Your Story

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 22:1-21

TO CHEW ON: “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” Acts 22:1

About a week after Paul got to Jerusalem he was arrested. Some Jewish leaders from the cities he had traveled to earlier saw him in the Jerusalem temple. Now they set the whole crowd against him. Soon there was another riot as bad as the one in Ephesus.

The crowd became so violent Roman soldiers had to rescue Paul or he would have been killed.

Artist unknown

The soldiers tied him up with chains. They thought someone who got the crowd so angry must be a very bad person. Then they carried him to jail.

Just before Paul was taken into the jailhouse, he asked for permission to talk to the angry crowd.

Prisoner Paul addresses the people - Artist unknown

When the soldiers let him do this, what did Paul tell the crowd? (Acts 22:1-21)
1. That they were wrong and he was right.
2. That they were all going to hell.
3. The story of how Jesus met him.
4. That he was wrong and would listen to them from now on.

Of course, we know it’s 3. Paul told the crowd the story of how Jesus met him on the road to Damascus.




We can follow Paul’s example. When we tell others about Jesus, it seldom helps to argue with them or tell them how wrong they are. But everyone loves a story, especially a story about how God finds and helps ordinary people like you and I.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for bringing each person to You in a special way. Give me the courage to tell my story to my friends who don’t know You. Amen.


MORE: Tell Your Story
Remember the time you found Jesus (or He found you):

• How did you feel before Jesus came into your life? (Guilty about the wrong things you’d done? Afraid of dying?)

• Where were you the day you first welcomed Him into your heart? (In your bedroom? In church? At camp?)

• Who was with you? (Your mom or dad? Your teacher? Your camp counselor? No one?)

• What did you do? (Say a prayer in your own words? Read a prayer? Say a prayer after someone?)

• How did you feel then? (Like crying? Much better? No feelings?)

• What happened the next day? (You felt happy, like singing? You wanted to confess some things to people you had wronged?)

Write your story. Then read or tell it to a friend or family member.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.