Tell Your Story

Our testimony is our story. It is our story of how we came to Jesus Christ – our conversion of how we acknowledged our sin and wanted to made clean in the sight of God. It’s our story of when we became a child of God (John 1:12), because before then we were a child of the devil (John 8:42-44). When we tell someone of the day we made this decision, then we are telling our story, our testimony.

This past week I finished reading through the book of Acts which is written by the apostle Luke but is predominately about Paul. Once a persecutor and hater of Jesus’ followers (responsible for putting many Christians to death, Acts 22:4), Paul accepted the truth of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-22). Afterwards, he faced the same persecution he had given.

In Acts 22:1-21, he gives a speech defending his position for Jesus. He even admits to holding the garments of the men who martyred Stephen to keep blood from getting on them (Acts 22:20). It is his story, his testimony.

Paul’s desire was to tell others about the Jesus who saved him. It didn’t matter where he was; he even preached the gospel when in prison. He definitely proved that salvation turns a sinner into a “new man” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Knowing it had transformed him, he wanted the same power to transform others. Given the audience of king Agrippa and the court, he once again gives his testimony, his story of salvation in Acts 26:1-27.

There are other testimonies in the Bible such as the blind man who was healed (John 9:1-7). Those who led the court in Israel refused to believe in Jesus going so far as to call Him a sinner to the blind man who replied, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25). How can you argue with a testimony like that? It’s powerful and all about what God had done for him. It was his story.

What does your story sound like? Maybe it seems simplistic and you have no dramatic rescue from what we may think are terrible sins. Or maybe you were rescued from addiction or some bondage when you came to Jesus Christ. Whatever it is, it is your story, and it is powerful. The same salvation that comes to the child who has been a compliant in their few years is the same salvation that comes to someone with a history of sexual sins. To God, a sin is a sin. Any sin keeps us from heaven (Romans 3:23).

When we give our testimony to others, we can model Paul who gave information about his past before conversion, why he considered Jesus, and how He turned his life around. We can give the steps we took possibly quoting or paraphrasing a passage of Scripture. Include the “Gospel” which shows you realized everyone is a sinner, the penalty for our sin, that Christ paid the penalty, but you must accept His free gift of salvation.

With Thanksgiving being this week and Christmas coming soon, use this opportunity with friends and family to share how the Lord has blessed your life. Give your testimony if you have the opportunity. You never know how the Lord may use you telling your story. It can encourage other believers or bring those who have not accepted Jesus to Him. Just as Esther was chosen for such a time to become queen and free the Jewish people (Esther 4:14), you may be used to free a friend or family member from the bondage of sin.

Take the time to write down your testimony if needed. Put together your defense just as Paul did. There are sites to help you write your testimony. It’s important to know it well enough to easily share with others. It may open up conversation with them wanting to know more. Living in daily gratitude makes it easy to speak of God’s goodness in your life, because it is part of your language, your lifestyle.

How Paul had to stand before those who hated him and professed Jesus seems hard to us, yet he did so with respect (calling them “men, brethren, and fathers in Acts 22:1). In love he simply shared how Jesus turned his life upside down or maybe right side up!

Not all of us have had a dramatic conversion like Paul, but all of us who are believers have turned from darkness to light. We can remember a time we did not know and follow Christ. Because of His grace, His story becomes part of our story.

Do you have a testimony to be able to share with others? If you are unsure, please read about the free gift from Jesus. If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, then are you prepared to recount the blessed day you became a child of God? It is part of the great commission (Mark 16:15) so let us tell our story of how God transformed our portion in this life. 💕