Everyone has a story to tell.  If you are alive and breathing, there is some pathway that you have taken in life, some journey, that differs from the people around you. There are no two people alike; even twins have differences in life experiences, and the events of our lives shape us into who we are and who we will become.  In today’s post, I want to be an encourager.  I want to draw out the story that you hold within yourself and open your eyes to see how uniquely special and precious that story is to the world around you.  

            People’s stories (testimonies) have been an effective tool to reach the lost for thousands of years.  It is not a method going away any time soon.  Since the early church in the book of Acts, Christians have been using the real-life message of what Jesus has done in their lives personally, to show others that he can do the same in them. That, in a nutshell, is all a testimony is.  Your testimony is a witness of what God has done in your life.

Here from Acts, we see a good description of what a testimony is used for.

Acts 10:39-42

And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. (emphasis added).

            So in essence, the early church was empowered by what they had seen and heard by living with Jesus, not by what they had read or been taught by the religious leaders of the temple.  

This is huge!  

We know at that time of history the temple system had been corrupted.  Political agendas and other hypocrisies plagued the Jewish law system.  The common man, woman, or child did not have access to the scriptures like the leaders did. People didn’t have a Bible sitting on their nightstand at home or in the living room mantle collecting dust.  No, they didn’t have electronics, and the ease of finding scripture at the touch of a button.  They didn’t even have an audio bible to listen to while they drove to work. What did they have instead?

            Their life stories.

            The men and women who were with Jesus during his ministry didn’t have a bible to go around beating people over the head with.  Regardless of their social or economic status, they were still incredibly successful in growing the church, ministering to the needy, and saving the lost.  Yes, they were Spirit filled; I know that without God’s Spirit we are never going to be effective lights in a dark world.  But they also had something else, and it also happens to be the same thing you and I both have inside of us.  The incredible tool of a life story was used extremely effectively back then, and still needs to be used now.  It was the biggest outreach they had.

            Think about it.  These people had actually seen the Christ.  They had more than just seen him, they had spoken to the risen Lord, touched him, and even eaten supper with him.  They lived the risen Christ in their very own lives.  He walked, breathed, and taught among them.  As a result, each one of these ordinary people had a story to tell.

            So, do you and me.

            I know, I know.  I get it.  The bold and boisterous Peter stood up and preached on the day of Pentecost.  He had power and authority.  The Spirit spoke through him, using him to save thousands. But let’s back up a second.  Who was the one who first told Peter that Jesus was alive?  Right. Mary.  And she wasn’t so bold or boisterous, either.  In fact, in her day and age, she probably thought her voice didn’t mean a whole lot at all.  Times were much different. Women didn't have a voice back then like they do today.

Wow.

The story told by a common woman, an ordinary peasant of a person, was actually the first thing to spark the whole world on fire, the single greatest story ever told.

Do you get it now?

What about the stories not written in the bible?  What about the woman who had cooked supper for the disciples who were locked behind the door when Jesus appeared to them to be seen by doubting Thomas? Do you think she kept quiet?  Do you think the young boy who was playing on the sandy floor was unaffected by the risen Lord standing in his living room? Don’t be desensitized to scripture. This is real stuff.  That boy would have gone off and told each friend on the baseball team that Jesus showed up for supper that night! 

We are not talking about the famous stories of the greats through the ages.  We aren’t talking about Peter, or Moses, or people like Saint Patrick, who would become dubbed as the “Apostle of Ireland.” We are talking about you and me, ordinary and common people, all wrapped in the same skin and flesh.  We are people who have lived to tell that Christ came into a world, saved us, and set us on a new path.

You have no idea the power contained in your own story.

            So, what does a testimony look like?  Well, some people just start talking and eventually it comes out.  Some people write it in book form, such as All That the Locusts Have Eaten, coming out September 4, 2020.  Some people shout it from the rooftops.  Some people whisper it in power.  Whatever the method, Paul gives us great insight into how to share a testimony. All you have to do is be real.  I know it’s a long passage, but hang in there with me, this is good stuff.

Acts 26:1-29

So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:

“I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

“My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

“In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

            When given the chance, what was the most powerful thing Paul had at his disposal to speak while on trial?  That’s right, his testimony.  What was the single most important thing he could speak to those who didn’t understand? Right again, his life story.  What came out of his mouth, (that almost converted even King Agrippa), was a real-life account of how Jesus had changed Paul, turning him into the new man.  Paul didn’t need to debate.  He didn’t need to argue.  He didn’t find three-hundred scriptures about how he was justified to be spreading the gospel and beat the king over the head with it. He simply opened his mouth and out came raw and simple words.

            He told his story.

            In the exact same way, you and I have something non-disputable.  We share something in common with the Apostle Paul.  We both have a life story that others cannot deny or fight against. Were you into drugs?  What set you free?  Were you once in jail on a dead-end path of life?  Where are you now?  Nobody, and I mean nobody, can argue with a life changed.  Nobody can discredit the evidence of what Jesus can do in transforming a life, especially yours. The evidence speaks for itself.

            I’ll illustrate this point one last time by a modern-day example.  

            My wife and I recently watched the movie Unplanned, a documentary about the life of Abby Johnson.  I highly recommend it.  It was really well done.  Without ruining the ending, Abby Johnson is just one example of a modern-day heroine that wasn’t afraid to use her real-life story to glorify her creator.  Her voice is being heard loud, and that, all across the nation and the world.  I hope she doesn’t mind the shout-out, because her story totally inspired me.

            Friend, I want to challenge you to do the same. You hold a unique story that nobody else in the whole world can speak of but you.  You don’t have to be a great speaker or public figure.  You just have to be yourself, and share what God did with your life.  The real you, has a real story… and that story will change someone else’s life for the better. Someone can be saved because of you. Someone can be challenged by you. Your story has endless possibilities. There is no ceiling to what God can do with it if you voice it. I challenge you to let it out.  Let the story be told.  Whether you are a teacher, a student, a construction supervisor, or a ten-year-old on the playground, your story can be used by God for his glory.  I hope that this blog post has inspired someone to use theirs.  Your story is a precious gift.

            One that another needs to hear.

By Chuck Carr