by Bob Morris

Sharing stories can be an effective way to connect with others and draw them towards Christ. Everybody enjoys a good story! Each of you has a story to tell—the story of your life. And speaking to you as believers, a very important part of your story is how you came to know Christ and become His follower. You can use your story—and God’s stories in the Bible–to draw others to Christ.

On the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa, we regularly went out to strike up conversations with people for the purpose of sharing the gospel. We engaged people at gas stations, in parks and parking lots, and just walking the streets. We used what some call the “Three-Story Method.” It consists of:

1.     Asking people to tell you their life story;

2.     Telling them your life story;

3.     Telling them God’s story; and then

4.     Ask them if they would like to discover more about God’s story.

We can break it down this way:

THEIR STORY

It pays to be a good listener. You can hear the life path of others—their joys and challenges, their relationship with God (if any), and their dreams for the future. You can ask questions to clarify and show your interest in them. If you listen first, others will be much more likely to listen to you.

YOUR STORY

As much as possible, tell your story in a way that will connect with the person. In many contexts, it should be two to three minutes long and cover three things:

1.     What you were like before you came to faith in Jesus;

2.     What you discovered about Jesus; and

3.     How that discovery changed your life.

GOD’S STORY

There are many ways to use Bible stories to share the gospel. In our Sunday School class we have been in the book of John. The stories of Jesus visiting with the Samaritan woman at the well and speaking about “living water” (John 4), Jesus speaking about being the “bread of life” (John 6), or Jesus healing a man born blind (John 9) could be used to explain who Jesus is and how he changed peoples’ lives.

Another method is to use the composite story “Creation to Christ”.

Let the Bible speak through sharing one or more stories (but keep it brief—at least at first).

NEXT STEP

Encourage them to ask questions. Challenge them to learn more. Offer to meet with them again (and invite another Christian friend if you like) to explain more. Don’t leave them without a challenge to choose to follow Christ.

Using stories—both your life story and stories from the Bible—are a natural way to share good news with others.

So, be willing to listen to others, polish up your story, and be prepared to share good news stories from the Bible itself!

If you would like to know more about how to do this, please contact me.

Additional Resource: missionfrontiers.org