37 Sharing Your Life Message

 

 

 

PURPOSE # 5

 

 

You Were Made For A Mission

 

 

The Fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

and he who wins souls is wise.

Proverbs 11:30

 

 

37 Sharing Your Life Message

 

 

Those who believe in the Son of God

have the testimony of God in them.

1 John 5:10a

 

Your lives are echoing the

Master's Word... The news of your faith

in God is out. We don't even have to say

anything anymore—you're the message!

1 Thessalonians 1:8

 

 

God has given you a Life Message to share.

When you became a believer, you also became God's messenger.

God wants to speak to the world through you.

"We speak the truth before God, as messengers of God."

2 Corinthians 2;17b

"Those who believe in the Son of God

have the testimony of God in them."

1 John 5:10a

Your Life Message has four parts to it:

 

 Your testimony:         

the story of how you began a relationship with Jesus

 Your life lessons:     

 the most important lessons God has taught you

 Your godly passions:

the issues God shaped you to care about most

 The Good News:      

the message of salvation

 

Your Life Message includes your testimony.

Your testimony is the story of

how Christ has made a difference in your life.

Peter tells us that we were chosen by God

"to do his work and speak out for him,

to tell others of the night-and-day difference

he made for you."

1 Peter 2:9

This is the essence of witnessing—

simply sharing your personal experiences regarding the Lord.

"You will be my witnesses,"

Acts 1:8

not "You will be my attorney."

He want you to share your story with others.

Sharing your testimony is an essential part of your mission on earth

because it is unique.

Shared stories build a relational bridge

that Jesus can walk across from your heart to theirs.

 

Another value of your testimony is that it bypasses intellectual defenses.

Many people who won't accept the authority of the Bible

will listen to a humble, personal stroy.

That is why on six different occasions Paul used his testimony

to share the gospel instead of quoting Scripture.

Acts 22 to 26

 

"Be ready at all times to answer anyone

who asks you to explain the hope you have in you,

but do it with gentleness and respect."

1 Peter 3:15-16

The best way to "be ready" is to write out your testimony

and then memorize the main points.

Divide it into four parts;

 

1. What my life was like before I met Jesus 

2. How I realized I needed Jesus              

3. How I committed my life to Jesus            

4. The difference Jesus has made in my life

 

Different situations call for different testimonies.

 

Your Life Message includes you life lessons.

The second part of your life message is the truths

that God has taught you from experiences with him.

These are lessons and insights you have learned about God,

relationships, problems, temptations, and other aspects of life.

 

David prayed,

"God, teach me lessons for living

so I can stay the course."

Psalm 119:33

Of the Israelites, the Bible says,

"Over and over God rescued them,

but they never learned—

until finally their sins destroyed them."

Proverbs 25:12

While it is wise to learn from experience,

it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others.

 

"A warning given by

an experienced person to someone willing to listen is

more valuable than... jewelry made of the finest gold."

Proverbs 25:12

Write down the major life lessons you have learned

so you can share them with others.

 

We should be grateful Solomon did this,

because it gave us the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes,

which are filled with practical lessons in living.

Imagine how much needless frustration could be avoided

if we learned form each other's life lessons.

 

Mature people develop the habit of extracting lessons

from everyday experiences.

I urge you to make a list of your life lessons.

Here are a few questions to jog your memory

and get you stared:

Psalm 51; Philippians 4:11-13;

2 Corinthians 1:4-10; Psalm 40;

Psalm 119:71; Genesis 50:20

 

 What has God taught me from failure?                             

 What has God taught me from a lack of money?                 

 What has God taught me from pain or sorrow or depression?

 What has God taught me through waiting?                        

 What has God taught me through illness?                         

 What has God taught me from disappointment?                   

 What have I learned from my family, my church,                  

my relationship, my small group, and my critics?

 

Your Life Message includes sharing your godly passions.

God is a passionate God.

He passionately loves some things

and passionately hates other things.

As you grow closer to him,

he will give you a passion for something he cares about deeply

so you can be a spokesman for him in the world.

It may be a passion about a problem, a purpose, a principle,

or a group of people.

Whatever it is, you will feel compelled to speak up about it

and do what you can to make a differnce.

 

"A man's heart determines his speech."

Matthew 12:34

Two examples are David, who said,

"My zeal for God and his work burns hot within me,"

Psalm 19:9

and Jeremiah, who said,

"Your message burns in my heart and bones,

and I cannot keep silent."

Jeremiah 20;9

God gives us different passions

so that everything he wants done in the world will get done.

Never belittle someone else's godly passion.

"It is fine to be zealous,

provided to purpose is good."

Galatians 4:18

 

Your Life Message includes the Good News.

"The Good News shows

how God makes people right with himself—

that is begins and ends with faith."

Romans 1:17

 

"For God was in Christ,

reconciling the world to himself,

no longer counting people's sins against them.

This is the wonderful message

he has given us to tell others."

2 Corinthians 5:19

The Good News is that

when we trust God's grace to save us through what Jesus did,

our sins are forgiven, we get a purpose for living,

and we are promised a future home in heaven.

 

Most important,

you must learn to love lost people the way God does.

Everybody matters to him.

When Jesus stretched his arms out wide on the cross,

he was saying, "I love you this much!"

"For Christ's love compels us,

because we are convinced

 that one died for all."

2 corinthians 5;14

 

Love leaves no choice.

"There is no fear in love;

perfect love drives out all fear."

1 John 4:18

"[God] does not want anyone to be lost,

but he wants all people

to change their hearts and lives."

2 Pether 3:9

 

As long as you know one person who doesn't know Christ,

you must keep praying for them, serving them in love,

and sharing the Good News.

"Make the most of your chances

to tell others the Good News.

Be wise in all your contacts with them."

Colossians 4:5

 

Is anyone going to be in heaven because of you?

The eternal salvation of a single soul is more important

than anything else you will ever achieve in life.

 

In this book you have learned

 God's five purposes for your life on earth:

He made you to be

a member of his family, a model of his character,

a magnifier of his glory, a minister of his grace,

and a messenger of his Good News to others.

 

Of these five purposes,

the fifth can only be done on earth.

The other four

you will keep doing in eternity in some way.

That's why spreading the Good News is so important;

you only have a short time to share your life message

and fulfill your mission.

 

 

 

 

DAY THIRTY-SEVEN

Thinking About My Purpose

 

 Point to Ponder: God wants to say something

to the world through me. 

 

Verse to Remember: "Be ready at all times to answer anyone

who asks you to explain the hope you have in you,

but do it with gentleness and respect."

1 Peter 3:15b-16

 

Question to Consider: As I reflect on my personal story,

who does God want me to share it iwth?

 

 

p 289~296

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.purposedrivenlife.com