B.L.E.S.S. - Part 5: Share a Story

0:00 Today's message is entitled, Share a Story. I want to give it up for our young people today leading us in worship. And they got this old school appearance down. What I can't get past is these hats that they got on and pearls around the neck. Go ahead, girl. I see you. You're looking good. Yeah, y'all got it together. Amen. All right. All right, I am coming to the final stage of this series that I've been in. I've been in a series for several months challenging us to win others to the Lord Jesus Christ in a personal relationship. And we started off by going through John.

0:53 Let me just give you a review of what we've been doing so far. John 15, Jesus says that when we are rooted in Him, when we are the branch, He's divine, we will bear much fruit. One of the evidences that you have a personal relationship with God is that you ought to be bearing fruit. There ought to be others who want to follow the Lord because of your life, the changes they've seen in your life, the impact that your life has brought. So John 15 says that you will bear much fruit. Somebody say much fruit. Look at somebody else and say you can bear more fruit, more fruit, more fruit. So that was John 15. We are to bear fruit. Asking every person, have you won anybody to the Lord?

1:42 Then I went through the Francis list. And the Francis list is the list of people that you should be reaching out to to win to the Lord. Every letter in Francis stands for some level of people in your life who you should be reaching out to. The F stands for friends. You're going to reach your friends. The R stands for relatives. Your drunk cousin, your... your uncle who's elevated don't go all the way to the top floor. The A in Francis stands for acquaintances. These are people who you may not even know their name, but you see them on a regular basis. Maybe a cashier at a convenience store or a guard somewhere. We want to challenge you to start to get to try to know them. Ask their name. Do they have family? Can I pray for you?

2:36 What's the prayer need that you have? We're challenging you to be asking those acquaintances questions of how you can intercede for them, how you can love on them. That's the A in Francis. The N stands for neighbors. And again, I've been challenging our church. Some of us are so busy in church that we don't even know who our neighbors are. You should take the time and find out the names of your neighbors. Show your neighbors some love.

3:02 Connect with your neighbors. The C in Francis stands for co-workers or classmates. So you got co-workers that need the Lord. And you got those who don't have a job yet. Somebody say yet. You got classmates. Young people, y'all don't have a job right now probably, but one day you're going to have a job. But until then, win your classmates to the Lord. Let's see, what's the next one? E is for enemies. Did y'all know y'all supposed to be winning your enemies to the Lord? Thank both of y'all for saying amen to that. I appreciate it. God's call is for you to win those who you know don't like you to the Lord. I know I'm saying because God has put love in my heart for people who I know don't like me. You show them love. You pray for them.

3:55 You do what you can for them. That's an evidence that you have a personal walk and relationship with God. You never win an enemy by treating the enemy the same way they treat you. It's too late. Don't try to clap now, y'all. It's too late. The S in Francis stands for strangers. So we want you to, even people who are, you don't know them by name or whatever, but a stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet or got connected with. So God wants to use you to win them to the Lord as well. So that's what Frank, those are the people that should, some names on your prayer list should come from that. These are the people, the areas and people in your life that you should be reaching out toward. Then I gave you the acronym of BLESS. BLESS, B-L-E-S-S. I want you to bless people. Somebody say bless.

4:47 Say it again. God wants you to bless people. Here's the steps we take. Here are the things we do to win people to the Lord. The B in BLESS stands for beseech God. Cry out to God on their behalf. Put their name on your prayer list. you don't expect to win somebody to the Lord that you haven't prayed for first. Amen. I don't know about y'all, but I believe God still hears and answers prayers. Amen. It's clapping from the back. Let me go back here. The people in the front, they ain't hearing me. They don't want to say nothing. They tired of me going through this stuff. Let me come to the people in the back. This is my crowd right here. They with me. Yeah, thank you. Thank you. I love y'all. I need to come back here a little bit more is what I need to do. Forget about them jokers down there.

5:40 They think just because they up front, they get to say nothing. But I'm coming to the people who want to receive my message and my word. I love y'all so very much. This is where I need to be preaching from every Sunday.

6:00 Beseech God. DL stands for listen. Instead of fussing and preaching to people, listen to their pain. Listen to their journey. Listen to their concerns. People just need somebody to care enough about them to just listen. Your marriage might work better if you just learn how to listen. Oh, y'all got quiet on that. Let me go.

6:40 I might need to go back down front now. Y'all got quiet when I said that. The E in bless, the step, it means to engage. Get engaged in somebody's life of what they have an interest in. Do something and engage with them. Show them that you love them enough to be interested in what they are interested in. I told the story of my friend Kendall, who I went to high school with, who I learned was a pilot. And when I had an interest in learning how to fly, I contacted Kendall. And Kendall helped me learn how to fly. And I helped Kendall meet Jesus. And Kendall got saved from that. The first S in BLESS stands for serve. Look for a need to serve.

7:35 It means the world when you take time out of your schedule and know a need of somebody else and serve that need. So find that need and serve. Say serve. Serve. All right. The last S in BLESS. How you doing? looking good. Thanks.

