You Were Blessed to BLESS - Week 6: “Share Your Story

What is the most important call you’ve ever received? More significant than any job offer, medical report, or family news is the call of God—the invitation to join Him in what He is doing in our everyday world. God’s call is not just for a select few, but for all who claim to belong to Him. Our purpose is to know Him and to join Him in blessing others, and one of the most powerful ways we do this is by sharing our story.

Stories are powerful. They engage our minds, stir our emotions, and help us make sense of life. That’s why Jesus told so many stories—almost 100 in the Gospels—to reveal who God is and what His kingdom is like. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have a story that matters. It doesn’t have to be dramatic; it just needs to be authentic. God wants to bless someone’s world through your story, and He has placed you in relationships where your experience with Him can make an eternal difference.

The journey of faith is not about following a formula or becoming someone you’re not. It’s about being yourself in the relationships God has given you. The “BLESS” practices—Begin with prayer, Listen with care, Eat together, Serve with love, and Share your story—are simple, relational ways to help others encounter Jesus. Sharing your story is not about delivering a sales pitch; it’s about being a travel guide, helping people take their next step toward Jesus.

God’s big story unfolds in three scenes: He created us to love us, we lost our place through sin, and He sent Jesus to restore us. Jesus calls us to leave the self-life—the sinkhole that will eventually collapse—and to build our lives on Him. To know Jesus is to make Him known; these are two sides of the same coin. Being blessed with a relationship with God always comes with the responsibility to extend that blessing to others, even at a cost to ourselves.

You are part of a process. God may use you to help someone hear, believe, or call on Jesus. Your responsibility is not the outcome, but to faithfully share your story and trust God with the results. The mission of God is a movement of love—a fountain of sending love that cannot and should not be contained. God wants to bless the world through you, and the only question is: will you answer the call?

Key Takeaways

• 1. Your story is uniquely powerful and needed God has placed you in specific relationships because your authentic experience with Him can unlock hope and freedom for others. You don’t need a dramatic testimony; you simply need to be real about what Jesus has done in your life. Someone in your world is waiting to hear your story, and God wants to use it to bless them. [05:08]
• 2. To know Jesus is to make Him known The invitation to follow Jesus is inseparable from the call to share Him with others. These are not two separate actions, but one movement—like breathing in and out. If you have received the love and mercy of Christ, you are called to extend it, even if it costs you comfort or reputation. [20:05]
• 3. You are part of a process, not responsible for outcomes Faith sharing is a journey, not a one-time event. God may use you to help someone take just one step closer to Him—whether that’s listening, sharing, or inviting. The results belong to God; your role is to be faithful in the task He gives you, without carrying the burden of outcomes. [37:16]
• 4. God’s mission is a movement of love At the heart of God’s mission is love—a love that cannot be contained. When you join God in blessing others, you become a fountain of sending love, not a drain of consuming love. The good news is not just for you; it’s for the world, and God invites you to participate in His movement of love. [30:21]
• 5. Sharing your story is simple and relational You don’t need special training or a perfect formula. Sharing your story happens best in the context of real relationships—through prayer, listening, eating together, serving, and natural conversation. Ask God for opportunities, and be ready to share in simple, appropriate ways as He leads. [45:15]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:42] - The Most Important Call
• [01:59] - Sharing Your Story Without Guilt
• [03:33] - Discerning God’s Signs
• [05:08] - Your Story Matters
• [06:43] - God Wants to Bless Through You
• [07:22] - The Power of Stories
• [10:10] - The BLESS Practices Recap
• [12:15] - Authenticity Over Drama
• [13:19] - God’s Big Story in Three Scenes
• [15:14] - Two Ways to Build Your Life
• [17:02] - The Sinkhole of Self
• [20:05] - Knowing Jesus Means Making Him Known
• [22:24] - The Pattern: Come and Go
• [25:21] - The Francis List and Everyday Relationships
• [28:15] - God’s Love Is Too Big to Contain
• [30:21] - God’s Mission: A Movement of Love
• [33:03] - You Are Part of a Process
• [37:16] - Faithfulness, Not Outcomes
• [41:35] - The Good News in One Verse
• [45:15] - Practical Steps to Share Your Story
• [47:12] - The Leprosarium Story: Pointing to Jesus
• [50:02] - Prayer and Invitation to Respond

Bible Reading

Mark 8:34-35 (ESV) — > And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

Romans 10:9, 14-15 (ESV) — > Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
> ...
> How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

John 3:16 (ESV) — > For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Observation Questions

1. In Mark 8:34-35, what two options does Jesus give for how a person can build their life? ([15:14])
2. According to Romans 10:14-15, what are the steps in the process that leads someone to call on Jesus? ([33:20])
3. The sermon described God’s big story in three scenes. What are those three scenes? ([13:50])
4. What does John 3:16 say is required to have eternal life?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does Jesus compare living for self to building on a sinkhole? What does this mean for someone’s life purpose? ([17:02])
2. The sermon says, “To know Jesus is to make Him known.” Why are these two things inseparable, according to the message? ([20:05])
3. Romans 10:14-15 describes a process involving hearing, believing, and calling on Jesus. What does this process suggest about our role in someone else’s faith journey? ([35:14])
4. The sermon mentions that sharing your story doesn’t require a dramatic testimony, just an authentic one. Why might authenticity be more important than drama when sharing your faith? ([12:15])

Application Questions

1. The sermon says, “God wants to bless someone’s world through your story.” Who in your life might need to hear your story, and what is one step you could take to share it with them this week? ([06:43])
2. Jesus calls us to “deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.” Is there an area of your life where you are still building on the “sinkhole of self”? What would it look like to shift that area to Jesus? ([17:02])
3. The BLESS practices include: Begin with prayer, Listen with care, Eat together, Serve with love, and Share your story. Which of these comes most naturally to you, and which is most challenging? How could you take a next step in the one that’s hardest for you? ([10:10])
4. The message says, “You are part of a process, not responsible for outcomes.” Have you ever felt pressure to “close the deal” when sharing your faith? How does it change your approach to know that your role is just to be faithful in your part? ([37:16])
5. The sermon describes God’s mission as a “movement of love” that cannot be contained. In what ways could you become more of a “fountain of sending love” rather than a “drain of consuming love” in your relationships? ([30:21])
6. The pastor encouraged everyone to ask God for an opportunity to share their story this week. Will you commit to praying for such an opportunity? What might keep you from doing this, and how can you overcome that barrier? ([45:15])
7. The message gave a simple way to share the gospel using John 3:16: “Good news, bad news, good news, you choose.” How comfortable do you feel using this approach? Is there someone you could practice sharing this with, even just as a rehearsal? ([42:28])