The story of your journey to Jesus is one of the most crucial ways that people see how Jesus is relevant to your life.
You might have had a dramatic conversion like the Apostle Paul, or a gradual awakening like Timothy.
You might be able to point to a day and time like the Apostle Paul:
- Walking forward to an altar call, or
- Kneeling alone in your bedroom on night.
- Praying a “I surrender” type prayer with a friend.
Or, if that wasn’t you, you might be able to describe a Timothy style awakening:
- “It happened, but I’m not sure when.”
- I’ve been to church all my life, but I know that I believe.
- I grew up surrounded by believers and I’ve always known Jesus.
No matter how it happened, you need to know your story.
You need to know your journey story in depth so that you can share relevant portions at a moment’s notice.
Different ways to describe that Journey to Faith
Gary Rohrmayer’s book (Spiritual Conversations) maps out a spiritual journey to Christ in descriptive phrases
- Hostile
- Curious
- Actively Seeking
- Surrender
Everts and Schaupp (I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus) map out the spiritual journey in phases
- Distrust to trust – trusting a Christian
- Complacent to Curious – the shift of spiritual thirst.
- Closed to change to open to change – hardest threshold to cross (personal life)
- From Meandering to Seeking.
- The actual conversion to the Kingdom of God (surrender).
They also pick up the biblical image of planting from Mark 4:26-29
- Sowing the seed into the soil (A farmer sows the seed. . . )
- The mysterious process of growth (The seed sprouts and grows . . )
- Growth comes through visible stages (First the stalk, then the head . . .)
- The Harvest (. . . . and when it’s ripe, he puts the sickle to it).
Kevin Harney uses this same metaphor as the basis of his book: Organic Outreach for Ordinary People: Sharing Good News Naturally.
Your Own Conversion Journey
I’m convinced that the Holy Spirit draws people to faith over time.
Even the Apostle Paul was prepared before that Damascus Road.
In one of my seminar’s, I saw this in real life. Read here on some of the faith stories I heard.
Each journey to faith story I listen to has more than one key turning point in the discovery of God.
That turning point might have been a
- Sermon
- Conversation
- Life circumstances
- A dream that God gave you.
- Invitation to a church or event
- Late night musings over deep issues.
- A mystical and spiritual encounter with Jesus.
Think about your own conversion journey and the influences upon your life that shaped your faith.
- Do you recall individual conversations with friends about God?
- Do you recall different individuals who helped you while explored Christianity?
- Do you remember important sermons where something “clicked” and it made sense?
- Do you recall songs, art, poetry, or music that moved you to explore Christianity more?
- Did you have some late nights pondering life issues such as is there life after death, how do you find meaning, how can you ?
- How many times did you look at the beauty of nature and wonder about the nature of God?
Free Your Journey Story Download:
This 33 question discussion guide can help you think through elements of your story.
It’s a free download.
Get it here: https://www.evangelismcoach.org/free-download-personal-testimony/
