By Roxanne Drury
I can remember being 7 years old and sitting in a huge Catholic church all by myself and looking up at the cross behind the altar. Jesus was still on that cross. I remember thinking that there must be ‘more’ to the story about Jesus. I was right.
Fast forward – the year was 1975. I was 23 years old and lost in sin. One Sunday morning, my two young boys and I visited a small Baptist church that was within walking distance of our home. I had been away from the church and God and felt the need, the desire, the nudge, the inspiration, whatever you want to call it to get back to church, to get back to God. The following day, a Monday, October 13, 1975, Bob and Betty Wallace knocked on my door. I didn’t know them, but they said they were from the Baptist church, so I invited them in and they walked me through the Romans Road [to salvation] in the Bible. I finally learned what the ‘more’ was. That day I knelt down next to my gold plastic-covered couch in tears and asked the Lord to forgive me for my bad choices, the sin that was in my life, and He did. He saved me from a life that was headed in a very wrong direction.
I know who and what I was before October 13, 1975, and I know how I was changed, made new, after that date. I know without a shadow of a doubt what my life would look like today if Bob and Betty Wallace had not come to my home that day to share the gospel with me. As I think about it, even now, after all these years, I am wracked with emotion. I am literally, eternally grateful to my Lord and Savior and to Bob and Betty, who saw a young woman, wife, and mom that needed Jesus and acted upon it. This is my testimony. What is yours?
As a Christian, you have a story, too. We are commanded to share it. It is called the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). We are commissioned as God’s messengers to tell our story of salvation. We are to go and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them. Who though? Who are we to tell? Acts 1:8 says pretty much ‘everyone’. It reads, “Be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” A witness has knowledge of an event or change from personal observation or experience (Webster’s Dictionary). So Acts 1:8 is saying: Tell folks what you have personally experienced about the saving grace of Jesus.
Maybe you were very young when you were saved so you had not had time to make a whole lot of big bad choices in your life. Perhaps your story is not as clear-cut as mine, or perhaps it is even more dramatic than mine; but nonetheless, it is YOUR story. Your story is made up of all the things God has done in your life. How God saved you through His extension of grace, what He saved you from and when He saved you. All of that information makes up your story. Whether you have a simple story or God has made an extraordinary life change in you, that is your testimony and God can and will use it.
Recently, our church pastor, Keith Harrington, spoke on Bold Purpose/Bold Sharing from Acts 21. After listening to his sermon, a couple of times actually, I was compelled to share some thoughts from his message as well as some thoughts of my own. Sometimes we know we should be sharing our story, but we just don’t know where to begin. In this case, as in so many others, Scripture gives us the example we should follow.
The disciple Paul is a perfect illustration. He was a hater of Christians, persecuting them, chasing them down, and then he met the Lord on a road as he traveled along, and Paul was a changed man. The words, “I once was lost but now I’m found” come to mind. Paul boldly and regularly shared what he was before meeting the Lord and how his life was changed after meeting Him (Acts 21:18). Paul gave an account not of what he had done, but what the Lord had done in him and through him.
Some of the following points are excerpts from Pastor Harrington’s message and they give insight into how we can also boldly and regularly share our testimony. At this time in Acts 21, Paul was arrested and taken to the barracks and he asked to speak to everyone. Vs. 39 – “I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” Paul asked for permission to speak. Acts 22:1 – Paul addresses the people familiarly – “Brothers and fathers” (1 Peter 3:15). Paul was ready to share his faith and he was gentle and respectful. Paul removed barriers by telling people in Corinth, “To the Jews I became as a Jew in order to win Jews” (1 Corinthians 9:20). Then in Acts 22:3 he starts to tell the story of what he did in the past to persecute Christians – he identifies himself with what they are doing to him now. Paul finds common ground and shares his story.
Vs. 5-15 – Paul tells them about what happened to him on his way to persecute Christians in Damascus. He tells them about the bright light. He tells them about the voice he heard that was the Lord. He tells them that he was blind. He tells them all that Ananias said and did. He tells them how he received his sight back. He tells them of the mission he was given – to go and be a witness to everyone and tell what he has experienced, seen, and heard.
Paul has told his story to his accusers. And then, he asks his accusers the all-important question. Vs. 16 – “Why do you wait?” And Paul invites them to call on the name of the Lord. Paul did what he was to do in sharing his faith and then he trusted God with the response (Vs. 23-24). We have to accept that not all will respond to the invitation to believe and accept God’s gift of eternal life. We are required to do our part and share, and trust God with the outcome.
Pastor Harrington reminded us that, “People can argue lots of things, but they can’t argue with your story. People may doubt your theology, but they can’t doubt the personal life change they see in you.” Your story is your story. It is the truth. Sharing your story speaks volumes to the listener, and the Holy Spirit can use it. We have to remember though that God does the saving, not us, and not our words. So, how do we begin?
I am a firm believer that getting prepared is always the best way to begin anything. I have found that the best way to prepare for this is to write your story down, for a few reasons. First, if you write it down it will cause you to think about it, reflect on it and remember the facts. I have also found that writing it down brings back all the emotions, all the gratitude, and all the zeal you felt for Christ after He came into your life. Lastly, writing it down gives you an opportunity to reread it so it becomes second nature and easy to repeat or explain when the opportunity presents itself.
1 Peter 3:15 NIV says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Show that you belong to Christ through your actions and be ready to give the “why” when people ask about it.
Pastor Harrington said, “Your faith is personal, but it is not meant to be private.” Your faith, your story, is a one-of-a-kind story. It is personal to you, yes, but it is meant to be shared so that others can experience God’s saving grace as you have.
In closing, let’s do a recap. As a Christian, we are called to share our faith, “the reason for the hope we have.” We don’t always know how to do that. Following are the steps the apostle Paul took in boldly sharing his faith as Pastor Harrington pointed out in his message. I think we find the ‘How To’ in these points.
STEPS TO SHARING YOUR FAITH
Many thanks to Pastor Keith Harrington for granting permission to share ideas from his message. If you would like to listen/watch the entire message, head to rockharbor.tv and watch the message dated June 5, 2022, called Bold Sharing.
“Go and make disciples.” Let’s go!
Roxanne Drury is a wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Christian preschool teacher with a teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education. She has served the Lord in children’s ministry for over 40 years and is currently on staff at Rockharbor Church.
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