{"id":380,"date":"2015-10-18T21:14:41","date_gmt":"2015-10-18T20:14:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=380"},"modified":"2015-10-18T21:14:41","modified_gmt":"2015-10-18T20:14:41","slug":"sharing-my-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=380","title":{"rendered":"Sharing my story"},"content":{"rendered":"

We live in a multi-faith, multicultural, consumer society, \u201cTesco ergo Sum, I shop therefore I am\u201d (Graham Cray) where everyone demands freedom of choice and satisfaction guaranteed. In this Post-Modern supermarket of beliefs, \u201cthe preacher can become another dodgy salesperson almost certainly out to con you.\u201d People are suspicious of authority figures and platform speakers. But they are often willing to share \u201ctheir story\u201d and open to hearing \u201cour story\u201d. So every Christian needs to be prepared to share simply, directly and honestly, the difference Jesus makes to our lives. An old friend Mark Cartledge defines testimony like this. \u201cPeople tell of their need and desire for God and His Kingdom, how God has met and continues to meet them in their search and changes their lives in conformity with His purposes of salvation.\u201d
\nIn the Early Church the primary task of the apostles was to bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus. This is what Jesus had commanded them to do.
\nJohn 15 26 \u201cWhen the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
\nActs 4 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
\nApostles Acts 5 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead \u2026 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.\u201d
\nThe word witness occurs 69 times in the New Testament. God calls the Holy Spirit empowers all Christians to be witnesses, telling other people what we have experienced of God.
\nActs 1 \t8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.\u201d
\nIn the New Testament there are many examples of believers telling other people the story of how they met Jesus.
\nThe apostle Peter only came to Jesus because of the testimony of his brother Andrew.
\nJohn 1:40 Andrew, Simon Peter\u2019s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, \u201cWe have found the Messiah\u201d (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
\nWe read that the first thing Matthew did after Jesus called him was to hold a dinner party for all his friends, the \u201ctax collectors and sinners\u201d. Something we can all do is invite our friends to come and meet Jesus.
\nRemember how Jesus drove a Legion of demons out of a man and into a herd of pigs. Everybody who knew the man saw the dramatic change in his life. And the man was happy to tell everybody that it was Jesus who had set him free.
\nMark 5 18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, \u201cGo home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.\u201d 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
\nWhen Jesus met a Samaritan woman by a well he talked to her about the water which wells up to eternal life. He invited her to call her husband knowing that she did not have one. She recognised that Jesus was a prophet and He revealed that He was indeed the Messiah the Jews were expecting.
\nWe read in John 4 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 \u201cCome, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?\u201d 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. \u2026
\n39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman\u2019s testimony, \u201cHe told me everything I ever did.\u201d 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, \u201cWe no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

In John 9 we read how Jesus healed a man who had been born blind. He tells other people about his healing in a number of stages. Initially he just explains what has happened to him.
\nVerse 7 . So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
\n8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, \u201cIsn\u2019t this the same man who used to sit and beg?\u201d 9 Some claimed that he was.
\nOthers said, \u201cNo, he only looks like him.\u201d
\nBut he himself insisted, \u201cI am the man.\u201d
\n10 \u201cHow then were your eyes opened?\u201d they demanded.
\n11 He replied, \u201cThe man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.\u201d
\n12 \u201cWhere is this man?\u201d they asked him.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The man who had been healed only said what had happened to him. He wasn\u2019t afraid to answer a question with, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d But he was prepared to speak up, whoever was asking the questions.
\n13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind \u2026 (who) \u2026 also asked him how he had received his sight. \u201cHe put mud on my eyes,\u201d the man replied, \u201cand I washed, and now I see.\u201d
\n17 Finally they turned again to the blind man, \u201cWhat have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.\u201d The man replied, \u201cHe is a prophet.\u201d <\/p>\n

So the man went beyond describing his experiences to share his faith about Who Jesus is. People won\u2019t always believe what we tell them. That shouldn\u2019t surprise us \u2013 God does some pretty incredible, literally unbelievable things!<\/p>\n