7:57 Stands for share your story. Share your story. Share a story, I should say. It doesn't have to be yours, but share a story. Say that. Share a story. Now, the reason this is important and the reason I'm sharing this with you because I listen to people give their testimonies and tell people, but usually it's confusing, all jacked up, and most stories and testimonies that people give don't give God glory. It gives them glory.

8:26 Amen. So what I want to do is give you three simple steps of how to share your story. Three simple things. And these all come from, I have scripture to back up. The Apostle Paul in Acts 26. As a matter of fact, turn your Bibles to Acts 26. If you're taking notes, write down Acts 26. the apostle Paul got arrested and they were marching him from judgment from one place to another to meet all these different people to give an account of his actions and choices until ultimately he ended up talking to the king king Agrippa was the king's name king Agrippa and Paul models for us how to share your story and I want to that's why I want you to get these three steps here today. I got 20 minutes to give you these three steps. I'm going to try to do it in 15. Y'all know I can't. That's why y'all say that. Come at 12 and tell me to take my time, but I ain't got nothing. Come at 12. Ain't nobody at 12 saying, take your time, Pastor.

9:28 They ain't saying it. They ain't saying it. But they know at 10, I can't take my time. All right, so three points. You should be able to remember this. As a matter of fact, oh, let me say this too far, I forget. Telling your story is important because guess what? Your story can help somebody see the power of God's working in your life. And I wish in my life that all of the things that God has done for me over the course of my 67 years of life.

10:06 Go ahead. I know y'all say, he don't look 67. Go ahead, tell your neighbor. Lean over to your neighbor and say, he don't look old. But I am. I is old. I can remember the day when I met 67-year-old people and I said, oh, that's an old person right there. And so now I is the old person. But over those 67 years, I can think of so many incredible things that God has done for me in my life. And I'm telling young people, I wish that when I was younger, I wish I had journaled. I wish I had started writing down the things that God has done for me. I wish I had recorded it. Nobody ever taught me about journeying. Nobody ever taught me. And then when I started to do it, I never consistently figured, continued it out. It's important because at some point in your life, when you reach tough areas and tough seasons, you're gonna need to pull that journal out and look back and see things that God did for you, prayers He's answered, miracles He brought for you, and it will build your faith to know that if God brought me through that, He can bring me through this of what I'm going through today.

11:11 Journal, it's important. It's going to help you in the journey of your life. And so I can look back over my life and see so many things that God did for me, and the problem is I can't remember all of them. Truth be told, I can't remember what I did yesterday, let alone go back about what God did for me. So anyway, jot this down and I'm going to challenge you to start recording stories of what God has done for you so that you can share with others and encourage yourself. Here's the first thing I want you to do. When you share your story, number one, share where you were. Share where you were. Here's what my situation was. Here's what my behavior was. Here's how I lived then. Share where you were. And in the first 11 verses of Acts chapter 26, that's exactly what Paul does. He's standing before the king. He's been given the opportunity to speak to the king. They've arrested him and they've marched him before and he's given the opportunity to tell the story. Verse 1, walk with me through these first 11 verses of chapter 26 of the Acts of the Apostles. It says this, then Agrippa said to Paul, you are permitted to speak for yourself. So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself. I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore, I beg you to hear me patiently.

12:59 Verse 4, my manner of life from my youth. Y'all see that? My manner of life. He's going back to his youth. Here's where I was from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. They knew me from the first. If they were willing to testify that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee. Stop. Stick a pen right there. Here's what Paul's saying. From my youth, I was a religious person. I was in the synagogue and doing everything that I was supposed to do. I was among the strictest of them. He says, they knew from the first. Let me read verse 5 again. If they were willing to testify that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee. And now, verse 6, I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To this promise, our 12 tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain.

14:04 For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? Verse 9, indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Stick a pen right there. He said, I thought to myself, I myself thought that what I got to do, and he said, all the things I did, what I did was contrary to the name of Jesus Christ. This I also did in Jerusalem. And many of the saints, many of the saints, I shut up in prison having received authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Here's what Paul is saying. I was against those who were Christians. I locked them up in prison. I put some of them to death. I cast my vote against them.

15:02 in verse 11, and I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme, and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. He says, I went even to other cities and persecuted Christians. That's where he was. That's step one. Where was you? Look back at your life. What did your life used to be? You have a story to tell. You ain't always been in church.

15:33 Some of y'all are barely here today. Let me let that sink in for a moment. You ain't always been reading the Scripture. You ain't always dressed holy. Come on, holler back at me for just a second. You ain't always been where you are today. Paul is testifying, here's where I was. I persecuted the church. I killed Christians. I locked them up in jail. I voted against them. That's where he was. He says, I was a religious person doing unreligious things to people who claim the name of Jesus Christ.

16:11 Y'all ain't always been in church. Some of y'all fresh out of the club. Is that where y'all go? Is it the club? Oh, now y'all gonna get quiet on me. Let me go back here to the people back here. I don't know, maybe I shouldn't come back here because y'all probably are late every day because you just got back from the club. Let me go back down here. Here's point two. Y'all got point one? Share where you were. Here's point two. Share what God did.

