Big Idea Series – How to BLESS Your Neighbor

Week 6 – Story

Sept 8 – 14, 2019

Message Big Idea

In order to BLESS our neighbor, Jesus invites us to share how our story intersects with God’s story.

Scripture

Matthew 10:16-20, John 9:1-15

Icebreaker & Opening Thought

  1. How can you tell when your spouse, mom, or kids are angry with you? What are their non-verbal cues?
  2. There are so many ways we communicate without words, and when it comes to helping people find their way back to God, most of us hope we can do it without words. Why do you think we so often hold back from sharing our story?

Bible Discussion

  1. Read Matthew 10:16-20. What do you notice about this passage?
  2. In verses 19-20, Jesus tells his disciples that the Spirit will guide them in their speech. How difficult is it for you to trust that God can guide us in our conversations?
  3. Read John 9:1-15. What do you notice about this passage?
  4. How would you describe the newly sighted man’s words?

Life Appliation

  1. D.T. Niles said, “Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread”. How do you understand that statement?
  2. The newly sighted man from John 9 laid out a simple template for sharing your story. Take the rest of the time giving everyone a chance to share these three components of their story:
    a. My Life before Jesus: The man declared “I was blind”. What was your life like before you met Jesus? Or if you grew up in church knowing all about Jesus, what was your life like before you got serious about following him? Your story begins with who you were …
    b. How I met Jesus: The man declared, “He put mud on my eyes”. How you met Jesus is an important part of your story. How did you find your way back to God? Did a friend invite you to church, a family member introduce you to Jesus? Did you go through a hard time?
    c. My Life Since I met Jesus: “Oh, I was blind… But now I see”. What difference has finding your way back to God made in your life? How are you different? What has changed about your perspective? How has knowing Jesus impacted how you walk through both the good and the hard things in life?

Challenge

To bless people, you don’t need to be a theological expert or a spiritual giant; you need to share your story. Spend some time this week using this template to craft your story: My Life before Jesus, How I met Jesus, My Life Since I Met Jesus. Write it down and allow God to give you the right words.