StoneBridge Community Church
Believe #20: Sharing Our Faith
Palm Sunday Weekend Worship
Locations & Times
StoneBridge Campus
4832 Cochran St, Simi Valley, CA 93063, USA
Saturday 5:30 PM
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
St. Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch by Ann Chapin
Today's Text in Context
Bob Deffinbaugh, <i>The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8.26-40)</i> Bible.org.
http://bit.ly/1R4iqHYPhilip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
"Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch" <i>Intervarsity Press New Testament Commentaries</i>. Bible Gateway.
http://bit.ly/1UHI1LkPeople come to faith through…
People come to faith through <i>hearing</i>.
Satan's plan for your life is…
Satan's plan for your life is to keep you <i>quiet</i>.
But God's plan for us is…
But God's plan for us is that we <i>speak up</i>.
Not having the gift of evangelism…
Not having the gift of evangelism doesn't let us off the hook.
Personal relationships are…
Personal relationships are the <i>primary path God uses</i> to bring people into his kingdom.
1. Make yourself…
1. Make yourself <i>available</i>.
2. Be willing to…
meet people in a <i>desert place</i>.
Divine appointments…
Divine appointments often present themselves as <i>interruptions</i>.
When someone's in a desert place…
When someone's in a desert place offer to <i>pray</i> for them.
The Power of a Prayer
Kevin Harney, "Praying With People" video (2:51). Practical and encouraging.
https://vimeo.com/419455743. Start…
Start where <i>they</i> are.
Have a conversation
[Proclamation] "is most often a quiet conversation between one person and another on the road, often about life’s deepest questions. Phillip had no idea where this whole encounter would go; he didn’t strategize it or plan it. He simply followed the Spirit’s lead, joined the man on his journey, and confessed his faith when the conversation went there." —Patrick W. T. Johnson, "Proclamation as Conversation on the Road" Missional Preaching website 4/28/2015
http://bit.ly/1R7FiZo4. Tell…
Tell a <i>story</i>.
The Science of Storytelling
"While the brain watches a story, you’ll find something interesting—the brain doesn’t look like a spectator, it looks more like a participant in the action." —Jonathan Gottschal, "The Science Of Storytelling: How Narrative Cuts Through Distraction Like Nothing Else" FastCoCreate.com 10/16/2013. The <i>Dirty Harry</i> and <i>Old Yeller</i> illustrations are Gottschal's.
http://bit.ly/1coKIusTell…
Tell <i>your</i> story.
How to Tell Your Story
Take a few minutes working through these questions, and be ready for the next open door God gives you to tell your testimony. —"Your Testimony: How To Prepare and Tell Your Story" —CRU Website.
http://bit.ly/1RrvIUiBe Real
"If we are trying to make church, faith, and Christian living real, testimonies need to get real, too. We can’t act like our struggles magically disappeared when we accepted Christ." —What We Get Wrong About 'Giving Our Testimony': How you're being saved is as important as how you got saved." Relevant website.
http://bit.ly/1tKqG3gAnd tell…
And tell <i>our</i> story— the story of God's love through Jesus Christ.
God Tools App
Looking for an easy way to share the gospel with those around you? <i>God Tools</i> puts some of the most effective and widely used evangelistic tools of all time on your smartphone and on the web. Links for Apple, Android, and Web.
http://www.godtoolsapp.comShare the Good News
Cru is a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. Helpful links for thinking more about how to share your faith with family and friends.
http://www.cru.org/train-and-grow/share-the-gospel.htmlMemory Verse Ephesians 6.19-20
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6.19-20)
Secure online giving
Thanks for partnering with us in our mission to reach people with the good news of God's love, to make disciples, and to send them out. Secure online giving via PayPal.
http://bit.ly/1R63jRPLike us on Facebook
Visit and like the StoneBridge Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/stonebridgesimiWatch us on YouTube
Miss a message? You can always catch us on YouTube. We invite you to subscribe to our channel.
http://bit.ly/22uE939Subscribe to our podcast
Subscribe to the StoneBridge Community Church podcast on iTunes and you'll never miss a message. Updates automatically.
http://apple.co/1RbdqkKVisit our website
For more information on StoneBridge Community Church, visit our website.
http://www.stonebridgesimi.com/