Speak Up

SPEAK UP

BY KYLE SALPIETRA

People will try and disprove Scripture, but they cannot disprove your experiences!”

Last month, I had the opportunity to travel with our Jr. High students to Camp Fuego. Camp Fuego is near to my heart. This year is the first time in seven years that I’m not volunteering as a staffer. A few months ago, one of my friends from Fuego reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in teaching a seminar. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity. After praying and seeking the Lord, he laid the topic of “sharing the Gospel with friends” on my heart.

While I was studying and praying, I was faced with questions like; How do you share the Gospel with your friends? What does it look like to start that conversation? Why is it so difficult to share what’s most important in our life with those closest to us?

These are tough questions for even the most outgoing people, but I wanted to bridge the gap for even the most introverted person in the room. As I sought the Lord, I was remind- ed that the presentation doesn’t have to be complicated, because the Gospel is not complicated. I was also reminded that my job was simply to share what’s true in my life. It was a gentle reminder that I’m not the one responsible for a person’s salvation.

I prayed that God would use me to encourage these students and leaders to do something simple: SPEAK UP. Each person’s life experiences are different and because of that, all of us have something to share, such as, a moment of frustration, fear, hurt, or heartache that is comforted by the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Or maybe you’ve gone through some serious stuff in your life that you’ve seen the Lord bring you through. Whatever it may be, if you have a relationship with the Lord, you have a story of redemption. PEOPLE WILL TRY AND DISPROVE SCRIPTURE, BUT THEY CANNOT DISPROVE YOUR EXPERIENCES!

So, what does it look like to start a conversation with someone you know, or even someone you don’t know? I started breaking down an easy opening statement for students to use when sharing their story, and it looked something like this: “Hi, my name is ______. Once I was _____ and _____, but Jesus gave me _____ and _____. Do you have a story like that?”

The first two blanks are a representation of emotions, feelings, or struggles that you’ve faced before Jesus. For example, before I met Jesus, I was lonely and hopeless. The second two blanks are a representation of how Jesus stepped into our life and replaced those feeling, emotions or struggles. So, for example, Jesus took my loneliness and hopelessness, and gave me a place to belong, and a hope for a future.

The last sentence is an invitation for someone to share their story, which gives us an opportunity for us to step into their life and speak love, hope, and truth. Being vulnerable and sharing about our life takes confidence, but it’s not our confidence that we lean on. We have confidence in a God who brings hope to the hopeless, provides a future for those who feel lost, and sets free the captive to sin. IF WE ARE TRULY GOING TO BE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD LIKE JESUS CALLS US TO BE, WE HAVE TO BE WILLING TO SPEAK UP!

Kyle Salpietra and David Orges at camp Fuego

Some of our youth enjoying camp Fuego