I was talking to a new believer a while ago and asked her what she thought about making disciples. "I will when I know more" was her reply. (She's been a Christian for 18 months).

That thinking of "I'm not quite ready to help other people because I don't know enough myself" plagues the church today. I've even heard it from people who've been Christians for decades!

So, if you've ever thought things like that, you're in the right place. There's never been a more key time than to get ourselves ready.

And as you'll see - it doesn't take years because Jesus equipped the church with simple tools that anyone can access to help others around them find him.

Last week we looked at part 1 of the model that Jesus laid for us to engage with the world around. I summarised it as Words, Works and Wonders.

In this edition of the Raw Disciple I want to unpack Words. How can we use our words to share the love and good news of Christ?

WORDS: The Story We Tell

This is where many of us freeze up. We think we need to have all the right words or a perfect presentation. Like my new believer friend, we think we 'don't yet quite know enough'.

We worry that people will ask us questions that we can't answer. We worry that we will make a mistake.

But what if it could be simpler?

Let me share a practical tool that has inspired me and others tremendously: Sharing God's word as story.

Sharing God's word as story

God's word contains the best stories ever told. Many movies today owe their plot line to the stories of the bible. Even though we know this we worry that if we share the bible with others we'll be seen as 'religious' or a 'bible basher'. We've all known people who, when we share something that's going on, coldly share a bible verse that feels more like we've been thumped than helped.

But that's perhaps because we've never been trained to share God's word as story.

So how do we do it? Well, when someone shares something with you where they are hurting or struggling, share a story from the bible that has helped you when you struggled with the same thing.

Let me give you an example. A friend was sharing with me about how his boss asked him to lie at work. Feeling under pressure and wanting to avoid conflict with his boss, he did so. Afterwards he did not feel comfortable at all. I empathised, having been in situations like that a number of times myself.

But then I said, there's a story that really helped me. When Jesus was with his followers he encouraged them to tell the truth and more than that he said "I am the way, the truth and the life." So when we follow Jesus we follow truth itself. I told him how that story helped me challenge my boss and refuse to lie for him, saying "If I lie for you I will lie to you and I don't ever want to do that." Even though my boss was angry in the moment, it ultimately changed our relationship for the better and he trusted me from that point more than others and never asked me to lie for him again.

I asked him what he thought about that story and it opened up a whole discussion on how he could go back and challenge his boss and set their whole relationship on a different footing.

The key elements are:

• Listen for the heart of their struggle
• Remember a biblical story that connects with their situation
• Share how that story impacted you personally
• Ask them a question about their thoughts to help them to draw their own conclusions

This approach works because:

1. Stories are memorable and relatable
2. You're sharing from personal experience, not preaching
3. It shows how God's word is practical and relevant today
4. It opens the door for deeper conversations

All the Bible is a Story

 You can also use this for Bible verses that aren't stories.

For example a friend was struggling with a big challenge he was facing. I told him a story 'When I've faced situations like that I've found a story that really helped me. Can I share it with you.' He agreed and I said 'There was this guy called Paul who was seriously under pressure. He had been attacked by mobs of people, he had been shipwrecked, he'd been left for dead. After everything he'd been through he wrote a letter to some friends and in it he said 'I've learned that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'

That story has helped me so much. What do you think? This opened up a brilliant conversation about getting help from Jesus in tough times and not relying on ourselves.

The fact is that all of the Bible is a story and telling Paul's story in the original context massively helps to bring it home to Paul in a way that simply quoting Bible verses outside of their context does not.

This Week's Challenge:

1. Write down the stories that have personally impacted you. Think of it as building your spiritual toolkit.

2. When you read the Bible this week, ask yourself: "How might this story help someone who is struggling?"

3. Then ask the Holy Spirit to give you opportunities to share one of those stories.

 Here's what makes this powerful: You're simply living authentically as a follower of Jesus, ready to share your story when asked, and being present in people's lives.

Walking with you,
Simon

P.S. If this message has impacted you, would you consider sharing it with another potential disciple-maker? Suggest that they sign up here - therawdisciple.com