Leon Fontaine - Tell Your Story
The apostle Paul is an interesting guy. I mean, this guy wrote half the New Testament. Jesus appeared to him and literally taught him what happened behind the scenes from the cross to the throne. The Bible shows us the historical Jesus where He walked, what He did, how He died, how He was whipped, what He said. That's the historical Jesus. But behind the scenes, what was going on in heaven, in hell, in the spirit realm, what's going on for mankind, that's all taught to Paul. And it's all through the Word literally in, it's almost like a code just prophetically hidden through all the minor prophets the Old Testament. And Jesus met with Paul and He talks about having this vision and just Him showing him what he was called to do.
The apostle Paul is an amazing figure in the Bible. And did you know that when you study the apostle Paul, he often told his story. When he got before King Agrippa, when he was explaining himself to some of the disciples, he repeatedly would tell his story. And his story would go like this. It would be, I travel from city to city you knew how I would tie up and capture people who are against, you know, their Judaism, and I'll bring them bound to jail. I'm the one that stood there and the coats were filed at my feet when you stoned Stephen to death. He was laid to my account. But I was riding one day back and a bright light came and I fell off my horse and a voice said, "Why? Saul, Saul". His name was Saul before they changed it to Paul. Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And he goes, he just tells a story of how he went blind. He was put in this man's house. How God sent a man who prayed for him and healed his eyes. He would tell his story and he impacted the world with his story.
In Proverbs 29:25-27, listen to the first verse. This is where it says at the King James that a fear of man is a snare. Listen to what it says in the Message Bible, "The fear of human opinion disables us, but trusting in God protects you from that". Anywhere where we are question about our faith, what do we believe. You know, you're a Christian. Really? Oh, what do you think about this? Everyone wants to know what you believe. They wanna know what you think. And then, they feel like they can be with you or not based on what you believe. But it's a ridiculous concept because there's nobody on the planet that believes everything the same as anybody else. And so when we are, as we're walking around, if we begin to get scared because someone's opinion is strongly opposed to our opinion, wake up we're living in a world where opinions are a dime a dozen. Everybody's got one, none of them agree.
And the Christians, oh we're the silent majority. We don't wanna offend. Gosh, golly, shucks, gee. And we don't, we're not called to do offend people. We're called to be Spirit Contemporary. Spiritually alive! People need to see the presence, the love, the joy, the acceptance that's on our lives for the others. But at the same time, we can't just walk around being quite because, you know, just didn't wanna share, don't wanna. If we don't share Jesus, who will? And if you're afraid of people's opinions, you're a coward. Let me say it louder. If you're afraid of people's opinions, you're a coward and you are snared. You will never speak up and you need to. You've got wisdom. You love people. God can use you in amazing ways to bring His beautiful message to people.
But Leon, they wanna know what about the dinosaurs? How come millions are starving if God is God of love? And how do you feel about the LGBT group? And they have, you know, all those questions aren't the gospel. Those are all questions to try to divide us. The gospel is the good news. That Jesus accepts anybody as messed up or as perfect as they are or as they think they are and when they believe on Christ, they get into a relationship with Him and everything changes. And then, you start a journey of growing, learning, finding out what the true beliefs are according to God. If this world continues in the crazy beliefs it has and the fighting between religions and the fighting between different sects. We're gonna blow up a lot of great countries.
It's the gospel that brings in the beauty of God's Word to stabilize countries, families, businesses, etcetera. We need to be very aware that we are the salt. We are the light to a world living in darkness. All we gotta go back to is telling your story. That's where you are anointed to be a witness. Holy Spirit came upon you to be a witness. A witness is somebody who saw something, felt something, heard something, was aware of something and can share to an experience. In 2 Corinthians 5:19, "It was God personally present in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting and holding against men their trespasses but cancelling them, and committing to us the message of reconciliation of the restoration to favor".
We are Christ ambassadors. Ambassadors. What's an ambassador? It's someone the leader of a country picks to represent us to an entire country. We have an ambassador to France, an ambassador to America. We placed this men or women and they are to represent us to bring the best of who Canada is, to be able to talk and work together, to make sure that we can come together. You and I are ambassadors for the kingdom of God. Why do we get sucked into arguing about things? Why do we do that? Why do you guys believe about drinking? That's not the big issue. What's the big issue here? I just need to know. You know, you need to just find Jesus. He'll accept you the way you are, drunk, drug addicted, porn addicted, messed up. It doesn't really matter.
