To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

When I was in Jr. High, an evangelist came to our church. My pastor at the time was mild mannered, and the picture of “proper”. He wore a suit most Sundays and seemed a stranger to anything resembling trouble. So, imagine the dramatic visual contrast when this evangelist got up to preach: a tall, built, “biker” type with long gray hair braided down his back, wearing a leather vest, ripped jeans, black boots, and tattoos everywhere. Although this description doesn’t sound nearly as shocking today, back then, I remember thinking how almost comical the two men looked standing side-by-side.  

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I don’t remember the details of his testimony; there was mention of drugs, alcohol, and jail time, and I remember chains he wore to emphasize the hold his sin had on him. What I do remember clearly is that it was evident from the moment he opened his mouth that he had the Spirit of God living inside him. He preached with love of the grace he had received. I recognized this was the same Spirit that inhabited my pastor. The power of the gospel had changed each of their lives. Despite their dramatically different backgrounds, they were both saints, God’s own and set apart, unified by message and mission.  

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If anyone knew the power of the gospel, it was Paul. He had possibly the most dramatic conversion, recorded in Acts 9: from murdering followers of Jesus to joining them and writing much of what we know as the New Testament. Paul’s story could not be a starker contrast. He states in 1 Timothy 1:12-16, that he opposed Christ yet received mercy, that Jesus’ patience for sinners would be apparent by his testimony. It was this personal experience and complete shift in his heart that gave Paul his drive to reach all he could with the gospel. He was determined that the grace he had received would reach far and wide. Likewise, he encouraged all those who also had received this grace to not let their backgrounds define them, but to be unified in their message and mission.  

There’s a part of me that is a little jealous of dramatic testimonies. Sometimes I wonder if my story could ever have an impact like Paul’s undoubtably has. I do realize, in those moments of doubt, I have skimmed over the most precious thing: God has had my heart as long as I can remember. I am not patting myself on the back for this but share to bring the power of the gospel to the forefront. Jesus bloodshed on the cross to cover our sin had the power to convert murderous Saul into evangelist Paul; that same powerful gospel opened my eyes as a child, to see that nothing in this world is better than Jesus. The grace and peace Paul speaks of is real in my life too, and I never want anything else. While my testimony isn’t dramatic, it is powerful, not because of what it says about me, but because of what it reveals about God’s love.

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Paul used his story to share God’s wonderful plan. Because God’s Spirit was in him, Paul also longed for all to know the Truth and be free from the bondage of sin. He also longed for believers to be unified in understanding as the gospel spread from Rome, a central part of the world at that time. Despite the contrasting backgrounds of all in the early church, and all I have mentioned, Paul, myself, my pastor, and the evangelist, we are all united in Christ. The power of the gospel has captured our hearts and opened our eyes to see nothing is better than Jesus.  

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Do you believe that? That nothing in this world is better than the grace and peace of God in contrast to the world’s chaos and confusion? If your heart has been changed by the power of the gospel, then the drama, or lack thereof, of your testimony will not matter to those who hear it. God’s love has the power to penetrate hearts; he just chooses to include us in sharing his message. The dramatic details of your sin have no power to convert a new believer. Our sin only proves how we are all guilty and undeserving of grace. It is God’s love, which is so dramatically different than anything the world offers, that has the power to change lives. You are loved by God and set apart by him for him. How will you share and show the grace and peace you have received today?

God, thank you for your grace and peace. Thank you for each story told through each of our lives that brings you glory. I pray that you would continue to change hearts with the power of the gospel, no matter the details of the stories we tell. Please give us the boldness we need to tell of your love and let it be evident to those around us. Amen.