What Story Are You Sharing?

SUBMITTED BY GARY KEESEE ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2012 - 2:28PM


Drenda and I went to Australia a few months ago for a conference. While we were there, we had this guy named Matt who was driving us to the meetings and taking care of us. When we got done with the conference, Matt asked me if I wanted to go crab fishing with him. I didn’t know anything about crab fishing, but I said sure.

We had dinner planned that night and we were hoping to have crab included in that meal, so I asked Matt how many people were going to be there. When he said 10-12 people or so, I figured we needed about 15-20 crabs.

So, we start throwing these pots in the water (because it’s not really fishing, you just throw pots out with bait in them), and I was blessing them in the name of Jesus, and thanking God for the 15-20 crabs. And Drenda was in another boat putting pots out with our daughter, Kirsten, and she was also thanking the Lord for an abundant catch.

At the end of the day we had 18 crabs. Now, that didn’t mean anything to me except we had caught exactly what I had believed God for, but driving back from the dock, Matt called his father, who was preparing supper, because he wanted to know how much chicken and steak he needed to buy for the meal that evening.

Matt called him on the Bluetooth connection in his car, so his dad’s voice was coming through the radio. When Matt told him how many crabs we caught, his dad went nuts yelling, “Praise God! Hallelujah! God is good! You got 18? Wow, God is so good!” He just went on and on for more than a minute like that. I asked Matt what the deal was. That’s when I found out that they normally only catch three crabs.

Matt went on to tell me that he fishes for crab every week. “When I heard you teach all weekend about the Kingdom, I thought, ‘I’m going to stretch and believe for six crabs by Kingdom law just like you teach,’” he said. “I’ve never heard of anyone catching 18 before.”

I got an email from him recently. He said he’s been out catching a ton of crab and people have been asking him how he’s catching so many. He said he tells them, “I’ve got a method that works every single time now. It’s the Kingdom of God.”

Matt and his brother are over there talking about more than just Scriptures. They’re talking about crabs! A lot of crabs!

See, Mark 16:15 tells us to go into the world and share the good news of the gospel, but we misinterpret the term “good news.” John 3:16 tells us how much God loves people and how important people are to Him, but in case you haven’t noticed, John 3:16 isn’t good news to the world. It doesn’t mean a thing to them. The world is looking for the good news that says they can have 18 crabs instead of three, that they can have their bills paid, and their house paid off.

When John the Baptist wanted to be sure that Jesus was the promised Messiah, he sent a few of his disciples to find out if Jesus was the one. When they asked Jesus if He was the one to come, He didn’t start quoting Isaiah or Jeremiah, or any of the many prophecies about Him to prove He was the one. No, he said, “Tell John what you have seen—the blind eyes are opened, people are healed, lepers are cleansed, and good news has been preached to the poor.” He was basically saying, “Go back and tell John we caught 18 crabs!” He talked about the RESULTS of the Kingdom, the stories of the Kingdom, and the people’s lives that were changed.

People want to see the results of the Kingdom. They like to hear good news. They want to know that there is hope for them and for their situation. The problem is there are too many Christians who don’t have much good news to share. They have religion, but they don’t have much good news. And, the devil loves that, because no one wants to serve a God like that. Without the stories that bring evidence that the Kingdom is real, and here, then there is no hope.

So many Christians hear, “Go share the Gospel” and think they’re supposed to share John 3:16, or be able to quote all kinds of Scripture. But sharing the Kingdom is easy! The good news of the Kingdom is YOU! It’s the impact the Kingdom has had in your life.

So, tell people your stories. That’s what people want. They want to know how you caught more than three crabs. They want to know how your marriage is no longer falling apart, or how you got out of debt, or how you aren’t sick anymore. You should be demonstrating results that are different than what the world normally sees.

I tell stories. I tell plenty of stories when I teach about how Drenda and I came to understand how the Kingdom works, how to apply those laws, and then how we watched the incredible things that happened in our lives as a result. I have seen so many stories. I know the Kingdom works just like the Bible says.

And, the good news of the Kingdom is that you can have the same results! There is hope. There is a new life for you. Give your heart to God and let him teach you about how His Kingdom works. Drenda and I know you will never regret it. Pretty soon you will have your own stories of how the Kingdom of God changed your life. Get ready to tell everyone you know.
*Excerpts from this article were taken from the 2012 Provision Conference.