Have you ever asked yourself, “Why should I witness?”
Several reasons should come to mind.
Firstly, because Jesus commands you to: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19). Also, Ezekiel 3:11 says, “and go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or not…”
Second, you must witness because you love the unsaved (if you don’t, you should). The most loving thing you can do is present the gospel in hopes of bringing others to salvation. Galatians 5:22 lists love as one of the fruit of the Spirit. It is love’s nature to give. Take for example John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” Love gives, and if you have only a small portion of His love, you will want to give to others.
Third, witness because it is a wise thing to do. Proverbs 11:30 says, “…he who is wise wins souls.” Now, I am not a very wise person. But, I want to be wise in God’s sight and since God says I’ll be wise to win souls, or try to, then great, witnessing is what I want to do.
Fourth, witness to keep people out of hell. Hell is a terrifying place of utter anguish and eternal separation from God. Those who are not saved go there. Witnessing is an attempt to keep them out of hell.
Fifth, witness because it pleases God and brings glory to His name.
And finally, and most important, witness so they may find the love and fellowship of God (1 John 1:3), the greatest of all treasures. I can think of no greater gift than salvation. It frees the sinner from sin, it delivers the lost from damnation, and it reveals the true and living God to those who don’t know Him.
The angels of heaven rejoice greatly when anyone passes from judgment into salvation (Luke 15:10). Shouldn’t we as Christians rejoice too? Shouldn’t we weep over the lost? Shouldn’t we ask the Lord of the field to send laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2)? Certainly! The salvation of others is the goal of your efforts. The love of God is your motive. Is there anything greater? So, give.
It is one thing to read about how to witness to someone; it is another to put into practice what you’ve learned. If you want to witness, then go witness. That is the best, though not the easiest, way to learn. Trust God and go witness. Do read the following.
My friend Chuck and I both had eager hearts. We had been studying cults, Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses, for a while and were ready to go out and “teach the world.” We prayed, got into my car, drove for a while, prayed, drove, prayed, drove, and prayed. Well, after a half hour of this we figured it was time to stop driving and start talking.
The next street we passed was named Omega Street. Jesus is called the Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8). Since we were rather unsure of ourselves, we grabbed at this spiritual straw and Omega Street became our first witnessing attempt–it is amazing how God uses strange things and people to spread His Word.
Chuck and I prayed again. We got out of the car and approached a home. The door was ajar. We knocked. From inside we heard a woman say frantically into her phone, “Send the paramedics to . . . ” then she gave an address. Chuck and I exchanged stares.
Five minutes later the paramedics arrived. They entered a nearby house and took away an elderly man on a stretcher. Now, if you’ve ever been around when the paramedics screech into a neighborhood with sirens blaring, you know how quickly a crowd gathers. That is exactly what happened and after the paramedics took the victim (of a heart attack) away, Chuck and I suddenly found ourselves, Bibles in hand, staring into the eyes of an excited crowd. A kid on a bike noticed our Bibles and said, “What are you guys doing here?” Chuck and I aren’t geniuses, but it didn’t take us long to see the work of the Lord. We told him we were there to preach the Gospel. I was too afraid to speak so Chuck spoke to him and others about Jesus, sin, and salvation. People listened. No one dropped to their knees in sobbing repentance, but they heard the gospel. That was years ago. Since then, I have witnessed thousands of times.
The point is simple. When you are willing to be used by God and step out in faith, trust God and go, He can do amazing things.
Are you available to God? Are you willing to pray, take a risk, trust God and go? If you are, if you have the desire and a willingness to learn, then God will use you. He desires a willing, teachable, and available person more than the most learned mind. If you make yourself available, He will make you able. Get ready! He will use you!
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