Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

What does it look like to help others move from placing a basic faith in Jesus Christ to having him as their Lord, the center of their life? Every religious conversion is unique. There is no step-by-step guide because, ultimately, it is God who changes their life. However, by listening to other evangelists’ stories, failures, and tips, you can better equip yourself to be an instrument in revealing God to others. Snippet from the Show: What we are getting into now is an era of time where people are totally comfortable with their children and grandchildren not being evangelized in any way whatsoever. 5 Practical Takeaways: 1) Evangelization is much more than a hobby, but just like a hobby, you need to invest in it. Take time to invest in yourself and read the book Forming Intentional Disciples. 2) Read “Man’s Response to God” in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraphs 142-175). It only takes 10 min. This is the best and most wonderful understanding of faith, as it lays out the individual and ecclesial dimensions of faith. 3) We want to be comfortable with the basic Gospel message, so read Acts 4:8-12. 4) To continually prepare your heart and engage in spiritual evangelization, go to your church, walk the whole perimeter, and pray the rosary for religious conversion. 5) It’s important to know what we don’t know about our Faith. Take the Apostles’ Creed and prayerfully meditate on it. Work through the different tenets of the Creed.

Giving testimony is one of the most important parts of the Christian life, but putting your conversion story into words can be a daunting task. We should always be prepared to give testimony to what God has done in our lives. So today, Mike and Dave talk about the central importance of testimony, why it's important, and practical tips on how to actually do it. Grab your Bible, a pen, and a piece of paper and get ready to write your testimony. Snippet from the Show: Your testimony is your journey with God, your lived relationship with Jesus, and how it all started. 4 Basic Principles of Writing Your Testimony: 1) Remember your testimony is not actually yours. You do not own it, it is God’s story of what he has done in your life. 2) Being specific about the amount or gravity of sin, does not usually add to your testimony. Be careful not to glorify the sin, it robs the limelight from God. 3) Your testimony is about God’s pursuit, and your cooperation and surrender. Remember, he plays the primary role and you play the secondary role. We should try to showcase what God has done rather than on what we did to follow him. 4) Writing a testimony can be a bit like writing an examination of conscience. There may be a part of writing it that calls you to repentance. Practical Steps to Prepare Your Testimony: 1) When you begin writing, start broad and then get specific. Write about everything from the first moment of your life up until the present day. Use words or sentences that would describe you before you became an intentional disciple of Jesus. Here are some questions you could ask yourself: Did you have a life philosophy that you lived by? What were the basic principles you used to govern your life? Did you have an unsatisfied inner need? 2) Describe your identity before you became a serious disciple of Jesus. This gets to the end goal of your conversion—be broad. Who did you want to become? 3) Focus on what made that conversion possible. What made you serious about following Jesus? Again, be broad. 4) Then focus on how you would describe yourself immediately after the conversion. 5) Then describe how you are different now. Write down five to ten sentences or words that describe who you are now as opposed to then. 6) Then write down any Scriptures, quotes, or stories that had particular meaning to you during your conversion process or that mean something to you now. This can sum up your story. 7) Then put it all together in a twenty-minute testimony. Only after you master the long testimony should you cut it down to a shorter version. Remember: Don’t lie or exaggerate. 5 Practical Takeaways: 1) Read Acts 26 - Listen to the Apostle Paul giving his testimony. 2-5) Take a few days to write your twenty minute testimony using the four basic principles listed above.

Do you find making a good first impression to be awkward? Have you ever tried to say something inspiring but ended up saying the wrong things? Is the mere thought of evangelization too nerve-racking to even contemplate? Welcome to the Every Knee Shall Bow podcast where hosts Michael Gormley and Dave VanVickle discuss ways you can bring God’s kingdom to earth, so his will may be done as it is in heaven. Every week they will answer questions, explain Catholic teachings, and give you five practical takeaways, all centering around bringing people to Jesus Christ. Today, Mike and Dave explain what Season One is all about—being unashamed of the gospel. The world desperately needs the love of God, and who else will bring it to them except you?

Michael Gormley announces a new Ascension podcast that will help you share your Catholic faith with your family, friends, co-workers, and even total strangers.