Day 281: Acts 22:1–21

“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.” When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even quieter (vv. 1–2).

Acts 22 contains Paul’s account of his own Damascus-road conversion. His approach contains several elements that build a powerful testimony. We can learn from the following four elements in sharing our own testimonies.

1. Paul communicated simply and clearly. Paul spoke in Greek to the commander and in Aramaic to the Jews. Few of us are fluent in several languages, as Paul was, but we can apply his example, learning to communicate more effectively by speaking the language of our hearers.

I grew up going to Sunday school and church. I spent much of my early social life with other Christians, so I had a difficult time learning to speak a language an unchurched person could understand. My speech was so laced and interwoven with church terms that those unacquainted with church life could hardly understand me. I practically needed an interpreter!

I still have to remind myself to resist assuming every listener knows the lingo. I’m learning to use figures of speech and expressions that lost people will more likely understand. I’m also, like, you know, learning to use more contemporary expressions when speaking to youth. Of course, learning to speak understandably does not mean adopting any level of vulgarity. It means speaking with a greater level of clarity.

2. Paul honestly described his former conduct. We lose our listeners the moment they sense an attitude of superiority in us. Paul spoke with honesty and humility. As he explained his background and his persecutions of the church, he related with them as one who had been exactly where they were. Not all of us have a background as dramatically different from our present lifestyles as Paul did, yet we have all been lost. Lost is lost.

Remember an important principle about sharing our former conduct. Generalizations usually are best. I try to avoid becoming specific about ungodly actions in my past. I want the listener to focus on my Savior, not my behavior. Sometimes we glorify ungodly behavior by highlighting how bad we were. This method can dishonor God, and it can dishonor the listener by stirring unnecessary mental images of sin. Share past conduct with caution!

3. Paul related his experience of conversion. Few of us have experienced the dramatic conversion Paul described in Acts 22:6–16, but we can tell how we accepted Christ. Don’t think your testimony is meaningless if you didn’t have a dramatic conversion. Every conversion cost the same amount of Christ’s blood shed on the cross. Yours is just as meaningful as the most dramatic conversion ever told.

In the parable of the prodigal son, the elder brother felt insulted because the father accepted his brother after a season of wild living (Luke 15:29–30). He didn’t understand the biggest difference between the two brothers was that the prodigal son had to live with the personal loss and suffering. If your conversion was less sensational than others, praise God for less drama! With it probably came less pain! You don’t have to see a bright light from heaven to have a story to tell. The determining factor is not how exciting your conversion was but how excited you are now about your conversion.

4. Paul shared how he received his commission. He was very clear that God had a purpose for his life. The people we talk to need to know that there is life after salvation! Salvation is not only about eternity. Salvation is also the open door to a rich earthly life in which we enjoy the love and direction of an active God.

Many unbelievers are repelled by Christianity because they are afraid they’ll have to give up so much in order to live for Christ. As we share our testimonies, we can help them see all we’ve gained since Jesus came into our hearts, all the ways our lives have been blessed and enhanced by His presence within us. Make your sense of ongoing purpose a part of your testimony. We often have no idea how much people are struggling to find a reason to live and to persevere through difficulty.