Faithful on Fridays Blog

As we approach the finish line in the Book of Acts we find Paul giving his personal testimony several times before groups of people (Ch. 22&26). Comparing those accounts with his actual salvation experience (Ch. 9) really drives home several valuable points concerning our own personal testimonies.

First of all, Paul knew his type of audience and spoke their language. Not just their literal language (like Hebrew or Greek) but also their cultural language: Jew or Gentile.

And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 1 Peter 3:15-16 

Paul gave us a great model for making our defense or well-reasoned argument for God’s participation in our life as he identified with his listeners (Acts 22:1). A good testimony is simply speaking to people about who God is and what He’s done in your life. When you share the love God demonstrated to you through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and allow that love to flow to others through your testimony people pay attention. 

I will tell everyone about Your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim Your saving power, though I am not skilled with words. I will praise Your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord. I will tell everyone that You alone are just. Psalms 71:15-16 

Your testimony is never focused on yourself or your background but always on Christ and how He saved a sinner like you.

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Acts 20:24 

Your personal testimony should be short and sweet, no more than 3-5 minutes long as you explain what God did, not what you did, in your life. When you share with others don’t use religious terms or quote the Bible but simply tell what your life was like before Christ, how you came to Christ, and your life after Christ. It’s as simple and yet as powerful as that.

Explaining to others, as the Spirit opens the door, how God changed your life through faith in Jesus gives others a sense of hope that if He’ll do it for you then maybe they have a chance. God uses a variety of ways to draw people to Himself; tell others how it happened to you even if it’s simply being raised in a Christian home, that’s OK; not everyone has a Damascus Road experience (Ch. 9).

… that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Colossians 4:3b-4c