16:52 Verses 12 through 18. Share what God did. Now, this is important because most people, when they're trying to tell their testimony, they talk about what they did. It ain't about what you did. It's about what God did. Listen to him in verses 12 through 18. While thus occupied, Paul verse 12, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priest, at midday, hold up, while thus occupied, while I was killing Christians, while I was locking them up in jail, while I was persecuting them, when I was voting against them, verse 12, As I journeyed on my journey to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priest, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.

17:49 And when all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? it is hard for you to kick against the goys. Y'all get the point. Here's what he said. While I was doing my nasty thing, while I was hurting Christians, while I was locking them up in jail, I was on my way to Damascus and on my way, a light shined down and not me and everybody else around me down. Oh, I wish I had somebody hear what I'm saying to you today. He said, it was brighter than the sun and I heard a voice, verse 14, and when all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goyd. So I said, who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.

18:53 I feel a shout coming on me right there. Somebody say amen. In other words, Paul is saying, I had an encounter with God. God met me where I was. He met me in my situation. He met me in my circumstance. And some of y'all got that same testimony. God spoke to you while you were in the club. God spoke to you while you were as high as a kite. God spoke to you while you were drunken and drunk. Let me go back here. I just, I just... They ain't saying nothing to me. Let me come back to the crowd who've been at the club. Let me come back to the crowd who got drunk, who was high. Come on now, holler at her brother. Oh, now y'all acting like y'all don't know what I'm talking about back here.

19:50 He had an encounter with God. And that's what he is saying. He said, God spoke to me. And what I love about this, he says, I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness, both of the things which you have seen seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. Some of y'all have had that encounter. God saved you out of the rut hole that you was in because he wanted to make you a minister for him, a spokesman for him, an example for him. He brought you out of where you were so that you can help somebody else get out of where you were. Can I get an amen right there from anybody?

20:49 He says in verse 17, I will deliver you from the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send you to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sins. Oh, that's... Woo! Excuse me for a second. Can I holler for just a moment? God said, I want to use you, Saul, Paul. I want to open your eyes to turn others from darkness to light, from the power of Satan, that they can receive forgiveness of sins. I feel it. Shout on me here today, because that's how God wants to use you. It's not about what your testimony ain't about what you did. It's about what God did for you, to you, in you, through you.

21:45 that's the power of the testimony this is what God did now here's my final point three y'all got my first point what was it what's number two what do y'all think point three might be share where you are now where are you now verses 19 through 23 Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. For this reason, the Jews ceased me in the temple and tried to kill me.

22:41 Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come, that the Christ would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. That's a shout right there. Did y'all get it? Here's where he is now. Y'all missed it. It went over y'all head. Where is Paul now? Here's where he is now. He's preaching the gospel to lost people. He's making declarations that Christ, the prophets had talked about it. Moses talked about the Messiah who would come and die and be raised from the dead. He is saying now instead of persecuting the church, I'm preaching to the church and I'm getting people to join the church and get connected with the church. I am making a proclamation. I don't know who I'm preaching to, but your day is coming where God's going to use you to win hundreds and thousands of people to the kingdom of our God.

23:47 Look at your neighbor and say, I think he's talking to you. There's an anointing on you. There's a gift on you. You used to laugh at the church. You used to reject the church. You used to not want to come to church. You used to walk around the church or walk by the church or walk past the church. But now you're in the church. Now you're preaching the word. Now you're serving in the church. Oh, I wish I had a praying crowd with you here today. Oh, I feel a shout in my soul. If you only knew what God is about to do in you and through you. Thank you, Lord.

24:39 My testimony is similar to Paul's. I was a religious person. I sang in the Sunbeam Choir. Went on to sing in the United Voices Choir. I was an ursher. It's an ursher, not just an usher. An ursher walks with a certain amount of things.

25:03 An usher, they just, they walk like that. But when you are an usher, you walk tall like that. I was an usher, sang in the choir in Sunday school. I was a religious person, but I was lost. And one Tuesday night, I went to a revival in Washington, D.C. And I saw people that I knew who had something that I didn't have. They had a joy that I didn't have. They had a smile that I didn't have. They had a dance that I didn't have. And that Tuesday night, I made a decision that I wanted Jesus in my life. I could hear people whispering as I walked down the aisle to give my heart to the Lord. He's already a church member. Why is he going down there? He already singing in the choir. But I did not care what they said about me.

25:58 I knew that there was something missing in my life. and when I came forward, God changed my life. He opened my eyes. He gave me joy. He gave me a dance and now I'm preaching the gospel and now I is the pastor of the First Baptist Church at Glenard and now thousands of people have gotten saved because of my life. Who am I preaching to today? God's got something in store for you to use you, to anoint you, to take you for His glory. Let me give y'all this last point.

26:50 This last verse. It's not a point, it's a verse. Verse 28. Can I read verse 28 to you? Then Agrippa said to Paul, you almost persuaded me to become a Christian. Whoo! Y'all need to get this down in your soul. There are some people who are going to get persuaded because of you. They're going to get saved because of you. They're going to change their lives because of you. Amen. I'm done. I quit. I'm finished.

27:27 Write it down. Share where you were. Share what God did. Share where you are now. And somebody's going to say to you, you have persuaded me. If you've been blessed by this