Foundations of the Faith

Lesson 8 – Witnessing

Introduction

• Essential part of our calling is to be a witness for Jesus. Jesus said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19)

• A witness in the courtroom is expected to tell what he knows about a given situation. A Christian witness is one who tells others what he knows about Jesus Christ and what it means to have personally trusted Him.

• A witness is one who shares the gospel of Christ in view of leading others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Key Verse

• "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:8

Witness By Our Lips

• Andrew’s Example

John 1:40-41 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which translated means Christ).

• The Healed Demoniac

– Mark 5:19 And He did not let him, but He said to him, " Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you."

• Paul’s Commission

– Acts 22:15-16 For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.

• Peter and John’s Response to the Religious Leaders

– Acts 4:19-21 But Peter and John answered and said to them, " Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."

• Those who have saving faith in Christ should openly talk about it.

– Psalms 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so

• We should always be prepared to share.

– 1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence

Witness by Our Life

• Our lives should be blameless

– Philippians 2:15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world

• We are to be lights in the world

– Matthew 5:16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Witnessing Tools

• The Bible

– Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

– Isaiah 55:11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

• Gospel Tracts

– Make sure they contain the true gospel. (Few tracts do so.)

1. Realize you are a sinner (Romans 3:23).

2. The penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23).

3. Christ paid the penalty for sin (1 Peter 3:18).

4. You must repent (Acts 3:19).

5. You must receive Christ by faith (John 1:12; Eph. 2:8-9).

6. You must confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-10, 13).

• Your Testimony

– Keep Christ central.

– Highlight what He has done.

– Use scriptures which explain the gospel as you present your testimony.

– Be brief--three or four minutes should be enough time to cover the essential facts.

– Provide a gospel tract, if possible.

– Don't preach. Use "I," "me," "my"--"not "you."

• Your Testimony

– Your life before Christ

(Don't get bogged down in the details.)

– How you received Christ.

3. Your life after receiving Christ.

Gospel Emphasis

• When sharing the gospel:

– Be sure to emphasize receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. One must receive Jesus for who He is (Lord) and then you get what He has to give you (salvation).

– Do not emphasize heaven as the primary purpose of salvation. We are saved to glorify God, and that begins here on the earth.

Keys to Effective Witness

• Prayer

– Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.

– Who are you praying for to be saved?

• Filling of the Holy Spirit

– Always be yielded to the control of the Holy Spirit and be ready to share Christ with people as opportunities arise.

Fear of Rejection

• The vast majority of people reject Jesus Christ, not you.

– In Matthew 7:14, Jesus said, "For the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life and few are those who find it."

– Paul said, in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, "For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing to the one an aroma from death to death , to the other an aroma from life to life ."

• Some sow the seed, others water, some cultivate, and others gather in the harvest. When we witness, we may not know which we are doing, so share the gospel in the power of the Holy spirit and leave the results to God.

– 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

• Paul’s Declaration

– Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Dealing with Contradiction of Life

• Responding to one who claims to be a Christian but whose life shows no evidence.

• Emphasize obedience to Christ, what it means to receive Jesus as Lord, the need to be filled with the Spirit, etc.

• Do not try to give assurance of salvation to someone who gives no evidence of having been saved.

• "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:17).

• "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).

• "…if you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of mine" (John 8:31).

• "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin because he is born of God" (1 John 3:9).

Conclusion

You are to be a witness by both your life and by proclaiming the Gospel. Living the spirit-filled life enables you to follow God’s promptings to witness without worry and trusting Him for the results. God has given the Bible and your personal testimony as tools to share His plan of salvation. You must share the biblical Gospel of Jesus as Lord, not the gospel of easy believism.