1-16-18 Today's Topical Bible Study


2 Tips from Paul on Telling Your Story

Randy Newman

The task of evangelism often includes telling our individual story along with the larger gospel story. Weaving the two together makes for a powerful articulation of God’s gracious work through all times and his specific salvific work in an individual heart – namely, yours.
Many have supported their emphasis on sharing a personal testimony by pointing out that Paul did so numerous times in the book of Acts. In Acts 26, for example, Paul tells Agrippa about his Damascus Road experience with the hopes that he, along with all who were listening to him “may become what I am, except for these chains” (Acts 26:29).
As an encouragement for us to follow Paul’s model, some have argued, “People can’t dismiss your personal testimony because it’s your story. They can’t deny it.”
I’m all for people sharing their personal testimony. But a bit more careful thought needs to shape the process.
It is worth noting that Paul did not merely share his subjective, personal experience. He wove together that story with the more objective, universal Gospel story that must be proclaimed to all people. Paul crafted a dual-themed masterpiece that spoke of his unique encounter with Jesus along with these objective propositions:
-       Paul’s hope is what God had promised the fathers (Acts 26:6-7)
 
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
-       Paul’s message included the fact that conversion (anyone’s!) is from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, involves forgiveness from sins, and leads to sanctification (Acts 26:18)
-       People must “repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20)
-       This message is in line with the prophets and Moses (Acts 26:22)
-       The crux of the matter is not Paul’s subjective experience but the objective truth that Christ suffered and rose from the dead (Acts 26:23)
So, as we consider sharing our testimony, we should, like Paul, weave together a twofold-story that combines our individual experience with the Gospel for all. Otherwise they will indeed dismiss what we say as something merelyour experience. They won’t deny it. But they won’t embrace it either. They won’t disagree but they won’t feel its sting.
How do we do this? Here are two suggestions:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-16-23 Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 3: Genesis 17:19

Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 3: Genesis 17:19 :: By Paul J. Scharf Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles The Messiah was a descendant of Abraham. More than that, we considered last time how He was, in fact, promised within the covenant that God made with Abram (Gen. 12:1-3). According to the Apostle Paul in Gal. 3:16 and 19, He is the ultimate recipient of that covenant! Our Savior Jesus Christ is finally the One through whom “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Paul also quoted and discussed that portion of the covenant in Gal. 3:8-9. We ended last time with the realization that the promised Messiah would be the final Davidic king over Israel. As declared then, however, there are several intermediate steps, with accompanying prophecies, which are given between the times of Abraham and David and speak about His coming and the offices He would hold as the greatest prophet, priest, and king. And there are also more ance
Read more

9-17-23 Christians Using Science Badly: Part 2

Christians Using Science Badly: Part 2 :: By Wilfred Hahn Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles, Wilfred Hahn Christians Using Science Badly: Part 2 :: By Wilfred Hahn Reviewing the “facts” that we cited in Part 1, we noted the hyperbole and downright dishonesty in some instances to support global warming claims. Why is there such bias? Money Precedes Truth Global warming has become big business. Armies of global consultants are peddling false information because it is profitable to do so. Many claimed urgencies are exaggerated by factors of 10X … indeed, 200X in some instances and more. Governments are particularly susceptible to this hype, promising infrastructure programs estimated to cost upwards of trillions of dollars. According to a new report,1 an estimated $3.4 trillion will be invested in renewable energy during the next decade, including $2.72 trillion in wind and solar. By 2030, 54.1% of installed capacity will be renewable (including hydropo
Read more

9-17-23 It's Coming

It Is Coming - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/12/24/it-is-coming-by-daymond-duck/ On Dec. 17, 2022, it was reported that Rep. David Cicilline, a Democrat from Rhode Island, has introduced legislation to permanently bar former Pres. Trump from running for president again, and 40 Democrats have signed on. Cicilline is accusing Trump of orchestrating an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. At the time of this writing, it is debatable as to whether Cicilline’s legislation will get voted on before the new Congress takes office in 2023, but some conservatives have said from the beginning that the main purpose of the Jan. 6 fake show-trial was to stop Trump from being elected again. Some, including this writer, have said there is no telling what the U.S. shadow government will do to prevent making America great again (MAGA) because they want to surrender the sovereignty of the U.S. to the New World Order (coming world government). It was easy to see this comi
Read more