Andrew Fountain - The Gospel 4: How to Give your Testimony

• On two occasions Luke records Paul giving his testimony.
  
  • (he probably gave it 100’s of times, but we have just these two representative examples)
  • There are actually a third account of Paul’s salvation in Acts, because as well as Paul telling the story in Acts 21 & 26, there is the actual account back in Acts 9
  • I put all three of them in parallel: gpia-paul-testimony-3col.html
  • But we are going to focus on two of them: just the two occasions that Paul re-told his story to unbelievers

Opportunity to Speak

• Describe background...
• Paul had a golden opportunity at both of these times to tell them a regular Gospel message about their sin, their need for forgiveness, the death of Jesus as means to forgive us our sin etc...
• But instead... he tells his testimony!

Birth and Upbringing

• Notice how careful he is to identify with the listeners
  
  • he picks out anything that can be a point of contact so they can see themselves in his position
  • If I have a story that you cannot possible relate to, it won’t make so much impact on you
  • If I say “I was a cannibal and used to eat people”, most of you won’t say, “Hey, I can identify with that!”
• Agrippa might not understand it so well, so Paul explains

The Kind of person Paul was before he met Jesus

• Jews: I was just like you (they knew). I was even more zealous than you. I did it by the book!
• Agrippa: Explained in more detail just what a horrible person he was

Events leading up to meeting Jesus

• The tension rises as he approaches the climax of the story

Encounter with Jesus

• The key events are very similar, but he expands a bit more in Jerusalem
• However, when talking to the Jews he totally leaves out of the story the reference to the Gentiles because that will shut them down and they will stop listening to him
  
  • As we will see, he leaves that till later...

Immediately after Meeting Jesus

• When speaking to the Jews he spends a lot more time telling them about Ananias
  
  • He makes the point that this is another good Jew
  • Someone they would respect

Jesus Sets a New Direction for Paul’s Life

• He had put this bit in earlier for Agrippa
  
  • Paul is now a changed man!
  • Not killing, but giving his own life to bring the message of peace and hope!

Paul Begins a New Life of Following Jesus

• Now I follow Jesus!
  
  • But he doesn’t hold back from mentioning the Gentiles
  • He could have... (see thesis)

Reaction from Listeners

• He planted seeds!
• Share your stories!

Updated on 2009-09-28 (r.76) by Andrew Fountain