Sharing Your Story

Bible Passage: John 9:1-25

When it comes to sharing our faith, one of the most powerful tools we have been given isn’t a clever argument, but is our own story. People might argue with ideas, but it is very difficult to argue with somebody saying ‘let me tell you what happened to me’ and then sharing their own experience in a simple and relatable way. These kind of stories ground the truth of Jesus in human lives and encounters, and can have the effect of ‘if Jesus did that for them, then maybe he would for me too.’ This sermon focusses on a classic example of a person sharing their story in Scripture, and looks at what lessons we can learn for telling our own stories.

Be Ready to Tell Your Story: The background to these verses is Jesus and his disciples meeting a man who had been blind from birth and then Jesus healing him. The man had a story to tell because he had encountered Jesus. Many of our stories may not seem as dramatic as this man’s, but every story of grace is miraculous in its own way, and whenever we have encountered Jesus and being changed for the better then we have a story to tell. It is striking that when the man is asked about what happened, he does not try to explain in great detail or draw big conclusions, he simply recounts the events that have happened to him as clearly as he is able to. One of the reasons that evangelism can feel intimidating is that we feel like we don’t have all the answers, but the example of this man shows that it can be much more simple than that: we simply need to be ready to tell others about how Jesus has worked in our lives. Our story doesn’t replace the gospel, but it does reveal how the good news has become real in our lives. It’s how people see what grace looks like with skin on.

A Simple Structure for Sharing Your Testimony: In the way this man talks about what happens to him, we are given a pattern that any of us can adapt to share our own stories. Essentially, the man does three things: he talks about what his situation was before, he talks about what happened when he met Jesus, and then he talks about how things had changed as a result. In his case, the ‘before’ and ‘after’ is very straightforward and can be seen in verse 25: ‘I was blind but now I see.’ For each of us there is some presenting need or circumstance that we face when Jesus meets us, and God works in this situation in some way. This may be a healing like it was for the man, a provision need, a loneliness, and addiction or many other things, but whatever it is, it forms the frame for us to share our stories with those around us. The other part of the man’s story was describing what Jesus did in order to get from the ‘before’ to the ‘after’. Notice that when the man tells his story, Jesus isn’t a side character; he’s the central one. A good testimony doesn’t make us the hero, but emphasises that Jesus is the hero who changes everything. In verse 11, the man speaks of Jesus making mud to put on his eyes and then ordering him to wash. It is not enough to just tell about what life used to be like and how it is now. In order for the story to be complete we need to also share about how Jesus entered into the situation, and make it clear that the credit for our transformation belongs to him. Some of our testimonies might not be ‘before-and-after’ stories from years ago, but might be something God is doing right now. Every time we see an answered prayer, a moment of peace, or Jesus changing our hearts, these are stories worth sharing.

Keep Going: In this chapter, we see the man sharing his story on three separate occasions, as well as his parents also being asked to tell of what they know. One of these times he tells the story is to his neighbours, and the others are to the religious leaders. Telling his story leads to further questions, but he responds by continuing to truthfully tell of what has happened to him. Seeing a chapter like this helps us to understand that we might need to share the same story multiple times with different people or even with the same people over and over again. Like this man, we might need to tell our story more than once, to our neighbours, colleagues or family. Some will be curious, some sceptical, but each time we share, things are made that bit clearer. Evangelism is often a journey, not a moment, and most of the time it is not that a single conversation ends with the person coming to faith, but that in the context of a relationship, conversations build on one another or loop around, and we have the opportunity to share different parts of our stories and see people gradually make the journey towards casting aside their doubts and putting their faith in Jesus.

Potential Applications:

• This sermon is all about people sharing their testimonies. You could create space in the service for people to share with the congregation about how Jesus has worked in their life.
• You could also invite people to spend time practicing telling their story. This could either fit within the service itself, or be a follow up in a community group setting.
• People will have heard about the transforming power of Jesus through the sermon and the stories told. You could invite people to respond and put their own faith in him.