USA (MNN)— Your Hope Story, a new online video resource from Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, encourages people to use their own stories of hope to bring people to Jesus.
Ron Hutchcraft, president of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries hosts the free video series alongside his son and executive vice president of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Doug Hutchcraft.
“You know what your hope story is?” Ron Hutchcraft says. “It’s the story of how your life is different from what it would be if there were no Jesus. It’s about the difference Jesus has made and is making in your life.”
Hutchcraft says every believer has a hope story and can use it to tackle the seemingly scary task of telling others about Jesus.
“Reading your Bible is not scary,” Hutchraft says. “Praying isn’t scary. Going to church isn’t scary. Believing in the beliefs isn’t scary. But there’s something about taking that risk to tell somebody what you’re not sure they’re gonna want to hear—about your Jesus. We are stopped by that little four-letter word ‘fear’.”
Hutchcraft says that in his life, he’s discovered some incredible ways to break through that fear, and now that knowledge is pretty much contained in this free six-week video series on YourHopeStory.com.
Your Hope Story can be used individually or with a small group. The series weaves in 25 diverse hope stories of people who have taken risks to tell people in their lives about Jesus.
This series builds off four bridges Hutchcraft says every believer has in his or her life already.
First is your situation—something every person is always in, whether that be work, going to the gym or going to the doctor.
“What we need to realize is that our situation is our holy assignment. That God uses the very situations that pop up in our life, to position us, to represent Jesus there,” Hutchcraft says.
The second bridge is your tribe, the groups of similar people you are part of. Maybe a group of parents on the PTA or classmates that are similar in age.
Bridge three is your story.
(Photo courtesy of YourHopeStory.com)
“We all have a story,” Hutchcraft says. “Now, First Peter says ‘Be ready’. And that’s what this whole video series is about. Be ready to give the reason for the hope you have: your hope story.”
The fourth bridge is prayer: prayer that God will open your mouth, prayer that God will open hearts, and prayer that God’s will be done.
Your Hope Story uses these four bridges to help Christians gain confidence in sharing their stories with unbelievers.
“I tell you what this does, it moves people from ‘I can’t’ to ‘Maybe I could’ to ‘I can and I will’,” Hutchcraft says. “And you will have the great privilege of looking in the mirror and saying ‘I am someone’s chance. I’m somebody’s chance at Jesus. I’m somebody’s chance at heaven’.”
Visit YourHopeStory.com to learn more about this free resource.
(Header photo courtesy of John Schnobrich via Unsplash.)
