"TELL YOUR STORY"

LOOK BACK (1/3 of your time)  

Care Share a meal, a refreshment, a story from this week, or an answer to prayer. How has everyone’s personal relationship with God been? If anyone is struggling, pray for him/her, and stay after to care for that person. 

Cast Vision (Never skip) Share a story from the Bible, a personal story, an inspiring slogan or song to encourage one another to share Jesus with others, to start new groups, and to help others do the same. You can use one of the following Bible passages to get started: Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 10:1-11, Acts 1:8, Luke 19:1-10, Matthew 13:1-23. 

Check-up (Never skip) How have you obeyed what you have learned? Who have you trained in what you have learned? With whom have you shared your story or God’s story? 

LOOK UP (1/3 of your time) 

Mark 5:1-20. Pay particular attention to verses 18-20. 

Pray and Talk with God Simply and Briefly. 

Read and Discuss. Ask God to teach you this passage. Read this week’s passage.
1. What did you like about this passage?

2.What did you find difficult about this passage? 

Read this week’s passage again. 

3.What does this passage teach about people? 

4.What does this passage teach about God? 

LOOK FORWARD (1/3 of your time)

Obey. Train. Share. (Never skip) Have everyone in the group pray for the Spirit to show them how to answer these questions, then make commitments. Write the commitments down. 

5. How will you obey this passage? I will....
6. Who will you train with this passage? Name a believer:
7. With whom will you share your story or the story of God? Name an unbeliever:

PRACTICE (Never Skip) Practice telling your story- You will need to prepare your story and be prepared to share it with people when you tell them about Jesus. Here is how you can tell your story: 

• Talk about your life before following Jesus- Describe your feelings (pain, loneliness), questions (what happens after death?), or struggles you had before following Jesus.  
• Talk about how you became a follower of Jesus- Tell them about Jesus! The essential story of Jesus is: We have all offended God with our sins. We will die because of our sins. But we are saved from death when we put our faith in Jesus, who died for our sins, was buried, and raised from the dead. 
• Talk about your life after following Jesus- Tell them about how Jesus changed your life. Tell of the joy, peace, and forgiveness Jesus gave.  
• Invite a response- Your story should ask for a response. End with a question that will help you discover the person’s level of spiritual interest. Ask something like: “Would you like to know how you can be forgiven?” or “Would you like God to change your life?” 
• Keep it Brief (3 minutes or less)- Your story should be short and interesting. Do not be boring and do not talk so long that the listener loses interest.  
• Practice telling your story with someone in your group. 
• Choose 5 people to tell. Pray. Ask God to show you which 5 people you know to whom He wants you to tell your story to this week.      

Talk With God In groups of two or three, pray for every member individually. Ask God to prepare the hearts of the people who will be hearing about Jesus this week. Ask Him to give you the strength to be obedient to your commitments.