The Testimony of the Apostle Paul

 Paul’s Testimony

October 30, 2025

Last time we were talking about your testimony as a weapon of spiritual warfare. Today, let us look at the apostle Paul as example of an effective witness and look at his life as an example of how to give a testimony.

 Paul

1. Acts 20:20–21—Paul declared all. He kept back nothing. He showed, taught and testified publicly and privately, about repentance and faith in God and Jesus
2.  Acts 22:14–15—The essence of testimony is to see and hear and then tell all men what you saw and heard
3. Acts 26:16—Paul’s calling was to be a minister and a servant and a witness of the things he had already seen and other things which God was going to show him
4. Acts 26:19–23—This is the perfect pattern of personal witness:
1. There was a vision, a direct personal experience of Jesus Christ
2.  He obeyed it
3.  It extended in ever-widening ripples
4.  He continued in it year after year
5.  He witnessed to all alike, both small and great
6. His testimony related people to the Scripture, and through the Scripture to Jesus Christ

Acts 20:18-24

18 And when they had come to him, he said to them,

“You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21 solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

Acts 22:12-16

12 “A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of byall the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing near said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very time I looked up at him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. 15 For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’

Acts 26:15-17

15 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom youare persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

Acts 26:19-23

19 “So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and thenthroughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. 21 For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. 22 So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; 23 that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

Outline courtesy of Derek Prince, “The Power of Personal Testimony “.

https://www.derekprince.com/sermons/392

Your Testimony

 Your Testimony

October 28, 2025

Revelation 12:11

11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of theword of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

John 16:12-15

12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will notspeak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

Acts 1:8

8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall beMy witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

 One of the weapons of spiritual warfare is the word of your testimony. In Revelation 12, we see where there are saints in heaven who triumphed by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. But exactly what is a testimony and why is it so powerful?

In John 16, we read that the Holy Spirit is the ultimate witness, and this verse defines what it means to testify. “Whatever He hears, He will speak.” In legal matters, a witness is one who saw and heard something of relevance to the case, and testifies under oath exactly what it is that he saw and heard. “The truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.” So that is what the Spirit is doing in John 16. He tells us what he hears the Father and Son speaking so that we can share it with others. In the first chapter of Acts, we see that this is where the power of our testimony comes from. “You will receive power… and you shall be my witnesses…”. Therefore, when we share what we have seen and heard about what the Lord has done for us, the power of the Holy Spirit goes with that word to change hearts and minds. This is why it is a powerful weapon in the arsenal of the spiritual warrior. 

Another aspect that gives your testimony power is that it is hard to argue with. If you share your opinion, others can argue that they have a contrary opinion. But when you share your personal experience through a testimony, they either have to believe that that is what happened to you or call you a liar. It’s your story, and that carries power. That is another reason that the Lord taught in parables. You can argue points of theology or philosophy but you can’t argue with a story about farming or fishing. A story may seem harmless but it can carry power. A story is easy to remember, but like a parable, may carry hidden meaning that will reveal itself to someone who has ears to hear. And that is the job of the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth and disclose it to those who believe.

So what is your story? Surely the Lord has done something in your life that caused you to turn from darkness into the light, so don’t be afraid to testify. It’s your story,so tell it.

The Binary Gospel

 The  Binary Gospel

October 27, 2025

Jesus taught in parables, and parables all have two meanings. There is the clear text meaning of the story about some everyday occurrence, and then there is the hidden, coded, meaning about some aspect of the kingdom of God.

 Matthew 13:51-52

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They *said to Him, “Yes.” 52 And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

That’s partly what Jesus meant when he talked about new and old in verse 52. He also talked about out two kinds of people, those who had ears to hear and those dull of hearing.

Matthew 13:10-17

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

‘ YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND;

YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL,

WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR,

AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES,

OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES,

HEAR WITH THEIR EARS,

AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN,

AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Jesus explained to his disciples that he taught in parables so that everyone could understand the plain story, but only some would understand the deeper meaning. Everyone in the crowd knew about planting seeds and fishing. But only a few understood the mystery of the gospel of the kingdom. It was also imperative that they understood the scriptures, the law and the prophets, before they could understood the new application of Jesus’ teaching. This is the main meaning of new and old in verse 52. And in the Hebrew logic of the existing scripture at that time, I,e. The Old Testament, they commonly used binary logic. That is to say, they would compare and contrast two things. The psalms and proverbs are full of examples of this. 

Proverbs 27:5-7 (NASB95) 

5 Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. 

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. 

7 A sated man loathes honey, But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.

Do you see the pattern? Open vs. concealed, faithful vs deceitful, sated vs. famished. I’ve heard it said that a one armed rabbi couldn’t teach because he couldn’t say “But on the other hand…”. New and old, good and evil, hearing and dull, thegospel that Jesus taught was full of binary logic. It was a message that even simple fishermen could understand. But also a message so sublime that it stymied the scribes and Pharisees who tried to fit Jesus words into their rigid religious box. But Jesus’ message was like the mustard seed that would grow and grow until it broke out of their box and filled the whole world. 

Matthew 13:31-32 - The Mustard Seed

31He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.”

In computer science, binary logic is 0 and 1. So don’t be a “zero” but be the “one” that has ears to hear. The binary gospel.

Old and New

 Old and New

October 24, 2025

Matthew 13:51-52

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They *said to Him, “Yes.” 52 And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Yesterday we were talking about how all scripture is profitable and useful. A frequent question about this is, “But aren’t parts of the Old Testament obsolete and not applicable to our times?”  

