Paul and Timothy

The Apostle Paul shares his testimony in I Tim. 1:12-17.  I preached out of this passage last Sunday morning (sermon available here | series available here).

What I noted was a sort of structure to what Paul shared, a structure that I believe should prove helpful to us as we consider how to best share our testimonies.

Paul share six different things with Timothy:

I. Who I am Now (I Tim. 1:12)

→Paul was a man thankful to Christ, strengthened by Christ, counted faithful by Christ, and placed in ministry by Christ.

II. Where I Used to Be (I Tim. 1:13)

→Before his conversion Paul was a blasphemer, persecutor, and an injurious man.

III. What Happened to Me (I Tim. 1:14)

→God’s grace super-abounded in his life with faith and love.

IV. How It Happened (I Tim. 1:15)

→Jesus did it—Jesus saved him.

V. Why It Happened (I Tim. 1:16)

→So that through Paul’s salvation God’s patience could be set on display in the most illustrious of ways.  Paul’s testimony is an example to us all of how God can truly save a man.

VI. When I Think About It (I Tim. 1:17)

→ Paul ends this passage by bursting forth into praise.  It’s as if by sharing his testimony he cannot help but to be be stirred up with affection for his Lord.

This same outline should benefit our understanding of salvation.  If Christ has saved us then we should be able to fill in each of these six points with our own details: who we are, where we’ve come from, what happened to us, how it happened, why it happened, and when we think about it…

If you’re a believer I encourage you to use these points to rehearse your own testimony right now.  Look for someone you can share it with today.