17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'
That is the call expressed to Paul in an extraordinary fashion, but it also captures the essence of the message with which each of us has been entrusted. God is the One who opens eyes and brings people out of darkness into light, changing kingdoms, changing authorities - from Satan to God. We have experienced and can share about forgiveness of sins, as well as what God has in store for us. What a wonderful, life-giving, life-transforming message we have been given to share!
In Acts 22, we see that Paul is giving His personal testimony. He relates his experience on the road
to Damascus and then He shares what Ananias told him:
14 Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.
15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'
Mike Cooper is a grocer who until recently lived in Alaska. He's 58 years old, and his supervisor allowed him to take time off during the store's busiest season to travel to South Dakota to something called the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Baptist Press tells Cooper's story.
He doesn't own a Harley, rather a 2001 Suzuki Intruder Volusia motorcycle. He took a 20-hour ferry ride from Mitkof Island before riding 2,040 miles to Sturgis in 56 hours, weathering cold torrential rain for 200 miles at about 6,000 feet elevation in Alberta, Canada.
Cooper, like many volunteers at the Sturgis Bike Giveaway tent, arrived with no previous training in evangelism. But he quickly learned how to give a "three-minute testimony," which uses the outline of a person's life before Christ, how they became followers of Christ and their life since salvation.
I looked online for a three-minute testimony outline. I found a testimony outline at the Cru website, after which the instructions say to shoot for three minutes. Here are the components:
The first section is: Before I Accepted Christ (or gave Him complete control)
1. What was my life like that will relate most to the non-Christian?
2. What did my life revolve around the most? What did I get my security or happiness from? (The non-Christian is relying on something external to give him happiness)
3. How did those areas begin to let me down?
The next section: How I Received Christ (or gave Him complete control)
1. When was the first time I heard the gospel? (Or when was I exposed to dynamic Christianity)
2. What were my initial reactions?
3. When did my attitude begin to turn around? Why?
4. What were the final struggles that went through my mind just before I accepted Christ?
5. Why did I go ahead and accept Christ?
And, finally, After I Accepted Christ (or gave Him complete control)
1. Specific changes and illustrations about the changes Christ has made:
2. Why am I motivated differently?
+++++
In Acts 22, we see that Paul is giving His personal testimony. He relates his experience on the road
to Damascus and then He shares what Ananias told him:
14 Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.
15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'
Mike Cooper is a grocer who until recently lived in Alaska. He's 58 years old, and his supervisor allowed him to take time off during the store's busiest season to travel to South Dakota to something called the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Baptist Press tells Cooper's story.
He doesn't own a Harley, rather a 2001 Suzuki Intruder Volusia motorcycle. He took a 20-hour ferry ride from Mitkof Island before riding 2,040 miles to Sturgis in 56 hours, weathering cold torrential rain for 200 miles at about 6,000 feet elevation in Alberta, Canada.
The Dakota Baptist Convention has an outreach at the gathering. The strategy involves volunteer "catchers" who stand in front of the ministry tent to invite Sturgis visitors to register for the Sturgis Bike Giveaway after they listen to a testimony from a "sharer." On Saturday morning, a drawing determines who gets a new Harley-Davidson, which ministry donors help purchase. This year, just under 6,200 people heard a personal testimony during the rally and just over 600 made a profession of faith in Christ.
One of them was a man named Dorian, from Philadelphia. He had problems at home and had taken off without any particular destination before arriving in Sturgis. Cooper had experienced many of the same issues when he was young. He told Baptist Press: "We found common ground in our mutual problems and our enjoyment of motorcycles," He said, "I told him I rode that distance so that I could talk to him." Cooper had been trained to share a "three-minute testimony," and after he did that with Dorian, he invited him to place his faith in Christ. Cooper said, "A soul was added to the Kingdom of heaven," adding, "I have never knowingly traveled that far for a divine appointment."
Cooper, like many volunteers at the Sturgis Bike Giveaway tent, arrived with no previous training in evangelism. But he quickly learned how to give a "three-minute testimony," which uses the outline of a person's life before Christ, how they became followers of Christ and their life since salvation.
The first section is: Before I Accepted Christ (or gave Him complete control)
1. What was my life like that will relate most to the non-Christian?
2. What did my life revolve around the most? What did I get my security or happiness from? (The non-Christian is relying on something external to give him happiness)
3. How did those areas begin to let me down?
The next section: How I Received Christ (or gave Him complete control)
1. When was the first time I heard the gospel? (Or when was I exposed to dynamic Christianity)
2. What were my initial reactions?
3. When did my attitude begin to turn around? Why?
4. What were the final struggles that went through my mind just before I accepted Christ?
5. Why did I go ahead and accept Christ?
And, finally, After I Accepted Christ (or gave Him complete control)
1. Specific changes and illustrations about the changes Christ has made:
2. Why am I motivated differently?
The page then outlines an example from Acts 22, in the life and practice of the apostle Paul.
That is one of the principal takeaways for us from the story of Mike Cooper - the challenge to consider and develop our personal testimony, and to be prepared to share it in around 3 minutes! Think about your life before you met Christ, how you came to know Him, and how He has changed your life - you don't have to be the most eloquent speaker or the most knowledgeable theologian to share what Jesus has done in your life.
And, I want to play off something Mike Cooper said and ask a question - how far are you willing to go for a divine appointment? Cooper learned about the Sturgis outreach from his pastor and traveled thousands of miles to get there. Perhaps God is calling you to take a bold step of faith and follow Him to do something unique, something out of the ordinary. Or, He's calling you to take the bold step and minister to the person next door to your home or in the next cubicle in the workplace. It's important that we are yielded to Christ, and sensitive to follow Him as He opens doors to share His love and to relate our stories.
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