You come as you are and Jesus loves you and accepts you. Then you start the journey of Him helping you become the best you, you could ever possibly be. And the Bible's filled with beautiful principles and He'll give you the power to do it. Like how do we, why do we think that the gospel is, let me give you the list of the 10 things we don't do at our church. We don't dance and we don't chew. We don't drink. Whatever is this list is, I'm going, "Really"? Really? No, when we share Jesus with people, don't go to all the issues that they're trying to figure out in their mind. So if I give my life to Jesus Christ, can I keep cheating on my husband, can I keep getting drunk, can I keep going to parties, can I keep-, you know, what can I can't? That's not the issue.
How many of you were getting married and said, "Hey, babe marry me. Now, here's the 15 things you're gonna do in a relationship with me". Really? You gonna go like, hit the road. The best way for you to be an ambassador for the kingdom of God is to tell your story, is to tell your story. That's the most powerful. Now, you could say, "Well, Leon, I don't have a story". That was my problem. I grew up in a denomination where whenever we did youth conferences we would bring in the worst possible people that ever got saved. And I kid you not, I mean, my youth I would go to Saskatoon and to Prince Albert to this big Youth conferences and they'd bring an ex-Hell's angel and he would talk for 45 minutes about how he killed people and how he did drugs and how he fell off his bike and broke all his bones.
And we were just like, I was little church kid listen to this guy. And then how many women he'd been with and how many, I mean, it was like, he was pulling at every hormone and we're just this, like watching a movie listening to this guy's testimony. Then he gets to the end of his testimony go, "And then I gave my life to Jesus Christ and it's been amazing since then. God bless you". And he sits down and I'm going, "45 minutes glorifying the devil about who he killed, who he had sex with, what he's done over here and then I gave my life to Jesus and it's wonderful". We didn't know what was wonderful after that because he sounded so exciting when he got done the 45 minutes.
And then as I grew to my later teens and I began to realize God's called me to the ministry. I literally had this thought, I don't have a testimony. I don't have a testimony. I grew up with amazing parents. I served God in my teens. All of us are sinners by the way. But I didn't go off into drugs, alcohol. How can God ever use me? Maybe I need to fall away for a while and if I get a testimony then I can come back and tell them don't kill people I try that. Don't do drugs, I did that. How can I tell people not to do that, when I've not tried it? And I had this conversation with some parents one time. We're meeting about our youth group and I was sharing how that, you know, I'm sharing the Word but I don't really have a testimony. And one of the parents said, "Your testimony is something every parent in this room wants for our kids. We don't want our kids dying in a gang. We don't want our kids so messed up sexually. They have a hard time making a marriage work. We don't want our kids drug addicted, alcohol addicted, sucking back tobacco or... We want, your testimony is the one that we want in our kids".
So, then I thought to myself, "Oh, how in the world do I share that? We're gonna make a movie about-," Then I realized it's actually quite easy. And I begin to work on whenever I would talk to somebody, instead of talking about the issues. I would say, "No, we're not gonna talk about this. Let's talk about some real things". If you meet somebody and you get a chance to share Jesus with them and they say, "Hey, but what about starving babies and if God is a God of love why is this going on"? You know what? That's a great question. I've heard some great stuff about that that you could get to. But can I tell you what I'm an expert on? Yeah, yeah. Sure. What is it? I'm an expert on me and you gotta know how empty I was in my life before I made a decision to give my life to Jesus.
Let me tell you what it was like in my marriage before I found Jesus to fan the flames of our love and what our marriage is like now. Let me tell you what it's like, you just lost a loved one and we've all felt that. I lost somebody I love but you know what, God took me through that in a way that you need, you need God. And everything you talk to somebody about should come through personal testimony. Unless, you are able to share what God has done for you, all you're doing is debating religion. All you're doing is debating stuff. People often, "You know I had a conversation the other day man. I wish you were there pastor". You know what? I don't debate with people. No, I don't. I tell them my story. That's what I do, even though I could. No problem. I could take you through for an early world, long world, dinosaurs, God of love, authority, I know all that stuff and I don't use it. I teach it at the church. But when I'm sitting beside somebody who looks at me and wants to get into our differences. I always moving away from that guy.
