BLESS - Week 5 - Share Your Story

The final S in BLESS is sharing story, not giving a safe answer that dodges the real thing. A relationship with neighbors creates the kind of context where somebody can see a change, get curious, and ask, “Why are you doing this?” John 9 gives that picture through a man born blind whose whole life gets flipped around when Jesus gives him sight.

Jesus refuses the easy blame game around the man’s blindness. Jesus says the man’s condition will show the power of God, then makes mud, sends him to Siloam, and brings him back seeing. The man’s neighbors recognize the change because they know who he used to be. The man does not need a platform, credentials, or a theological debate. The man just keeps saying the same true thing: “I was blind, and now I see.”

First Peter gives the same kind of picture. Peter calls believers to honor Christ, live faithfully without fear, and be ready when somebody asks about their hope. The question matters. The question is the opening, the commissioning, the sending. Faithful witness is not ambushing strangers with arguments or trying to beat somebody over the head with the Bible.

The contrast is clear: sharing story without relationship is hollow, but relationship without story is dishonest. Relationship is where life change happens, over coffee, meals, burdens, decisions, failures, and celebrations. Love for neighbors cannot become a sales pitch or a manipulation tactic, because people are not projects and nobody is a notch on a belt. But a friendship that hides the most important reality in somebody’s life is not fully real either.

The blind man shows that testimony can stay simple: life before Jesus, how Jesus was encountered, and life after. His story was not polished, dramatic, or airtight. His story was honest. Moses also shows that God does not wait for perfect communicators, because God made the mouth and sends ordinary people to speak.

John opens his letter by saying that he proclaims what he has heard, seen, and touched. Testimony shares what has actually been experienced so that fellowship can grow. A changed life makes room for the question. An honest story gives a neighbor something real to hold onto. God does the work; the witness simply tells the truth.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Relationship gives story its real context. Relationship allows people to recognize change because they know something of the life that came before it. A testimony offered without relational trust can sound like another talking head, even when every word is true. Love creates the space where a neighbor can ask a real question and receive a real answer. [12:46]
• 2. Witnesses testify, not argue cases. The blind man did not solve every theological problem the Pharisees raised. The blind man simply told the truth of what Jesus had done: “I was blind, and now I see.” God does not require believers to act as lawyer, judge, jury, prosecution, and defense; God calls them to be witnesses. [30:15]
• 3. Identity changes before behavior follows. Jesus did not come merely to make people behave better or win arguments about morality. Jesus came to claim people, give them new life, and establish a new identity. Changed behavior flows from that identity, which is why relationship must come before correction. [16:31]
• 4. Honesty matters more than dramatic stories. A story does not need addiction, catastrophe, or a blinding light to carry weight. An ordinary life reshaped by grace is still a real testimony about what Jesus has done. Before Jesus, how Jesus was encountered, and life after Jesus is enough. [34:07]
• 5. The question becomes a commissioning. A neighbor’s “Why are you doing this?” is not an interruption to avoid with a safe answer. The question is a door opening through real relationship, and it becomes a moment to share a piece of the heart. God can use a simple, honest answer to plant seeds far beyond what the witness can see.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:36] - A Safe Answer That Cost Nothing
• [03:29] - The Final S: Share Your Story
• [05:07] - Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind
• [08:34] - Neighbors Recognize Real Change
• [12:46] - Why Relationship Matters for Testimony
• [13:21] - Be Ready When Someone Asks
• [18:36] - Hollow Story and Dishonest Relationship
• [21:00] - “I Was Blind, and Now I See”
• [25:17] - Moses and the God Who Made Mouths
• [30:15] - Called to Be a Witness
• [31:17] - Before, How, and After
• [36:02] - Love Is Not a Sales Pitch
• [37:10] - Prepare Your Honest Story
• [38:51] - Testimony Creates Fellowship

Bible Reading

John 9:1–41

> As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
>
> Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
>
> The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
>
> They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
>
> The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”
>
> His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
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> So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”
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> And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
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> Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”

[05:37] [08:37] [21:00] [30:10]

1 Peter 3:14–16

> But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

[13:24] [13:42]

1 John 1:1–3

> That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

[39:09] [39:40]

Exodus 4:10–12

> But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

[25:44] [26:05]

Observation questions

1. In John 9, what do the neighbors know about the man before they ask how his eyes were opened? Why does their prior knowledge of him matter in the story? [08:37]
2. When the Pharisees keep pressing the man with questions, what does he repeatedly return to as the one thing he knows?
3. According to 1 Peter 3:14–16, what kind of life is meant to come before a person asks about the hope a believer has? What words describe the way an answer should be given? [13:42]
4. In 1 John 1:1–3, what had John and the other witnesses personally heard, seen, and touched? What purpose does John give for proclaiming it?

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus refuses to blame either the blind man or his parents for the man’s blindness. What does Jesus’ answer show about the difference between assigning blame and looking for God’s work to be displayed?
2. The blind man does not answer every theological question the Pharisees raise, yet he keeps speaking truthfully about what happened to him. What does his response show about the difference between being a witness and trying to win an argument? [30:15]
3. Peter says believers should be ready to answer “anyone who asks” about their hope, with gentleness and respect. How does the phrase “who asks” shape the way Christians approach conversations about Jesus? [14:23]
4. Moses feels unqualified because he is slow of speech, but God tells him to go and promises to be with his mouth. How might this speak to someone who feels that their story is too ordinary, unclear, or unimpressive to share? [26:05]

Application questions

1. Think of a neighbor, coworker, friend, or family member who knows you well enough to notice change in your life. What might they already see in you that could raise a real question about your hope? [12:46]
2. Have you ever received a “Why are you doing this?” question and answered with something true but safe? What might it have looked like to share a more honest piece of your story in that moment? [02:46]
3. Is there a relationship where you have been eager to correct someone’s behavior or prove a point before really knowing their story? What would it look like to channel that urgency into prayer, listening, a meal, serving, or patient friendship? [17:38]
4. Is there someone who has known you for years but does not really know that following Jesus is central to your life? What makes sharing that part of your story feel difficult, and what could be one natural next step? [36:49]
5. Take a few minutes to sketch your story in three simple parts: What was life like before you took Jesus seriously? How did you encounter Jesus? How has your life changed since? Which part feels easiest to share, and which part feels hardest? [31:36]
6. Where are you tempted to believe that your story needs to be dramatic before it can matter? What honest, ordinary evidence of Jesus’ grace can you name in your life? [34:18]
7. This week, how can you love someone without treating them like a project or a sales opportunity, while also remaining ready to speak honestly if they ask about your hope? [29:13]