The Power of a Story:
Our Story – Part 1
Scripture Reading: Acts 22
Key Verse: Acts 22:2b-3
Then Paul said: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
I have been a public speaker for more than 35 years. One thing I am absolutely convinced of is the power of a story. While speaking, when I launch into a story, I can sense the crowd’s attention go up several notches. If I am telling a story about myself, the attention goes even higher!
Stories get people’s attention. Stories are not like someone preaching at them. A story is simply someone relating an experience, good or bad, that they had. We tend to really pay attention. Jesus was a master at telling stories. We call them parables. We will be studying a few of them this week.
In today’s scripture, we see the Apostle Paul using this same powerful tool in his ministry to people in Asia. In our printed verse, you’ll note that Paul started his talk with his own story. Everyone in the crowd was quiet and listened as he talked, first about himself. The apostle told about his own spiritual journey. He was a Jew from Tarsus, a town in Cilicia where he was born and raised. Paul was trained under a scholar named Gamaliel, whom many had heard of due to his thorough teaching of Jewish tradition. Paul went on to tell how he persecuted any Jew who turned to Jesus and walked away from Judaism. Paul understood the power of his story…do you?
Father, help me to think through my journey with you so I can share it concisely when you open that door! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.