How to be a Witness

Several times in the Bible we are called to be a witness to God's love and plan for our salvation.  But maybe you’re afraid to share your faith because you don’t know what to say.  Or maybe you’re sharing the Gospel but nothing is happening; people aren’t committing their lives to Christ.  Are you doing something wrong?

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

But I find that many people are reluctant to approach strangers and even family to talk of spiritual things.  Allow me to provide you with several steps provided by LifeWay Research and my experience.

1) Occasionally go back and refresh your memory about the gospel from your Bible. 

Remind yourself of what you’ve been rescued from and Who you’ve been rescued to.  It will charge up your soul.  

2) Where ever you go during the week, whether it’s the gym, a walk in the park, or coffee shop make a point to be a regular.  It takes time to build trust with the people around you.  The more often you spend time with them, the more quickly you can build a relationship.  And don’t feel that you must spend hours visiting with them.  Small progressive steps will make initiating a conversation less intimidating. 

It may look like:

               a. Make eye contact and smile.

               b. Say, “Hi.”

               c. “Hi, I’ve seen you around. I’m Russ.”

3) Observe and Listen.

Lookout for something to ask people about: s

               a. Something they’re wearing

               b. Something they’re doing

               c. What they’re eating, etc.

                          Listen well.

Remember, every person, place, or thing can be an on-ramp to the gospel. Why? Because every non-Christian, place, and thing is in a fallen state; not yet redeemed.  Pray the Holy Spirit will help you pick up on the cue.

4) Remember, the gospel is good news only to those who are in a bad situation in life.  Social media can cover up a lot of troubles in someone’s life.  But in the real world, people are usually waiting for someone to care enough to help reveal their pain.  Sometimes this may mean you share something about yourself and how you found hope in Christ.

5) Be Flexible.  Try not to be tied to one evangelistic method.  If it doesn’t go perfectly don’t worry.  One of the first people to share Christ with me did a terrible job but God blessed their obedience and used it in my life.  So try again! 

6) Prayer is the primary strategy.

Pray every day that God will:

                a. put lost people in your path

               b. help you engage

               c. guide your conversations

               d. give wisdom in how and when to share the gospel

The problem isn’t that the gospel makes conversation awkward; it’s that we’re too awkward to engage in conversation in the first place.  We know the story. We just need to put ourselves in a position to communicate it.

Next time I want to share with you the ABC’s of a gospel presentation.  It stands for:

            1) Admit

            2) Believe

            3) Confess

Have a great weekend and may God bless you! 

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.

Discover how you can find peace with God.

 

Whatever Happened to Personal Responsibility?

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)

One of the biggest problems that we have in our society today is a lack of personal responsibility. Nobody is ever wrong, and when they do make mistakes, there is always an excuse.  The danger that I see in this mindset is that if there is one thing the Bible teaches, if there is one thing that God will demand of each one of us, it is Personal Responsibility.

 

Part of growing up is taking responsibility for oneself.  We start as infants with no personal responsibility whatsoever, everything that we need done is done for us.  As we progress through the various stages of childhood, we take on more and more responsibility.  We learn to tie our own shoes, clean our own rooms, and turn in our own homework.  We learn that responsibility has its rewards, and irresponsibility has other less-than-desirable effects.  In many ways, the difference between a child and a man is his willingness to take personal responsibility for his actions.  As Paul says, “When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” (1 Corinthians 13:11)

Whatever happened to personal responsibility?  As 1 John 1:8 shows us, God holds each of us accountable for our own sins.  It's easier to blame it on someone else.  Then we don't have to do anything about it, and who knows, maybe we can even earn a few bucks on the whole deal!

But one thing we can't do that way, and that is restore our relationship with God.

As verse 9 reminds us, we also need to confess our sins.  But God doesn't give us a carte blanche forgiveness policy.  We have to truly be repentant.  Sometimes we are sorry for being caught, or sorry for the consequences of our sins.  But are we truly sorry that we sinned against God or hurt someone?

My point today is to drive home the fact that we can’t blame anyone but ourselves for our actions. Blaming others is not new to the human experience.  In the Garden of Eden after sinning, Adam blamed his sin on “that woman.”  But the reality is, God is not interested in your excuses.  Trying to blame Eve did not get Adam off the hook for his actions, and making excuses won’t get you off the hook for your actions!

If we are going to mature as Christians, we need to accept our own responsibility for our sins and mistakes.  Not only is it the godly thing to do; it's for our own good.  Playing the blame game is counterproductive to problem-solving.  The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel reminded the Jews of his day that, “The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.” (Ezekiel 18:20)  We cannot inherit the sins or righteousness of others.  Each one will be righteous before God because of his own righteousness or wicked because of his own wickedness.

When this brief life is over and we stand before God, He is not going to be interested in any excuses.  On that day, God will hold each of us personally responsible for our life.  I pray today that you stop looking for ways to excuse your choices and actions, and begin accepting responsibility for what you have done. 

God will honor you for taking personal responsibility for your actions.

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.

Discover how you can find peace with God.