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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

My Story is...

Fill int he blank for your self. Why? Because only you can! Your story is just that - "Yours". It is your own eye witness account of things that have happened in your life. 


I don't know about you, but I LOVE a good story. I especially love hearing stories of people that draw me  in because if their dynamic power. I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like my story just isn't that powerful - compared to some I have heard. So consequently, I tend not to tell it much. 


Lately I have been studying the book of Acts in the Bible. It is a story of how the early church was formed after Christ was crucified, rose from the dead and ascended back in to heaven to live until He comes back for us one day. The phrase I keep reading over and over is "many of those who had listened tot the message believed, and the number of the ment came to about ______." Usually that number has multiple 0's behind it. In the case of Acts 2, it was 3000. In Acts 4, 5000. WOW!


God used ordinary people, people who had screwed up, people who were uneducated (comparatively speaking), just regular ole' people to build His church literally thousands at a time. The people who had experienced Christ and the power of His resurrection and the filling of His Holy Spirit simply told their story, and people believed and were saved. 


If you haven't read the book of Acts, I would encourage you to so that you can see what life transformation happened after such an experience for those that were new believers. The early church simply just rocked! No one was in need , they just gave so freely to each other and weren't wrapped up in their own stuff, but instead cared more about their fellow believers and adding others to the followers of Christ. Good stuff...


Anyway, as I was reading this morning, I found myself wondering what the difference is between then and now. Well you could probably site way more than I can write here, but I believe one huge difference is that people just are not telling their story to those that need Jesus. Everyone has a different reason for that, and I will let you wrestle with your own reasons as you ponder this through out the day and the Holy Spirit works on your heart like He is working on mine. But for pete sake - tell you story! 


Your story was written before the beginning of time and is uniquely yours. No one else can tell it the way that you can, and no one can refute it because it didn't happen to them, it happened to you. God has written it, you have lived it and new chapter will be written today. If you are a believer, it is a story of radical grace and love. It is a story of forgiveness and acceptance. It is a story that should impact other people and the only reason it is not, is because you are not telling it. No story is inconsequential. Not even yours.  God doesn't write stories that don't matter!!


There are lots of different parts to your story, each one having something specific that will touch someone who needs to hear it. So today, I challenge you to share your story. Write it down and share it, tell it to someone verbally, make a song out of it - the method doesn't matter. What does matter is you listening to the Holy Spirit and being bold enough to say "Yes" when he calls upon you to share.


I would love to see the comment section here fill up with stories, or Facebook blow up with people publishing their story as a note. I will be working on mine as well. 


Wouldn't it be cool if we to could say, "and ______ believed and were saved" because we shared our story of Jesus redemptive love in our lives? The Holy Spirit will give you the words, just like He did for Peter and the other disciples and countless people who have gone before you in this journey with Christ. Not go do it! Be a story teller today and live with the passion and fire of the Holy Spirit burning in your heart so hot that you can't be silent.