After a brief, but fair, setting out of the case Paul is invited to speak. What follows affirms the truth of the promise of Jesus in Luke 12:11.
It is a good model for us on how to structure our own personal testimony. He first of all recounts his former life before coming to know Christ. Then, he presents an outline of how he encountered Jesus – note that there are slight differences in his account to the description in Acts 9 but this just lends authenticity. The key details match. Finally, he speaks about the difference that this has made to him and how the rest of his life has been an attempt to live in obedience to following Jesus. We may or may not have quite such a dramatic story to tell but that framework for giving our own testimony is a good one to follow.
Note a few things in particular. It’s short and to the point. It’s personal – note the many references to ‘I’. It would have been easy for him to focus on emphasising the injustices, beatings and assaults of the Jewish leaders. Instead he emphasises what God has done for him. He emphasises his lifestyle and calls his proven character as the main witness for the defence. How we live our lives rather than our words will always be the strongest advocate for our claims about Christ.
He keeps Jesus central and communicates the heart of the Gospel: the call to repentance, the promise of forgiveness and the hope of the resurrection from the dead. He focuses on what God has done and prays for his listeners.
Good lessons for us to practice on those occasions when we are invited to give a reason for the hope that is within us. Notice that it produces a strong reaction (v24) but in the end a recognition of truth (v32). It did not lead to freedom for Paul nor immediate conversion for Agrippa but it moved Agrippa closer to God and to truth and it moved Paul further on into God’s purposes for his life. May it be so for us.
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If you have not already done so write down the story of what God has done for you. Pray for an opportunity to share your story today with someone who doesn’t yet know Jesus.
