The Power of Personal Testimony

Introduction

Paul has been nearly beaten to death and is now in the custody of the Roman army and his fate has yet to be decided. As the crowd continue to press upon him, he was determined to give his defence.

The interesting thing is that Paul is not truly defending himself so much as he is defending Christ and the gospel. Paul uses this opportunity to speak to the angry crowd to tell them of his own conversion.

Paul masterfully presents his case such that there would be no possibility that those who hear it could doubt his claims.

This passage is tremendous evidence for the power of a personal testimony. So many believers excuse away their responsibility to share the gospel by claiming they lack sufficient knowledge of scripture or that they cannot effectively present the gospel to those who are skeptical but we must recognize that likely the most powerful gospel presentation we possess is our own personal testimony.

Notice the way that the apostle Paul presents his testimony as he makes his defence for this will help us to see a pattern which we may also employ.

The apostle Paul began his powerful testimony with an attempt to:

Establish a Connection (Vs. 1-5)

It is entirely plausible that had Paul not come to know Jesus Christ he would have been among the crowd calling for the death of the one who had offended Jewish law and tradition.

Paul understood their behavior because he had once been just like them. It is vital to our personal testimony that we realize that we may well be just as wicked and immoral as the worst of sinners had we not met Jesus.

So often the world may look at Christians and assume that we believe that we are better than they and that we think ourselves to be altogether different.

The truth is we were once sinners and though we may not have committed the same sins as those we may have the opportunity to witness to we have the same sin nature and it is only our relationship with Christ that makes us any different.

It is vital that those that we seek to bring to Christ recognize that we were once exactly as they are, lost and undone, without hope and separated from God.

This is a wonderful way to establish a connection with an unbeliever because it will help them to see us as someone who they can relate to and who may be able to understand them.

Paul wanted the angry crowd to know that he was once exactly like them and that he had himself imprisoned and been party to the execution of numerous Christians.

Paul understood that these people were merely acting as he once did out of a misguided zeal for God and the Jewish faith. We must understand that those who are lost behave as they do because they do not know Christ.

We must imagine that Paul’s heart ached for the people to understand the error of their ways that he yearned to see their lives changed as his had been.

I Corinthians 6:9-11- such were some of you. We must not forget what we once were so that we too have a burden and a longing to reach those who have not yet turned to Christ.

Now that the crowd understands that Paul is familiar with their perspective he then:

Recounted His Conversion (Vs. 6-16)

Once Paul had established his former life certainly there must have been some among the crowd who marveled at the man that now stood before them and wondered what had brought about such a change of perspective.

Now Paul begins to recount his encounter with Christ. He tells of the sudden light that shone from heaven and wonderful picture of the light of the Word of God which illuminates our lives and reveals our true nature as sinners condemned to eternal punishment.

He then told of the voice which spake to him and that the one who spake was Jesus. We who have believed can remember the Spirit of God which spoke to our hearts wooing us to Christ.

He tells of the instructions that he received and how in faith he followed them to find Ananias who would restore his sight and instruct him further.

He recounts the instruction he received from God’s messenger Ananias and of how he was to call upon the Lord and be baptized identifying himself with Christ.

You and I should also have a story to tell. We may not have seen a great shining light, or heard an audible voice speaking to us but our story is no less miraculous.

How did it happen for you? Was it in a church somewhere that the Spirit of God convicted you of sin and led you to the savior? Maybe it was in your home as you opened your bible one day that you encountered Christ.

One of the most powerful tools we have when witnessing to those who are lost is our own personal story of conversion. What was it that brought you to the point of trusting Christ?

What happened when you finally surrendered and placed your faith in Christ to save you? What were you thinking when you knelt down to call upon Christ to save you?

Do you have a story to tell? Then tell it and tell it again. You may be surprised how effectively you can communicate the truth of the gospel through your own personal testimony.

We may not know every scripture reference along the Romans Road, we may not be able to quote every scripture that pertains to salvation but every one of us who is truly born again can share what happened in our own lives to bring us to Christ.

Finally the most convincing part of Paul’s testimony was his:

Visible Transformation (Vs. 17-21)

It is likely that there were some in the crowd who may have known the Apostle Paul before he came to Christ, while he was severely persecuting those who were called Christians.

We can be certain that the majority had heard of him and had been told of the drastic and unexplainable choices he had made to go from persecuting Christians to not only becoming one himself but also leading scores of others to become Christians as well.

Those who know us should be able to see that we are not what we used to be. They should recognize that we have been changed by our behavior, our conversation, and even our perspective on life.

There was no one in the angry mob who could now question that something had happened to Paul and that he was not what he once was. This is a marvelous evidence of the power of the gospel and of Jesus Christ.

Can your neighbors, your coworkers, your family, and friends see that something has happened to you and that you are not who you once were?

Is there a recognizable difference and a continual transformation taking place in your life that would bring those around you to question what has taken place in your life since the day you trusted Christ?

Maybe you say, “but, I was saved in a Christian home and I have never tasted the depths of sin and immorality” even still those who are lost should see a marked distinction and should notice that there is something different about you which makes you behave as you do.

The transformation that takes place in the life of those who have come to Christ should be the greatest evidence of the reality of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is God’s desire to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ if we will yield to Him and allow the Spirit of God to work in our lives.

The change in the life of the apostle Paul’s life was evident. He had gone from persecuting Christians to promoting the Christian faith. He had gone from hating those who followed Christ to now calling them his brothers and sisters. He had gone from striving to stamp out the name of Christ to boldly proclaiming Christ even under the threat of severe punishment.

We may not have been killing or persecuting Christians before we came to Christ but we were in bondage to sin nonetheless. There should be and obvious distinction in what we are today and what we were before we met Christ and we should be continuing to be transformed as we continue to draw closer to Christ growing in grace and the knowledge of our savior.

Conclusion

Your personal testimony is a powerful tool for the furtherance of the gospel. Will you share your testimony with someone this week?

Will you make that personal connection and tell of how you met Christ and of the moment that you placed your faith in Him.

Is there clear evidence that your life has been changed since you have come to Christ? Are you continuing to let God transform you into the image of Christ so that others may see and ask of the hope that is within you?