MONDAY November 20, 2023

A Righteous Defense

“Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.” And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent.
Acts 22:1-2

Paul stood ready to give his testimony to all those who opposed him.

Once I was saved, I was ready to contact all of my classmates. I sent them an email and shared with them a part of my testimony. If they were interested, I would send them a copy of my book, From Fury to Freedom. I received all kinds of responses from all over the country. Many of them had moved to different places in America.

The most common response was, “No way! Is this the Raul we knew in Baldwin Park High School in 1966?” They had known my prior life of anger and violence. I was a very vicious person. Anytime my friends and I arrived at a party, they expected trouble–-they feared us. We would totally ruin the party! After hearing my testimony, one by one, my classmates accepted Christ. I was even able to witness to our schoolteachers and the local police who witnessed my life’s dramatic change as a Christian. They also questioned within themselves, Was this the same person?

People saw young men who were always fighting and getting into trouble now praying, singing and worshiping the Lord. My mother used to tell others that she saw a real change in her son. God gave me boldness to stand in His righteousness and share my testimony in many high schools. At first, the kids threw their milk and lunch at me, but I did not care. I had such a zealousness and power from the Holy Spirit to give them the Gospel so they would not perish eternally.

Listen, you can tell people about how Christ changed your life, but people need to see the change. I am not talking about perfection. I am talking about a true conversion where the Holy Spirit has brought you to your knees, and people can see that you are living your life for Jesus Christ.

If lips and life do not agree, the testimony will not amount to much.
~Henry Allen Ironside~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!