Everybody has one.  A story that is.  My story is not yours and yours is not mine.  The details vary – except for one thing.  God is the Author.  If you have a story to tell it is really just the story of what the Lord has done for you.

Most often we refer to it as our “testimony.”  It is the testimony of how God brought us to Himself and what He is doing with us now.  You see a good testimony is always present tense.  It is not merely the record of an event.  It is the heart’s expression of praise and love for Jesus Christ.

Pastor Sexton has taught us for years that your personal testimony is a powerful tool in witnessing. He says that there are three parts to a good testimony:

1.  My life before receiving Christ as my Saviour.

2.  How I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour.

3.  What Christ means to me now that I am a Christian.

I trusted the Lord Jesus as my personal Saviour as a five year old boy.  My story contains so sordid details of a life lived in sin before my conversion.  I was not a drug dealer in preschool.  Yet my story is like every other man.  I was a sinner.  I needed my sins forgiven.  The first time I remember hearing the gospel (though I am sure I had heard it before) was in a school chapel.  The speaker simply said if you would like to know more about knowing Jesus in a personal way speak to your teacher after we dismiss.  That was it.  That was enough.  God was working in me…and for me.  The Holy Spirit prompted me to ask my teacher if she would tell me more.  I don’t know that anyone else responded that day, but the Lord was drawing me to Himself.

A kind lady made time on a busy day and took me aside to a private place with no distractions.  She took the Bible and explained to me that God loved me, that I was a sinner, and that Jesus Christ had died for my sins.  She told me that Christ had risen from the dead and would come into my life if I would ask Him to be my Saviour.  I don’t remember much about her words, or about my words when I prayed.  But I do know this: Jesus heard my prayer and came to live in me that day.

I remember leaving school that afternoon and telling my mother that I had been saved.  My heart was so full of joy!  After all of these years, it is even more wonderful to me.  I know God!  He knows me!  If I were to die today I would go into the presence of God forever.  Not because of anything I have done, but because of Jesus.  And I do not have to wait to be in His presence; He is with me now.

That’s my story.  What’s yours?

Perhaps you would like to leave it as a comment.  I would love to read it.  Could I ask you to do something else with your story?

Jesus told Nicodemus, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness” (John 3:11).  One of the greatest ways to witness is simply to testify.  Share your story.  Speak what you know.  That’s all!  Tell what you have seen.

Last Sunday night I challenged a great group of our young people to share their story with one person this week.  Would you take that challenge?  Would you make a commitment to share your story of salvation with at least one person in the next seven days?  Many more could come to Christ.  Many more stories could be told.  I am looking forward to hearing all of these stories in Heaven.  But we only have a short time to share them with others here.

Imagine a world full of seeking people, asking one question: “What’s your story?”