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A Willing Witness Today’s Treasure: “You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard” (Acts 22:15). Acts 22:3-22 contains Paul’s account of his Damascus-road conversion. His approach contains several elements that build a powerful testimony. We can learn from the following four elements in sharing our own testimonies. Paul communicated simply and clearly. Paul spoke in Greek to the commander and in Aramaic to the Jews. Few of us are fluent in several languages, but we can apply his example by learning to communicate more effectively by speaking the language of our hearers. We shouldn’t assume every listener knows church lingo. Paul honestly described his former conduct. We lose our listeners the moment they sense an attitude of superiority in us. Paul spoke with honesty and humility. As he explained his background and his persecutions of the church, he related with them as one who had been exactly where they were. Not all of us have a background as dramatically different from our present lifestyles as Paul did, yet we have all been lost. Lost is lost. Remember an important principle in sharing our former conduct. Generalizations are usually best. I try to avoid becoming specific about ungodly actions in my past. I want the listener to focus on my Savior, not my behavior. Sometimes we glorify ungodly behavior by highlighting how bad we were. This method can dishonor God, and it can dishonor the listener by stirring unnecessary mental images of sin. Share past conduct with caution! Paul related his experience of conversion. Few of us have experienced the dramatic conversion Paul described in Acts 22:6-16, but we can tell how we accepted Christ. Don’t think your testimony is meaningless if you didn’t have a dramatic conversion. Every conversion cost the same amount of Christ’s blood shed on the cross. Yours is just as meaningful as the most dramatic conversion ever told. If your conversion was less sensational than others, praise God for less drama! With it probably came less pain! You don’t have to see a bright light from heaven to have a story to tell. The determining factor is not how exciting your conversion was, but how excited you are now about your conversion. Paul shared how he received his commission. He was very clear that God had a purpose for his life. People we talk to need to know there is life after salvation! Salvation is not only about eternity. Salvation is also the open door to a rich earthly life in which we enjoy the love and direction of an active God. Many unbelievers are repelled by Christianity because they are afraid they will have to give up so much. As we share our testimonies, we can help them see all we’ve gained. Make your sense of ongoing purpose part of your testimony. We often have no idea how much people are struggling to find reason to live and persevere through difficulty. Your personal story about Christ is worth telling. If you are excited about it, others are likely to find your testimony exciting too. However, their reactions are not your responsibility. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I was never called to be the Holy Spirit. He will convict. He will remind. Don’t do His job, but faithfully do yours. Go tell your story. No one can tell it like you. Lord Jesus, thank You for calling me unto Yourself. I praise You for the unique story You’ve given me to tell about the salvation of my soul. Please help me communicate it well. Open my eyes to the many opportunities I will have to share it this week. Holy Spirit, I know it’s Your job to convict the listener. I trust You and ask You to do mighty things with my testimony. May all this be to the glory of God. In the name of Jesus, Amen. Adapted from To Live is Christ, by Beth Moore, pages 186-189. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2001. Used by permission.
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