So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:
2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4 “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. 5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
9 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
12 “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
My intention is to put together a photographic portfolio titled, Can I Get a Witness? I want to highlight the way once-living trees can give witness to events that happened during the time that they were alive. Whether it is disease, chain saw, storm or simply the natural circle of life, they all bear witness to a history of their own.
Paul’s witness is significantly different. His is a living witness. He is very much alive at this point. And that, in spite of the plans and schemes of Paul’s enemies. But he is very much alive – protected by Felix, Festus, and now Agrippa. There will come a time when Paul will not be protected. He will give up his life as a martyr of the Christian faith. But for how he is alive.
Every witness has a “before” and an “after.” And as Paul recounts his before he does so at the earliest stages of his life. He recounts his life as a faithful Jewish youth. He does not – at this time – mention his circumcision although he does so when he makes his defence in Jerusalem at the temple. But he does set all of this within the context of the Jewish faith. His witness is two-fold. It’s all about Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. It’s also all about the resurrection of Jesus. The first validates Jesus’ ministry. The second testifies to Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.
Sometimes people make much of dramatic conversions and lives of profligate immorality and ungodliness. It’s almost as though a person has to have lived an extremely sinful life in order to have a testimony.
Few of us have such a lifestyle to brag about – even if it is to brag about how Jesus changed our lives. All of us, however, have something to say about Jesus. It might be a Bible passage that is particularly meaningful. There are special accounts of Jesus’ miracles that we can point to. A prayer answered. A touch of God’s grace and peace. It’s not up to us to fabricate amazing stories or dramatic transformations. It can be as simple as, “I used to believe…but now I realize Jesus…” That is a true living testimony worth sharing.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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