Acts 22

Paul was arrested, nearly beaten by the crowd, rescued by the Roman soldiers, and then asked if he could say something. The commander said yes. Paul stood on the steps and told his story.

It was not a theological argument. Rather, it was his story. Who he was. What happened on the road to Damascus. What Ananias said to him. What God told him.

The crowd listened until he got to the part about being sent to the Gentiles. Then they lost it.

The testimony wasn’t received perfectly. But it was the right move. Paul didn’t try to debate them into agreement. He just described what happened to him and let them respond to that.

Your story is harder to argue with than your position. People can dismiss a theological claim. It’s harder to dismiss a life. Harder to argue with a specific moment. Harder to reject an honest account of what God did.

I’ve found that the most effective thing I can do when I want someone to understand where I’m coming from is to stop explaining my position and start telling my story. What I saw. What changed. What happened. The explanation can follow. But the story opens the door.