It’s time we tell our story and Christ’s story! Silence has had its time in the limelight, but we can be silent no more. If we do not tell our story and His—who will? If we do not faithfully communicate the Gospel with Oklahoma, who will?

God pressed upon my heart as I prayed about 2015 that I must vigorously challenge individual followers of Christ and not just the church as a whole. God’s desire is for me to challenge all of us to tell our stories and His story consistently to those around us. What do I mean?

Every believer has a personal story of how Christ saved him and is in the process of transforming his life. Simply put, we all have a personal testimony. I am convinced the personal story of your conversion and day-to-day experience of the grace and love of Christ is one of the most powerful tools available to touch people who are without Christ.

Your story is personal to you, and you are not required to have a theological degree to understand or communicate your story to others. What did God use to bring you to the place you knew you were lost and in need of a Savior? Who did God use to show you how you could receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life? When did this occur and what were the circumstances surrounding your moment of conversion to faith in Christ?

Telling your story is as simple as engaging a friend or family member over a cup of coffee and asking them if you could share a very personal story from your life with them. Tell them your story of how you came to know Christ. By telling them your story, you are building a bridge to share the Gospel with them.

The apostle Paul says the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. I assure you, your story is like letting down a drawbridge so you and the person you are sharing your story with can walk across to the other side. The Gospel can be as simple as using John 3:16, Rom. 5:8, or Rom. 6:23. From these verses, and any number of others, you can communicate the Gospel that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

I fear we are silent because we have complicated the process. Telling someone your story and then walking across the bridge to tell the story of Jesus is simple, not complex. If you have experienced salvation, you are already prepared to be a witness. Is it helpful to study some method of witnessing? It can be. Is it necessary? Not at all.

It’s time you tell your story. You can begin by telling other believers. Sit down with a Christian friend and tell them your story. Ask your teacher to allow you to share your story with your Sunday School class. Just tell somebody! Few things bring more joy to believers than to hear other believers tell about their life and conversion experiences.

Ultimately, we must move beyond our huddle of Christian friends and start telling our story to those without Christ. Your family, friends, neighbors, and work associates deserve to hear your story and His story.

We, as Christians, have defaulted to the professionals to tell the story of Jesus. In the New Testament, there were no professionals. Yes, there were apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors; however, the Gospel spread like wildfire because people who came to Christ went about telling everybody what had happened when they met the Savior. New Testament Christians were perpetual gossips of the Gospel!

It’s time we take personally the responsibility to share our story and His story. How will those without Christ know the joy of forgiveness and experience His amazing grace and love if we do not tell them?