BEING READY TO SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY
ACTS 21:37 – 22:21
BACKGROUND
Pauls missionary journey is now coming to an end
After a lengthy trip by ship to different places, his mission is to encourage the disciples across the land
He meets with many of the Apostles and disciples
All of them caution him not to go to Jerusalem for fearing that his life would end
But Paul’s statement in chapter 21:13 –“I am ready not only to be bound in Jerusalem but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus”
Now that’s a pretty bold statement to make, but Paul knows what his life mission is
So, Paul and his companions arrive in Jerusalem and word tells us that the disciples received them
One day however, some Jews saw Paul and attacked him and caused the entire city to turn against him
Their charge against Paul was that he was teaching the people to stop following the law of Moses and turn to Christ
Just imagine that the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was in this city
Thousands of people got saved, miracles took place, and the first church of Christ was started here
Missionaries went out from this place following the promise of Jesus that they would witnesses here in Jerusalem, then Judea & Samaria, then the ends of the earth
The Apostles spent years here evangelising this city and one would think that majority of the people would have received and accepted the truth
But unfortunately not the Jews and many others in the city
The word tells us in chapter 21, that the crowd beat Paul with the aim of killing him but the Roman troops managed to stop the beating and arrested Paul
The commander of the troops had Paul kept in the barracks (temporary place)
The city was in total uproar against Paul and his message
This really reminds of Jesus and how the people were also in uproar against Him and shouting “crucify Him”
I almost see Paul in the similar situation with people shouting “away with him “meaning kill him
Now imagine with me if you in this situation, what would you do? And will be on your mind?
For Paul, Jesus is on his mind and testimony he carries of saving grace
If you are on your death bed, what will you want the last words of your mouth to be?
Paul shares his testimony of saving grace
1. HE CAME DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL
In the midst of this riot and the people wanting to kill him, Paul wants to talk to them
He receives permission from the commander to speak to the people
He motions his hand to get the crowd quiet and amazingly they do settle down
What happens next is amazing
He addresses them in the Hebrew language
But why does he do this, in order that the people can identify with him
It’s interesting enough to also see that when he addressed them in this way, the word says that the crowd became silent
I’ve often seen that when a white person speaks zulu to a zulu person the person gets excited
Why, because the white person is identifying with them in their own language
How do you think that conversation go? It would be a healthy conversation because they both conversing in a similar language
I feel that as Paul started off this way, he not only shocked the crowd but he also grabbed their attention to what he is about to tell them
APPLICATION
Paul could have easily chosen to speak any other language that he knew and came with all high wording, but he would have lost the crowd and opportunity to speak to them
We need to be a people who are aware of the people we come into contact with
Addressing people in their mother tongue wins you favour
When we do that you will find the people easily receive you and are willing to hear what you have to say
We should stay away from having fancy and intellectual words, but let your words welcome people
2. SPEAK OF YOUR PAST
Paul used this opportunity to share his past with them
Notice he didn’t just rush into the gospel and bible bash the crowds present
No, he started off by telling them where he comes from
Pauls past is amazing
• Grew up as a Jew in Tarsus
• Was thought under a very respectable person named Gamaliel. He received the best education
• He was eager to serve God under the law
• He persecuted those who believed in Christ – killed, tortured and put them in prison
• He was on his way to Damascus to capture and put into prison believers in that place
But his original plan didn’t work out
You see once again, Paul is identifying with the crowd who are so couped up with the law of Moses that they are ignoring the message of Jesus
His identification with them is that, i know exactly how you are all feeling
I myself was also in your position, i thought i was doing the right thing but i found out i was not
APPLICATION
Just as Paul had a past with a lot of mistakes
You and i also have a past that we come from
We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
We all have been born with a sinful nature
There was a time in our lives that we were under the rule and reign of the enemy
God doesn’t want you to forget about your past, No He wants to use it for His glory
That which the enemy used for bad, God wants to turn it around for His good
Jesus wants to use your past to encourage others in similar situations that you have faced
Illustration: if i was a drug addict and God rescued me from that. The testimony that i carry will encourage and help those who are addicted to drugs. The testimony that i carry will have weight because i am able to identify with people in that situation.
3. SPEAK OF YOUR CONVERSION
In Pauls message about his past was also his message of conversion
That in the midst and hype of his killing spree, he met with Jesus
At the point before he met Jesus he was spiritually blind
At the point of meeting Jesus he became physically blind but his spiritual senses were awakened
For the first time in his life he experienced the glory of God
And as that glory came, Jesus spoke to him
From this point on Pauls life will never be the same
At one point he was trying to kill the faith, but now he was dying to this faith
He would live the rest of his life for this amazing faith, even unto death
His encounter with Jesus changed his life forever
APPLICATION
How has your encounter with Jesus changed your life
For Paul he had a new mission in mind and heart
For you, the day that Christ made Himself known to you, what mission has He paid upon you?
We are all to testify of our conversion
Our conversion is the best moment and experience of our entire lives
We should be proud of it and boast it, in the Lord
We should be willing and always eager to tell people of who you were and who you are now
Lets use every opportunity we have to share our stories with others out there
CONCLUSION
God has given you a past, tell it to others for His glory
He has given you salvation; tell it to others for His glory
God wants to use you today, to encourage others who are in similar situations that He has set you free from
When was the last time you shared your testimony with others?
