Do you know the ONE answer for EVERY faith question?

POINT OF THE POST...

Have you ever shared your faith? It can be terrifying. I grew up in a church where every Monday night we had “Visitation.” That term is used for an alien invasion. And it happens in funeral homes. And that’s exactly what Monday night looked like to the people who unfortunately were at home when we knocked. Visitation was an interesting event. In case you have not had the luxury to “visit” or be “visited,” let me give you an overview of the night. The church would gather together, names and addresses of recent church visitors would be distributed, and groups of people would leave to “visit” with these people – uninvited, of course. Basically, church people would knock on stranger’s doors, interrupt their evening, and invite them back to church or share something about Jesus. You can guess how successful it was. I only participated a few times. Honestly, once was enough. I’m not sure who had the worst experience - me or the person I “visited.” My biggest hesitation with visitation was how to respond to faith questions. I wasn’t a biblical scholar. I had not been to seminary. I hadn’t even read the entire Bible! So the thought of anyone asking me questions about faith, God, Jesus, creation, sanctification (I would not have even known that was a real word!) or the like just freaked me out. I was afraid to share what I did know, because I firmly believed what I didn’t know would come up and my lack of knowledge would make me look like a fake. Worse, my stammering could lead people further away from God. But you should not be afraid to share our faith, because I believe we actually have an answer to every question that could be asked. Do you know the ONE answer for EVERY faith question? Here’s it is:

Have you ever shared your faith?

It can be terrifying. I grew up in a church where every Monday night we had “Visitation.” That term is used for an alien invasion. And it happens in funeral homes. And that’s exactly what Monday night looked like to the people who unfortunately were at home when we knocked.

Visitation was an interesting event. In case you have not had the luxury to “visit” or be “visited,” let me give you an overview of the night. The church would gather together, names and addresses of recent church visitors would be distributed, and groups of people would leave to “visit” with these people – uninvited, of course. Basically, church people would knock on stranger’s doors, interrupt their evening, and invite them back to church or share something about Jesus. You can guess how successful it was.

I only participated a few times. Honestly, once was enough. I’m not sure who had the worst experience – me or the person I “visited.”

My biggest hesitation with visitation was how to respond to faith questions. I wasn’t a biblical scholar. I had not been to seminary. I hadn’t even read the entire Bible! So the thought of anyone asking me questions about faith, God, Jesus, creation, sanctification (I would not have even known that was a real word!) or the like just freaked me out. I was afraid to share what I did know, because I firmly believed what I didn’t know would come up and my lack of knowledge would make me look like a fake. Worse, my stammering could lead people further away from God.

But you should not be afraid to share our faith, because I believe we actually have an answer to every question that could be asked. Do you know the ONE answer for EVERY faith question?

Here’s it is:

Your story.

That’s right. Your story. Your story is your answer to everyone and everything.

And here’s why: People can argue about what Jesus did in the Bible, but they can’t argue about what He’s done in your life. People may disagree about creation, but people can’t dismiss that you are a new creation. When you came to faith, God made you new. You have a new life. A new hope. New desires. New priorities. New joy. You are new, and that is hard to deny. And it’s easy to talk about, because it’s YOUR story!

If you want to be bolder in sharing your faith, just start sharing your story. Here are a few questions that may help you have an answer for everyone:

1. How has Jesus changed your life?

2. When have you seen God’s grace?

3. How did God help you navigate a difficult circumstance or situation?

4. Where do you find your hope?

5. How are you different today?

That’s why I love our baptism process at Watermarke Church. Before we baptize anyone in our church service, we require him or her to record a video – of their story – and we share it with the church before they are dunked. It’s powerful! Do you know why? Because our story is our answer. Because people may dismiss the story of Jesus, but it’s hard to dismiss the story of you.

Our faith was always meant to be personal, but never meant to be private. The great news is your story is a fantastic way to lead people to a faith of their own. So go ahead, share your story. I’d love to read it in the comments below.

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