This brings to mind my shop. In my shop there are hundreds of tools. I inherited many from my father, and from my father-in-law and others from Uncle John. There are also new tools that I have purchased myself for a special application. Do I use all these tools every day. No. In fact, there are some old tools that I have never used, not because they are not useful, but because I don’t know how to use them. My father-in-law was a machinist so there are some specialized tools that I would need training to use. It’s not the tool’s fault, it’s my ignorance and lack of proper training that prevents me from using them. 

I think it is the same with scripture. It is all profitable but there may be parts that we don’t understand fully. We need to study and have some expert teachers to help us understand these scriptures. So don’t dismiss parts of scripture out of hand just because you don’t understand them. In Matthew 13, Jesus was teaching with many parables, and then he asked his disciples if they understood. They replied that they did, so he commends them as a wise scribe who brings out of his treasure both new and old. We need new inspiration, but don’t discard the old teachings just because they are old and you don’t understand them. Ask the Holy Spirit for knowledge and wisdom and you will find that all scripture is inspired and useful for bringing in the kingdom of God. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/okE18nNX4sfYX4iB6

Photo of Father-in-law in the shop.

All Scripture

 All Scripture 

October 23, 2025

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

In his teaching on The Sword of the Spirit, Derek Prince, who was a tremendous Greek and biblical scholar, pointed out that the meaning of “all” in this passage, when we look deep into the original language, is…. “All”. Every last portion of scripture is inspired by God and useful. From Genesis to Revelation, every scripture has meaning and serves some purpose. Even the so called “minor prophets” are not less important, it is just that they wrote less than the “major prophets”. We all have our favorite verses, but we need to not overlook the rest. I spent some time as a member of a church that styled itself as “a New Testament Church”. This is all well and good, but they tended to not teach much, if any, out of the Old Testament. This is a problem because you need the Old Testament to understand the New. “In the old the new is concealed , and in the new the old is revealed” is how one Bible teacher put it. 

There are some “progressive” preachers today that pick and choose which verses to believe and teach. This leads to error if you allow your preconceived notions to overrule what the whole of scripture teaches. If we are going to use the word of God as a two edged sword of the Spirit, we need to use both edges, old and new, to combat the evil in this age. 

Two Edged Sword

 Two Edged Sword

October 20, 2025

Hebrews 4:12-13

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and ableto judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

I don’t know about you, but to me, human nature is a mystery. Why do people do the crazy things that they do? What did they mean when they said that? When you wife says, “Nothing is the matter”, what does she really mean? Yes, human nature is a mystery and the intentions of the heart are hidden for the most part. That is why we need the sword of the Spirit. The Word of God is sharper that any two edged sword and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The Lord desires to heal the hearts of troubled souls and to bring peace to their innermost man. In order to do this, it is the Spirit of God that can discern their innermost thoughts. If we are going to minister to the wounds of a hurting people, we need the wisdom of the Spirit to know what is going on in their innermost being. Without the Word of God, we are blind and deaf to the real needs of people. So pray for people and meditate on the Word; I think Psalms and Proverbs are particularly helpful in understanding the heart. For example, look at Psalm 10:

Psalms 10:16-18

16 The LORD is King forever and ever;

Nations have perished from His land.

17 O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear

18 To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed,

So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.

The Lord hears the true desires of the heart and comforts the orphan and oppressed spirit. True peace comes from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who is the only one that can banish terror from the earth.

So wield the Sword of the Spirit, and let it guide you when you pray for someone who is heart sick and afraid. The Word will reveal exactly what is needed to drive the fear away and bring peace to a hurting soul.

My Word

 My Word

October 19, 2025

Isaiah 55:11

11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Yesterday, our men’s Bible study was listening to Derek Prince teach on the Sword of the Spirit. One scripture that stood out from the lesson was Isaiah 55. Brother Prince pointed out that in is not only “My Word”, but “My word which goes forth from My mouth”. The written word, if it is not breathed and spoken by the Spirit of God is just dead words. He commented that he had heard many sermons, dry as burnt toast, but where they would close with “My word will not return void…”, thinking  that would make it all better. No. It’s “My word which goes forth from My mouth” that will not return empty. It is the Spirit of God that empowers the word to accomplish all that He desires. So we need to know the Word, and speak the Word, for it is the Sword of the Spirit, but we need to remember that it is the sword of the SPIRIT. We need to listen to the quiet force of the Spirit and speak His Word in the authority and power of His Spirit. Then we will see the Word accomplish all that the Lord desires.

Victory

 Victory

October 17, 2025

Luke 10:1 - The Seventy Sent Out

1 Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to everycity and place where He Himself was going to come.

Luke 10:17-20

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”

1 John 5:1-4 - Overcoming the World

1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves thechild born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1 Corinthians 15:50-57 - The Mystery of Resurrection

50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does theperishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. 55 O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 15:2-3

2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. 3 And they *sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and marvelous are Your works,

O Lord God, the Almighty;

Righteous and true are Your ways,

King of the nations!

We have been talking about spiritual warfare. The object of war is victory over the enemy, but what does biblical victory in a spiritual battle look like? In our first scripture in Luke, Jesus sent out the seventy to preach the gospel, heal the sick and set the captives free. In this they experienced victory and returned rejoicing in the things that they had done. But Jesus warned them that this was not the main thing but that they should rejoice that their names were written in heaven. The true victory is populating the kingdom of God with new sons and daughters, 

The apostle John then writes that victory over the world is demonstrating love and obeying the father. And also, being born again is to have victory over he world.

In Corinthians and Revelation, we see that the ultimate victory is over death. “Death where is your victory, death where is your sting?” This victory leads to an eternity of praising God in heaven. It is a great victory and a mighty rejoicing, but first we need to overcome the world. So put on the full armor of God and face the problems of today. A little victory over sin here and a healing there and a salvation over yonder and one day we will see the great victory over death and rejoice with the angels forever.