DAY 5: YOUR PERSONAL TESTIMONY, PART II
Reread Acts 26:1-29 (from yesterday’s reading).
Your personal testimony is all yours. No one can argue with it. Therefore, it can be a great way to share Christ with others because no one can question it. When communicated clearly and personally, it can put the ball in the other person’s court, so to speak. Note the clarity of Paul’s testimony. He begins with his past (26:4-11), moves to his conversion experience (26:12-19), then to his new life (26:20), and finally to the present day (26:21-23). He ends with a question: “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?”
Are you able to clearly articulate your faith journey? It has been said that our job is to convince, and it is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict. We communicate the truth clearly and convincingly, but the Holy Spirit brings conviction to the heart of the unbeliever.
How did God save you? What was life like before Christ? What happened in your life that awakened you to Christ? How is God continuing to save you (from this present life of struggles)? For Paul, he was struck down. He was on his own mission. But God stepped in and struck him with blindness. And in the midst of his ailment, God awakened him to the truth of the gospel.
To Consider
If you have time, write down in one paragraph your faith journey: (1) your life situation when you were awakened to Christ, (2) how you came to understand the gospel (did someone share with you, did you hear it on tv, read it in a tract?), and (3) why you believed.
Note: For some, you were saved as a child. Looking back on your life before Christ is a blur and, of course, childlike and not relatable to the adult unbeliever. One’s testimony, though, can be more than the salvation experience. The testimony of Christ in our lives continues for a lifetime. If you are one who believed as a child, consider emphasizing how Christ is making a difference in your life today. How has Christ helped you through an experience in your life? What is He teaching you? How are you coping?
