Advance: Bringing the Gospel Wherever You GoSample

# Day 3: Know Your Story What is a moment or time that radically changed you in a good way? Maybe it’s the story of a time when you achieved or accomplished something major, like: * Getting accepted to the college you always wanted to go to . . . * When your family moved to a new city and you met your best friend . . . * The moment you hit your first home run or scored your first basket, goal, touchdown, or point . . . * The day you heard someone speak and it ignited a passion in you for a certain career or cause . . . * The day you received Jesus! These moments stick with us because they are important milestones in the direction of our lives. They are significant events that helped shape us into the people we are today and the people we’re becoming. Saul, also known as the apostle Paul, has one of the greatest milestone moment stories of all time: his conversion . . . the moment he first met Jesus. Right about now, you may be wondering, “What’s a conversion?” Well, the dictionary defines it as “the process of changing from one form to another.” For the Christian, conversion is the moment when we decide to give our life to Christ. It’s the moment we receive Jesus into our hearts, and are converted from sinner to son or daughter of God, from fallen to forgiven, from broken to healed. And in the process, we are converted by Jesus in the way we live as we stop following the ways of the world and begin to live and become more like Jesus. For Paul (or Saul), before God changed his life, he was a self-righteous Pharisee, a religious elitist who was literally killing Christians, thinking he was doing God’s work. And then on the road to Damascus, where he was going to kill more Christians, he was stopped by the risen Jesus. He met the resurrected Lord face-to-face and was transformed in that moment. He was changed forever. And that moment, that milestone set him on a different path; it changed not only his heart, but his life and the direction of his life. After his conversion, God used Paul in amazing ways, sending him out to preach the gospel and make disciples in the Gentile (non-Jewish) world. And He also used Paul to write most of the New Testament! Now, truth be told, your conversion story (who you were before Christ, how Christ saved you, and who you are now because of Christ) may not be this crazy, few are . . . but your transformation still carries power! Your salvation is a miracle and a turning point, so never underestimate the power of God in your life, and the way God can use your story to change the course of someone else’s eternity! You can use your story of conversion as a platform to share the good news to your family and friends, and the Lord can use it to change the lives of those around you. No matter how small your conversion story may feel, know that it is a big deal to God . . . so big that He sent Jesus to die in your place in order for you to have a conversion story! So, no matter who you are, God can use your story to advance the gospel! The easiest way to share Christ is to talk about all the ways that Christ has transformed you. Take about five minutes today to reflect on how God has changed you.