I was with a guy the other day. It was a little while ago. He looks at me and he goes, so we get to talk and founds out who I am and he says, "So how do you feel about, you know, the LGBT and gays and lesbians"? And I said, "ohm". "Because I am one", he said. I said, "Oh, you know, actually I wasn't thinking about that one when I look at you". I actually don't meet somebody and go, "How do they have sex"? I said, "Do you look, do you do that when you sit down? Do you look and go, "How's that guy had sex"? I said, "That doesn't even enter my mind". And he goes, "Well, that's kind of sound a little different". I said, "I just look at you. I thought this guy is cool. He's a sharp business guy. I enjoyed the story you told me as we're flying there". And I said, "So, you're the kind of guy I can hang out with and I can do business with". Yeah, but I should like-, You really want me to believe everything you believe before we can be friends? Well, no. I said, "Cool, because I don't have any friends that believe everything I believed. Everybody's got differences. Everyone's got different opinions. I have to have all your opinions before we can be friend".
And you can just see him, I refuse to go to what differentiates, because what's that gonna do? And we just started talking. I just started sharing my experience with God and the peace that He brought me. The ability He gave me to love my spouse, my friends, the changed that came inside of me. I didn't have any axe murders to tell him or how much drugs I've done. But everybody understands how you feel. The struggles of identity, of needing help with marriage and home and family. Who am I and how do I get... and I just begin to share the beauty of Jesus. And I told him, you know, can come as you are, believe whatever you want. But once you believe on Jesus and invite Him in. I said, the journey just starts and when that journey starts, He will guide you, heal you, change you, make you into the person you always wanted to be or didn't even know what that person could be that you could be. And I just brought him back to the gospel.
Why? I've talked to that person, you know. I just don't understand. I mean, if God is such a God of love then why that so many million babies dying and why how many women. Yeah, I says, I get it. I said, I totally agree with you. You do? Yeah. I said, it's a big topic and I said, and there's some really great answers. I said, can I just tell you about what Jesus' has done in my life. What do you mean? I said, my world was not going cool and anytime and I just start sharing something from somewhere, whether it was God helping when we have kids or a miracle of healing or things I struggled with as, in my identity or the things we all go through the season of life and the stuff, losing a loved one and how we handle that if you'd lost. Like, you have stories, how about God comforted you, touched you.
If you're brand-new and you got saved yesterday and you don't even have one story yet. Then you just tell him. Man, I've been looking for a while and I started going to this church. I started listening to this pastor or I started talking to my friend and I just gave my life to Him yesterday. I'm excited about trying this. I've been watching everything else out there. Like, all we gotta go back is telling your story. That's where you are anointed to be a witness. Holy Spirit came upon you to be a witness. A witness is somebody who saw something, felt something, heard something, was aware of something and can share to an experience. Forget all the rest. Tell him, come to church with me because I'm sure we can find some great stuff on the dinosaurs or on the LGBT or God's stand on sex.
There's so many things to look at, but first of all, man we can just love each other as people even if we have different beliefs. And literally when we bring the gospel which is good news. Now, the church has tried everything else. Get on TV and point your skinny preacher finger into the camera and scream at the dirty rotten sinners and tell them they're going to hell. How's that been working for us? Not too good. It doesn't mean, it does not mean at all that we back down. It does not mean at all that we change our principles. It does not mean at all that we will change our beliefs. It just means that we weren't called to come and to change the world morally. We were told to come and present Jesus. The lover of our souls who takes you the way you are, hurting, angry, confused, abandon, addicted, hurting, desiring sinful things, for not knowing what to do. You just come and He just accepts you. He's already forgiven you for everything you've done wrong.
You have a story and its how God has touched you. But Leon, I can't explain to them. I don't think they care. I don't think if you can get pass all the questions. You can get pass all the disagreements and go. Let's just talk about Jesus and what He's done for you. This beautiful verse here in 2 Corinthians says, "It was God personally present in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting and holding against men their sins, their trespasses but cancelling them, and committing to us the message of reconciliation of the restoration to favor".