18 The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man\u2019s parents. 19 \u201cIs this your son?\u201d they asked. \u201cIs this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?\u201d
\n20 \u201cWe know he is our son,\u201d the parents answered, \u201cand we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don\u2019t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again the man only told people what he knew and wasn\u2019t afraid to say, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. \u201cGive glory to God,\u201d they said. \u201cWe know this man is a sinner.\u201d
\n25 He replied, \u201cWhether he is a sinner or not, I don\u2019t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!\u201d <\/p>\n

We need to be patient and keep on answering people\u2019s questions.<\/p>\n

26 Then they asked him, \u201cWhat did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?\u201d
\n27 He answered, \u201cI have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? \u2026 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did you notice how the man who had been healed of blindness was growing in faith? Initially he only recognised that Jesus was a prophet. Now he says that Jesus must have come from God. It took another meeting with Jesus for the man to recognise that Jesus is Lord and to put his trust Him.
\n35 \u2026 When (Jesus) found him, he said, \u201cDo you believe in the Son of Man?\u201d
\n36 \u201cWho is he, sir?\u201d the man asked. \u201cTell me so that I may believe in him.\u201d
\n37 Jesus said, \u201cYou have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.\u201d
\n38 Then the man said, \u201cLord, I believe,\u201d and he worshiped him.<\/p>\n

We won\u2019t have all the answers. That\u2019s alright. All we are called to do is tell people what we do know and be honest and brave about sharing what we believe. Remember how God healed the paralysed man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple in Jerusalem. His shared his testimony simply by walking and leaping and praising God and the people were filled with wonder and amazement!
\nMore often when Christians use the word testimony, we are referring to telling the story of how we became a Christian. Acts records two occasions in which Paul shared his testimony, first for a crowd in Jerusalem in Acts 22 and then before King Agrippa in Acts 26 which is the passage we will look at this morning. We haven\u2019t time to look at the different ways in which Paul tailored what he shared to suit his audience. But we can notice a pattern which might be appropriate for many of us. It starts with what his life used to be like. Then he describes how he met Jesus and he finishes with the difference Jesus has made in his life. Before \u2013 how \u2013 after.
\nBEFORE Acts 26 4 \u201cThe Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. \u2026 9 \u201cI too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. \u2026 11 \u2026 In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
\nSo Paul has explained just how far away from Jesus he had been. But one day that all changed \u2013 and he explains how.
\nHOW 12 \u201cOn one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, \u2018Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.\u2019
\n15 \u201cThen I asked, \u2018Who are you, Lord?\u2019
\n\u201c \u2018I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,\u2019 the Lord replied. 16 \u2018Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17 \u2026 I am sending you to (the Gentiles) 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Paul retold the story of how he met the Risen Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road, and he finished with the ways his life was different as a result. Before. How. Then after.
\nAFTER 19 \u201cSo then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
\nDid you notice how, to finish his testimony, Paul slips in a challenge and an invitation? Sometimes that may be appropriate for us to do \u2013 sometimes it won\u2019t. As somebody has said, \u201cthere is a time to talk and a time to shut up.\u201d Sometimes we will only share how we became a Christian. Sometimes we will only share the difference Jesus is making to our lives today. It is really good to be prepared to share those stories if the opportunity presents itself.
\nPaul also talked about other experiences he had of God\u2019s grace. Remember what he said about his \u201cthorn in the flesh.\u201d
\n2 Corinthians 12 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\u201d Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ\u2019s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ\u2019s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
\nIt is very important to be honest in our testimonies. Not to \u201cgild the lily\u201d. To be honest about our questions and our doubts as well as about what we do know and believe and have experienced. If could very well be that the person we are speaking to is wrestling with questions and doubts. If we give the impression that we have got everything sorted and that we have all the answers that fscould leave them discouraged and depressed. If we are prepared to admit that we trust God even though we still have questions of our own, that will help them.
\nPaul was particularly honest and open with the Corinthians about the difficulties he faced when he preached the gospel to them.
\n1 Corinthians 2:1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit\u2019s power,.
\n\u201cWeakness and fear and much trembling.\u201d If the great apostle Paul felt like that, we should not be surprised or worried if that is how we feel when we consider talking about Jesus. But God\u2019s promise of the help of the Holy Spirit was not just for Paul but for all of us.
\nMark 13 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
\n2 Timothy 1 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We live in a multi-faith, multicultural, consumer society, \u201cTesco ergo Sum, I shop therefore I am\u201d (Graham Cray) where everyone demands freedom of choice…<\/span><\/p>\n

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