From Terrorist To Evangelist Series

INTRODUCTION

Wow, I can’t believe what I just read. I follow Ted Turner on Twitter and this morning he posted an amazing tweet. In case you didn’t know, Ted Turner is a billionaire. He created CNN and owns the Atlanta Braves. In the past, he has been very critical of Christianity. He called it a religion for losers and joked about hell. He once said, “I’ve had a few drinks and few girlfriends, and if that’s going to put me in hell so be it…those of us who go to hell will make it better because hell is supposed to be a mess. Heaven is perfect. Who wants to go to a perfect place? Boring, boring.”

That’s what makes this tweet amazing: “This morning I have turned from my sins and put my faith in Jesus to save me. I now declare that Jesus is my Lord!”

Wow! Isn’t that great? Let’s give a clap offering to the Lord for Ted’s salvation! I’m going to call him after this service and see if he would be willing to come next Sunday and share his testimony with us. How many of you would like that?

Most of you don’t seem to be too excited about this news. I think some of you are even skeptical about his conversion. Well, if you’re skeptical, you should be, because I made it all up. I don’t even follow Ted Turner on twitter. And as far as I know, Ted Turner still ridicules Christians and rejects Jesus as the only way to heaven.

The reason I did that was to give you an idea of how the early Christians must have reacted when they heard the news that Saul, the infamous chief persecutor of Christians, had suddenly become a follower of Jesus Christ. There were probably many of them who said, “Yeah. Right. I’ll believe it when hell freezes over.” Instead of Ted Turner, I would have used Osama Ben Laden, since he really was a terrorist. But as you know, Ben Laden has gone on to his reward—or lack thereof. Before he became a Christian, Paul was a terrorist against Christians. He stood by encouraging the stoning of Stephen. He had Christians arrested and thrown into prison. He was the LAST person Christians expected to be saved. But his testimony is a story about how God can change even a terrorist into an evangelist.

Galatians 1:11-24. “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: ‘The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they praised God because of me.”

Every Christian has a testimony. A testimony is just recounting what God has done in your life. When a witness is sworn into a court of law, they are asked to testify. All they are expected to do is honestly relate what they saw, heard, or experienced. That’s what your testimony is. You just related the story of the difference Jesus has made in your life. There are three parts to every testimony: (1) My life before Jesus Christ. (2) How and when I met Christ. (3) How my life has changed since I met Christ. You should memorize those three points and write your testimony using that outline. People can say they don’t believe the Bible, but they can’t argue with the fact that your life has been changed! As we examine part of the testimony of the Apostle Paul, there are three things we can learn from his conversion story:

I. GOD CAN RADICALLY CHANGE YOUR LIFE