The Power of Your Testimony: PRAISE

“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”  –Acts 26:28-29

This month’s article concludes our five-part series on using the 5 Ps as a tool to share our salvation story. In the preceding months, we have covered four other key areas: PROBLEM AREA(s), “PICTURE OF THE PROBLEM(s), “PERIOD or PLACE,” and PERSON NOW. “PROBLEM AREA(s) identifies the crisis areas of our life before we met Christ. “PICTURE” paints an image of those identified problem areas. “PERIOD or PLACE” points to the where we met Christ. “PERSON NOW” reveals our new identity in Christ after we encountered Him and He changed our life. In this edition, we will unveil the final P . . . PRAISE.

The ultimate purpose of our conversion or transformation is to return all the glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our praise should be attributed and credited to God alone. For He is the Author of our salvation.

In Acts 26, as Apostle Paul was concluding his testimony before King Agrippa, he highlighted what is central and an important part of his testimony. He recognized that he has a story to share only because Jesus gave him a story. Without Jesus and the gracious gift of salvation he would not have any story to share. This prompted him to return all the glory to Christ. Paul told the king, “But God has helped me to this very day; so, I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen (Acts 26:22). As the apostle stood before Agrippa and the other witnesses, he understood that his story would never be complete if he failed to seize the opportunity to invite others to also have a story. Agrippa replied to Paul’s story: “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” And Paul challenged, “I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains” (Acts 26:28-29).

“PRAISE” should form a major component of our story as demonstrated by Paul. Returning the glory to Jesus and inviting others to share their own stories is essential to the authenticity of our story. Your story has a persuasive power that the Holy Spirit will use to convict others of their helplessness and need to yield to Christ. The sequence is straightforward. We share our own story of how He saved us, we share His story so that others will understand that Jesus is the source of our own story, and then invite them to let God give them their own story.

Here is an illustration of how this might sound. “I did not become this new person by my own power or abilities, but rather by Jesus. Without Christ, I would still be in darkness. I would be guilty and stand before God convicted for my sins. But when I met and surrendered my life to Christ, He forgave me of all my sins and gave me a hope of eternal life. This is my story. God offers you a story of your own. Jesus took the punishment for your sin when He died on the cross. The good news is that He arose again and is alive today. He can forgive you and change your life right now, just as He did for me, if you will only surrender your life to Him.”

I pray that this series on the 5 Ps will greatly assist you in the all-important assignment of sharing the gospel with others. If you would like to learn more about sharing your story and His story, and how to help others to let God give them their own story, join Dr. MacDonald and me this month at one of our TELL: Three Stories that Change Lives training events. There will be two of them, one on September 7 in Rapid City and the other on September 28 in Fargo. You will find details on the DBC website, www.dakotabaptist.com.  

Remain blessed as you stay committed to reaching the lost for Christ.

Segun Adeyemo is an evangelism intern for the Dakota Baptist Convention.

““PRAISE” should form a major component of our story as demonstrated by Paul. Returning the glory to Jesus and inviting others to share their own stories is essential to the authenticity of our story. Your story has a persuasive power that the Holy Spirit will use to convict others of their helplessness and need to yield to Christ. “