great tools for presenting the Good News out there. For example, many use 3 Circles, Do vs Done, The Romans Road or The Bridge.

• 2 Kingdoms is another clear and compelling presentation. In particular, it does a very good job at getting at our urgent need for the Good News because of the spiritual battle of life. What follows is the 2 Kingdoms presentation.

• A good way to get started is simply asking, “Has anyone ever shared with you the Good News of the Bible?"“

• Here’s the Good News. The Apostle Paul writes ...

Colossians 1:13-14

For God the Father has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

There’s more to life than what meets the eye. That’s because behind the scenes, there are two very different kingdoms. The first is the kingdom of darkness which is characterized by brokenness, sin and death. Satan is the king of this kingdom. The second is the eternal Kingdom of God which is characterized by love, forgiveness and life. The King of this Kingdom is the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s One and Only Son. And through His death on the cross and His resurrection to new life, Jesus has purchased our freedom, forgiven our sins and demonstrated that He is the True King. You don’t have to be a captive any longer. You can find true freedom and full forgiveness by turning from your sin and trusting in Jesus. As Jesus said …

Mark 1:15

The time has come. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news!

This video will help visualize this Good News.

• Train in using a napkin to share the 2 Kingdoms. Once again, “Practice makes perfect.”

• Wristbands with 2Kingdoms.org along with outreach business cards are available.

Inspire Individual Evangelism and Lead MicroChurch Evangelism.

• Regularly talk about this value with your MicroChurch and ask for stories on how people are telling their stories and The Story of Jesus.

• Challenge your group to see where they live, learn, work and play as their mission field. Contact4Impact will help them partner with others in reaching the harvest in their mission field.

• Once again, prayer evangelism is an effective way to combine SHOW and TELL. See instructions under SHOW.

• Matthew Parties are another effective way to combine SHOW and TELL. Matthew Parties are named for the party Matthew threw for his tax collector and sinner friends on the evening he met Jesus. Matthew held this party so his friends could meet the Lord in a safe, hospitable setting (Matthew 9:9-13). Matthew Parties give your MicroChurch an opportunity to invite their friends to a gathering with your spiritual family. That way, unbelievers and spiritual seekers can discover that Christians are “normal” and this networking could lead to further connections, conversations and invitations to your MicroChurch. The sky’s the limit on what a Matthew Party could be. How about hosting a Thanksgiving dinner or going to a football game together or having a karaoke night or organizing a weekend camping trip? (Adapted from The Effective Church Group.)

A Great Way to Tell Jesus’ Story is through Alpha.

• Take a month or two to prepare for Alpha. Encourage your people to start praying about whom they could invite. Set the dates (you’ll need 10 weeks and a weekend) and get the invites out there.

• You could use a separate time from your weekly gathering for Alpha OR just use your weekly gathering time for Alpha. The film, then, becomes your Bible lesson and discussion for those weeks.

• The Alpha Film Series is designed for today’s audience. It was filmed all around the world, and features interviews with world-famous leaders and inspiring stories. Two new hosts, Toby Flint and Gemma Hunt, join Nicky Gumbel to unpack the basics of the Christian faith in an updated and engaging way.

• Alpha Youth Series is designed to engage students in conversations about life, faith and Jesus. Discussion time is interspersed throughout the short talks to make it simpler for them to share their thoughts and questions.

• Use email (Hello@TheWayMicroChurches.org) and password (Alpha@TheWay1) to log in

• Check out the first episode of the Alpha Film Series …