No one wants to find themselves unprepared when a life-changing opportunity comes along. And yet if we don’t know it is coming, we don’t know how to prepare for it. However, we do know we will have the opportunity to change someone else’s life. Why not take a bit of time and prepare for that? Each of us should be ready to communicate our story of a relationship with Jesus. If we’ve prepared ahead of time, we’ll be more likely to successfully respond to an opportunity to do so. Following are six points with multiple questions to help you prepare for your opportunities. I encourage you to not just read the following, but to think about your answers and write them out. Get ready and then see what the Lord does.
1. How did you become aware of God’s message of love and reconciliation for you? What made it personal to you? Were there specific people, books, or teachings involved? Who or what were they?
2. What was your life like before you became a Christian? How did your life show the absence of Christ? What needs were you experiencing? Why were you rebelling against God? (If you made a childhood decision for Christ, or you never consciously or intentionally rebelled against God, You may struggle to answer #2. But no matter your background, at some point you realized you were separate from the God who loves you and that you needed Jesus to bridge the gap. Was there something specific that caused you to recognize that need?)
3. Why did you decide to follow Christ? What persuaded you to make the decision to put your faith in Christ and invite Him into your life? How long did the process take? When and where did you make the decision?
4. What is the greatest difference knowing Christ has made in your life? Do you recall some of the first changes you went through after you decided to follow Him? How did it affect your emotions? How did it affect your attitudes? Your lifestyle? Your priorities?
5. How does being a Christian affect your life now? What does it mean to you to have a personal relationship with the Lord? What does it mean to you to be a Christian in your society?
6. Why would you recommend a personal relationship with Christ to someone else? What are the benefits? What are the costs? How would having a relationship with Christ make a difference in that person’s life. Take the time to think through, pray through, and develop your answers to these questions. The Lord will give you opportunities to represent Him to people who don’t yet know Him. It may be people you already know, or it may be people you haven’t yet met. But if you’re ready for the opportunities when they occur, you can help people establish a relationship with the God who loves them. They will be grateful to you for being ready.