Paul was under arrest, chained to soldiers either side of him (Acts 21:33). They assumed that he was a terrorist inciting rebellion in Jerusalem. But when the army commander heard that Paul was a Roman citizen from Tarsus, with the legal right to defend himself (Acts 21:37-39), Paul was allowed to speak to the crowd (Acts 21:40) which had been stirred into a frenzy by liars claiming that he had desecrated the temple (Acts 21:29).

Paul surprised them into silence by speaking in Aramaic, the common language of the city, and showing his respect to fellow Jews by addressing them as his family. It was obvious that they did not know his background, so Paul told them that before meeting Jesus he was just like them; in fact, more devout than most. He had been trained as a Pharisee by Gamaliel, the highly respected Scripture teacher and Council member (Acts 5:34-40), and knew the Old Testament law thoroughly. He was personally zealous in his religious devotion, and violently opposed to the church.

Before he met Jesus, Paul was so angry about the growth of the church. After seeing Stephen stoned to death (Acts 7:59-8:1) Paul took many initiatives to arrest, imprison and kill more people who followed Jesus (Acts 26:9-11). He was fuelled by an inner hatred of Jesus, whose teaching seemed to undermine the religion he loved, that he even hunted down Christians in other countries. The highest religious authorities in Jerusalem welcomed Paul's murderous obsession (Acts 9:1-2). Paul explained that, before meeting Jesus, he was just like the mob who wanted to kill him (Acts 21:30-31).

Paul's testimony started by saying what he was like before he met Jesus. Your testimony should start in the same way: explain what you were like, what motivated your life and what you thought about Jesus before you met Him. Paul later wrote to Christians, explaining that: "All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts." (Ephesians 2:3). We cannot say we are better people than those we live among, but we are saved people. Tell your story, describe how you had no relationship with Jesus even if you were religious. To be able to say that 'I was just like you' will help your friends and colleagues identify with you. Every believer should be able to do that (1 Peter 3:15). Respect people and they will listen; and when some will want to know more, you can tell them (www.crosscheck.org.uk).