Who Can Witness

Some Christians have the mistaken idea that they need much Bible knowledge before they witness. This is totally false. Now, Bible knowledge will help you to witness and answer questions but as soon as a person trusts Jesus as their Saviour they can be a witness.

After all, to be a witness just means to tell what you know. All that a Christian needs to do is tell others what Jesus has done for them. You can at least be like the blind man who told the Jewish religious leaders, ''Whether He be a sinner or no, I know not; one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.'' (John 9:25)

A new Christian may say, ''I do not know what will happen to those who never hear about Jesus. But I do know that before I was on my way to hell and now heaven is my home.''

Or he might say, ''I do not know why God allows suffering. But I do know that before I was miserable and now I have peace and joy.''

Or he might say, ''I do not know all the answers. But I do know that before my life had no purpose and now I follow Jesus.''

Looking For Opportunities

The idea of telling others the Gospel can be a little frightening. We must remember that God is with us. If people reject what we say, they are not rejecting us they are rejecting the message. We cannot force people into God's family. We do not convict people; the Holy Spirit does that.

Do not put too much pressure on yourself. Be open, honest, friendly. Do not be pushy, rude or looking for an argument. Trust God to give you opportunities and trust God to make the person understand the truth. You just tell what you know.

Many times the problem is that we are not aware of an opportunity when it comes. Many every day events can be used as an opening to begin a conversation and share a little of the Gospel.

James Kennedy in Evangelism Explosion (1970, D. James Kennedy) tells this story:

I once stood outside an elevator with a friend. When another person approached, my friend reached for the button to call the elevator and said to the woman, ''Are you going up?''

''Yes,'' she responded.

''Are you going all the way up?'' he inquired.

''No, just to the third floor,'' said she.

''I mean, when God's sweet chariot swings down low to take his people home to heaven, do you know for sure that you are going all the way up to heaven?'' he continued.

Her response was, ''No, I'm not sure of that,'' and, as we entered the elevator, he began sharing the Gospel with her.

It is important when you speak to a stranger or someone who is not well know to you, that near the beginning of your conversation you ask their permission to share the Gospel with them. This is not only polite but also ensures that the person is interested and will listen.

The Command to be a Witness

If you are a born again Christian, then you are to be a witness for Jesus. He told His followers, ''Ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.'' (Acts 1:8)

At the Last Supper, Jesus said, ''But when the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father. He shall testify of Me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning.'' (John 15:26,27)

To tell others about Jesus is a commandment. If we love Jesus, then we will obey Him. Being a witness is also evidence that we are saved. If God has truly given us eternal life, the greatest possible gift, then we will want to share that with others.

When the Samaritan woman met Jesus, she immediately went and told the people in her town about Him. She wanted others to share in her joy.

Being A Witness

Billie Hanks Jr. tells this story in his book Everyday Evangelism (Zondervan, 1983, Grand Rapids):

The young woman seated at my right at a wedding rehearsal dinner in Phoenix, Arizona, was a UCLA dental hygiene student. About halfway through the meal, she quietly whispered to me, "You know there is something very peculiar about the people at this table."

I looked around and saw that except for this young lady, all the people at our table were good friends of mine. Everyone at the table was a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. I knew nothing about her faith. I said to her, "I believe I know what is so peculiar about everyone at this table, but its a secret.''

She said to me, ''I have got to know. What makes these people so different?''

I replied, ''Well, I can tell you, but I can only do it in private, whenever we have the time to talk.''

At the end of the meal, the lady insisted that they go outside where they could talk alone. Billie Hanks then had the opportunity to share the Gospel with her privately.

My next few posts will be about the Christian duty of being a witness of Jesus Christ.

Pray and Act

The final requirement for answered prayer is action. Someone has said, "Pray like everything depended upon God and then work like everything depends upon you." Although this is not Scripture, it does contain much truth.

When Nehemiah led the Israelites to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, they had many enemies seeking to prevent them from accomplishing their task. We are told how they dealt with this threat. Nehemiah said, "Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them." (Nehemiah 4:9)

They prayed that God would help and protect them. They also appointed guards to watch for the enemy and give them warning. They were depending upon God, but they also did what they could. We should pray but we also must work to bring about the answer to our prayers.
Pray for your daily bread and then go out and work for it. Pray for souls to be saved and then go out and witness to the lost. Pray for health and then take care of yourself. Pray for a strong marriage and then build a good relationship with your spouse. Pray and then act.

Perseverance in Prayer

Another essential part of making our prayers powerful is perseverance. In other words, not giving up. Luke states, "And (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint." (Luke 18:1)

The parable was about a lady who had been cheated. She asked a wicked judge to help her, but he refused. She continued to bother him until eventually he did help because he was tired of her harassing him. Jesus made the point that if a wicked judge would help someone because they kept asking, certainly God who is just and loves us will help us if we keep asking Him.

God often seems to us to be slow in answering our prayers. Yet we should not quit praying. God may be testing you to see if you will keep praying. God may be waiting for the best time to answer. God may have already answered your prayer but you are not yet aware of the answer. Whatever the reason for the delay, Jesus said that we should keep praying and not give up.