On Sunday we discussed the role of our own personal testimony in fulfilling our mission of making Christ known. Our scripture texts were from Psalm 40:1-8 and Acts 22:3-16.
One of the most powerful ways that we share Christ with others is through the narrative of our own experience with Jesus. Our unique stories of encounter and redemption have the potential to speak into the suffering and difficulty of others. Through the vehicle of our story the Spirit speaks to others who need to hear that Jesus loves them not as a theological concept but rather as an actual event in our lives.
The conversion of Saul (depicted above in Michelangelo’s painting of that name) is the story of the most famous testimony in the world. It’s a story that Paul owns in Acts 22. With no shame he told of his evil and murderous ways as he persecuted “the Way.” Then Jesus interrupted him on the way to Damascus. He became Christian who was told by Christ to preach Jesus to the world. So he did.
Who he was. Where Jesus met him. How Christ changed his life.
One of the most powerful ways that we share Christ with others is through the narrative of our own experience with Jesus. Our unique stories of encounter and redemption have the potential to speak into the suffering and difficulty of others. Through the vehicle of our story the Spirit speaks to others who need to hear that Jesus loves them not as a theological concept but rather as an actual event in our lives.
The conversion of Saul (depicted above in Michelangelo’s painting of that name) is the story of the most famous testimony in the world. It’s a story that Paul owns in Acts 22. With no shame he told of his evil and murderous ways as he persecuted “the Way.” Then Jesus interrupted him on the way to Damascus. He became Christian who was told by Christ to preach Jesus to the world. So he did.
Who he was. Where Jesus met him. How Christ changed his life.
The three essential components of a testimony. But a testimony is not relegated only to our conversion. Any experience of God’s work in one’s life is just a new chapter of a testimony that will grow until we reach glory.
That’s the picture we get in Psalm 40. “I waited patiently for the Lord. He inclined and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit… and placed my feet on a rock… Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.”
The Psalmist says where he was, tells how God met him with deliverance, and how his life was changed. All of this with idea that this deliverance was part of his story that he would tell so that many would "see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." That should be the hope of our own testimony. Your testimony is a story that should be shared because it is good news.
However simple or boring we may think our own experiences with God are (hey, none of us have a testimony like Saul/Paul), God wants us to share those experiences with others. At our Sunday evening service I passed out worksheets to encourage folks to write down and outline their own stories of God’s work. We heard some great testimonies that night! Here’s what the worksheets said:
Where you were… (the trial)
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city… I persecuted followers of this way.” Acts 22
Where Christ found you… (the redemption)
“He lifted me out of the slimy pit; out of the mud and mire.” Psalm 40
How your life was changed… (the new life)
“Therefore, if anyone was in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians
Ask God for opportunities to share your story with others. Watch his kingdom grow through such a simple thing.
Pastor Scott
That’s the picture we get in Psalm 40. “I waited patiently for the Lord. He inclined and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit… and placed my feet on a rock… Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.”
The Psalmist says where he was, tells how God met him with deliverance, and how his life was changed. All of this with idea that this deliverance was part of his story that he would tell so that many would "see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." That should be the hope of our own testimony. Your testimony is a story that should be shared because it is good news.
However simple or boring we may think our own experiences with God are (hey, none of us have a testimony like Saul/Paul), God wants us to share those experiences with others. At our Sunday evening service I passed out worksheets to encourage folks to write down and outline their own stories of God’s work. We heard some great testimonies that night! Here’s what the worksheets said:
Where you were… (the trial)
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city… I persecuted followers of this way.” Acts 22
Where Christ found you… (the redemption)
“He lifted me out of the slimy pit; out of the mud and mire.” Psalm 40
How your life was changed… (the new life)
“Therefore, if anyone was in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians
Ask God for opportunities to share your story with others. Watch his kingdom grow through such a simple thing.
Pastor Scott
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