Jan. 25, 2026

Series: My Own People:   1-25-26

My Own STORY

 STEP #1:  BECOME AWARE 

STEP #2:  COMMIT TO PRAYER

STEP #3:  SHOW YOU CARE 

STEP #4: BE READY TO _______________________

Romans 10:13-15 (NCV) Anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved. But before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them

I. SHARING ___________________ STORY

• God 
• Man 
• _________
• You

John 1:12 (NIV) ¹² to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

THE BRIDGE ILLUSTRATION

1 Timothy 2:3–6 (LB) ³ God… ⁴ longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth: ⁵ That God is on one side and all the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus… is between them to bring them together, ⁶ by giving his life for all mankind.

II. SHARING ____________ STORY

Romans 1:16 ¹⁶ I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…

1 Peter 2:9 (MSG) ⁹ You are the ones chosen by God… God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night and-day difference he made for you.

THE POWER OF YOUR STORY

1. IT IS ______________________!  (There are no others just like it) 

2. IT IS __________________________ & EASY TO UNDERSTAND.

Suggestions for Preparing your Testimony:

• Pray and ask God to give you the right words.
• Write it out on paper. God honors preparation.
• Keep it short & to the point. Don’t lose sight of your goal. 
• Be succinct. Avoid excessive, unnecessary details.
• Refer to experiences most people have in common.
• Share a story in your life that they’ll identify with. 
• Be authentic and vulnerable.
• Be honest about your continuing struggles. 
• Don’t Make yourself sound perfect... you’re not! 
• Don’t imply all of your problems ended at conversion
• Spend most time on the difference Christ’s made.
• Give concrete examples of the changes in your life.
• Don’t exaggerate or brag about pre-conversion sins. 
• Don’t dramatize or embellish your story.
• Avoid using dates, names, ages, it doesn’t matter to them.
• Don’t share mystical experiences. (Can be confusing)
• Don’t talk down to people. Don’t sound “preachy.”  
• Use “I, me, & my” not “You, your”. It’s about you not them.
• Use humor - it reduces tension & relaxes people.
• Remember, the Holy Spirit is using your words.

1 Thessalonians 1:5 (NLT) For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true.

3. YOU ARE THE ________________________ ON IT.  

(It’s difficult to argue with)

John 9:10-30 "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded. ¹¹ He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see." ¹² "Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said. ¹⁵ Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see." ¹⁷ Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet."²⁴ A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner."  ²⁵ He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"  ²⁶ Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" ²⁷ He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" ²⁸ Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from." ³⁰ The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.

INSIGHTS:

1. Realize you have more than one ________________________.
2. Different situations will require _____________________ testimonies.
3. You can also tell about how others’ __________ have been changed. 
4. Ask, “If I were an unbeliever, would this make sense to me?”

4. PEOPLE CAN EASILY REMEMBER & ______________ TO IT.  

(It builds a relational bridge)

John 4:28-29, 39 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ²⁹ "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"… Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony.