Tell Your Story

   Hi there, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for

village church planters.

When I first began to understand the Good News of Jesus, I was fascinated by

the testimonies of other believers. They would tell how God delivered them

from drugs and alcohol, how God healed their marriage or restored their

relationship with family members. Others would testify of the deep sense of

peace they found when they gave their life to Christ. Still others mentioned

how great it was to know that their sins were forgiven and that they belonged

to Jesus.

Hearing the stories of how Jesus was changing their lives helped me wake up

spiritually. Their stories gave me a hunger for God. I wanted to know him and

experience his kind, loving, healing work in my life.

As a Village Church Planter, you have learned several ways to find persons of

peace. You can share a word of blessing and hope in Jesus’ name and see how

people respond. You can tell a Bible story and see if those who listen want to

know more. You can pray for people and see how they respond to God’s answer

to your prayer. There are many ways to find persons of peace.

A good way to find persons of peace is to share your testimony, your story of

how God has worked in your life. This is what the Apostle Paul did when he

was on trial before King Agrippa. The story from Paul’s life that he told the

King is recorded in Acts chapter 26. Paul was clearly hoping the King would

respond to his story and follow Jesus. Even though Agrippa did not respond in a

positive way, Paul was faithful to tell what the Lord had done for him.

You have a story too. I’m sure it does not seem as dramatic as Paul’s. But

your story is real and it is true and it belongs to you. Share it for the glory of

God. You don’t need to be afraid or ashamed. God has worked in your life.

Tell other people about it. You never know when you might find a person of

peace.

One of the best way to start telling your story is to tell it in 15 seconds. Your

15 second testimony starts with the word, “There was a time in my life…”

Those are powerful words, “There was a time in my life...” When you speak

those simple words, people listen to find out more. So share your 15 second

testimony. Tell about your old life. Tell what Jesus has done for you. Tell

how your life has changed. Then listen as people answer your closing question:

“Do you have a story like that?”

Your story is real and it is true and it belongs to you. Your story is powerful.

Tell it well and tell it often.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #15SecondTestimony