[Podcast] Say It, part one

SayIrt

Even though many believers tend to live without freedom, and in need of restoration, Jesus provides us with a path to the freedom and restoration we need! And you might be surprised… Maybe all we have to do is to “Say It.”

Lifegroup discussion questions are after the link.

This weeks discussion questions are provided by Lynsie McDaniel. If you’re the discussion leader, please have your group open this page on their mobile devices, and let them participate in reading along and asking questions.

“The power of one person to ask one question can set the world on fire.”

Steve started this weeks sermon with this idea. This week it was a question that was so incredibly insignificant. The color of a dress. It was the topic of lunch conversations all over the US. How powerful is a question? How powerful are the things we say? How powerful are the type of things we say?

Share a time when your words have had a positive or negative effect on another person. A coworker? A person you bullied when in school? A child or spouse? A person you were discipling or mentoring? I bet we can all think of some example of how words and stories spoken towards us have affected us also.

Our story of what Jesus has done and is doing in our lives is powerful.  Very powerful. What does The Word tell us about this?

Revelation 12:11
They (the believers) have conquered him (the dragon) by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus ) and by the word of their testimony.

BUT Christians aren’t sharing their faith! Sunday Steve talked about some general reasons, but let’s make it personal. Why are YOU not sharing YOUR faith? Who do you find it hardest to be open and honest about your Christianity with? What do you think would help you share your faith more openly and honestly?

The sermon talked about maybe we feel defeated because we aren’t sharing. There is power in verbally speaking about the power of Jesus in our lives.

Let’s look at a witness.

Mark 5:5-20
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man

So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes.  2 When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil[b] spirit came out from a cemetery to meet him. 3 This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.

6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. 7 With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”

9 Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”

And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” 10 Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.

11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 12 “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”

13 So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns[c] of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

This is one of many stories of Jesus’ encounter with a person and he transformed their life. What was the person like before encountering Jesus? What did Jesus encounter with the man include? How was the man different after his encounter with Jesus? Did his story impact others for Jesus when he shared it? Was their power in it?

The people weren’t asking theological questions about how the healing happened or if he had upheld and knew all the Jewish laws. They were amazed because there was life change and it happened at the powerful hands of Jesus.

Over the course of this series we will hit different topics and continue digging into the importance of living out Matthew 28:18-20. As we do this my hope is that in your LifeGroups you would start to work through your stories. It is hard to tell a story and be comfortable in sharing it if you don’t keep yourself familiar with it. When I went through some evangelism training with Campus Crusade our first task to prepare us for sharing Jesus was sitting down and writing our stories. The point of our stories is Jesus, not us, not our sin, but the encounter with him. Below is a guideline for the next month to think through.

Your homework for…

Next week… Think through what Jesus brought you out of. What did he rescue you from? Where did he find you and meet you?

Week of Mar 8…What did Jesus do in your Life? How did you let him in? How did you say yes? Why did you say yes? Who was part of your road salvation?

Week of Mar 15… How did your journey with Jesus continue? What has changed since your encounter? What moments of assurance and hope has he brought you? What stories can you tell of Jesus living in you in the day to day?

Week of Mar 22 and continuing on…share them with your LifeGroup. This was the second step for us in our training. Standing in front of a group of fellow believers who also have stories and sharing them. Keeping the power of Jesus in your life verbally on going brings people to see how amazing he is, just like in verse 20 of the healing story above