ARE YOU READY, OBLIGATED, INDEBTED, EAGER, AND UNASHAMED?
When you mention God you break a sound barrier that opens doors of spiritual inquiry and brings the subject around to eternal matters. If you can get them to dwell on eternity for a few minutes, you are well on the way to opening their eyes to the eternal truth. There are always drawbacks and pros of being a witness--you may develop enemies or people that express and take out their animus toward Christ on you as an outlet. You must be willing to suffer shame, persecution, and maltreatment for Christ's sake and "share in His sufferings."
There are several so-called sound barriers to break, and don't just be under the illusion that mentioning God is all there is to it: Mentioning the person and work of Christ is where the conviction is, because they will have smoke screens for not accepting this as historical, eternal, objective, and universal truth (which they may deny even exists). People can, and often do, get upset and angry when they don't have the answers and go on the defensive with common intellectual problems they believe you cannot answer to their satisfaction to change the subject and get it off Christ--He is the issue, and steer the conversation His way.
By definition, a witness is someone who has a first-hand account or can attest to a fact personally and experientially. We must bear in mind that God does the wooing, drawing, convicting, and regenerating, we are just to be obedient and speak forth what the Spirit leads us to say faithfully.
Don't be discouraged by personal attack, known as ad hominem, or "to the man," because this just reveals that they don't have the answers nor even adequate questions to challenge you and have resorted to defaming your reputation and discrediting your witness or testimony--just make sure you are not to blame for jeopardizing your testimony. Be willing to suffer for righteousness sake and for the kingdom of God, just like the prophets who were persecuted and even martyred--one of the Beatitudes pronounces a special blessing for this experience. Why? Because experience is the best teacher or the school of hard knocks--you must be willing to get down and dirty or to get your feet wet and venture into uncharted territory.
They have to realize that it takes faith and you cannot scientifically prove any historical event because they are by nature non-repeatable; you can only depend upon how reliable the testimony and witnesses are and their veracity. It is a known fact that people usually tell the truth on their deathbed and would certainly not purposely die for a lie if they could help it and knew it was one. People will die for what they believe is true and even become martyrs but not for what they know is a lie if they are in a position to know the truth of the matter because they were eye-witnesses. God only reveals the truth to those who are willing to obey Him and will not force Himself on anyone--they have the choice and are responsible for it.
Don't expect every encounter in witnessing to be successful, but you are always in a win-win situation and will be rewarded for your faithfulness and standing up for Jesus and being obedient, which is the test of your faith, and, even if the person doesn't get converted by you, you may just be planting a seed that others will water and still someone else reap. The point is not that you will win everyone over but that you gain experience in witnessing and be faithful to the Great Commission--we are ambassadors for Christ and must urge people to believe in Christ for salvation. Thank God that He opened a door and gave opportunity, regardless of the outcome--leave this to God, who is able to make the seed grow.
When they find out that you "know your stuff" they will back down and find excuses to end the dialogue and short-circuit you personally, especially insulting you or getting personal, because there is nothing that can be charged against Christ or make Him a sinner. A good point, in fact, is that you can answer all their questions and they can still be unwilling to believe--it's with the heart that man doesn't believe and the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart.
You might jump ahead and anticipate this by challenging them, "If I answered all your questions satisfactorily, would you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and repent of your sins?" They really don't have intellectual problems, but moral ones and they don't want to live a godly, moral, and spiritual life of obedience to God, but do their own things instead of being accountable to God. They will realize that they might not win the discussion and then they will attempt to abort it by any means they can and look for an easy out that preserves their integrity (this should never degenerate into arguing or insults--you can never argue someone into the kingdom, because you can win the argument and alienate the person--you must nevertheless be a bold witness on behalf of Christ in His name).
They view flaws in your character as evidence against Christianity, but don't know that no one is perfect, not even believers--they are only works in progress who are forgiven. Jesus alone is without flaw and sinless and we should all compare ourselves to Him, not each other. Of course, you may think yourself a saint compared to Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler, but they are not the standard and God doesn't grade on a curve and we all fall short of God's glorious standards. Proving a Christian a hypocrite doesn't show that Christ was flawed or negate the faith.
It is extremely vital that you show love and compassion and patience in witnessing and to be "prepared to give an answer" like Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15. If you are abused for your testimony just be reassured that they treated the prophets in like manner and you are being honored to suffer for His name's sake ("When they say all manner of evil against you falsely..."). God looks at the heart and our motive and even if we make mistakes is able to use it because we are His vessels of honor, not dishonor and God has chosen to use us to convert a dying world with no hope and without God.
Experience is the best teacher and we all have some learning to do--no one has arrived to be the perfect irresistible witness that cannot be denied. You may just be losing a battle, but about to win a war. We must be willing to accept temporary defeat or what seems like a failure, because, with God on our side, we can never lose--"We are more than conquerors through Him." "If God is for us, who can be against us?" We all have a lot to learn but you must get your feet wet and venture out in faith. It may be uncharted territory, but we must be willing to leave our comfort zone and test the waters. It is like any skill in a sport, the more you do it, the better you get at it.
The most important link to success is making a beeline to the gospel and realizing its power to convict. We must learn to depend on the Holy Spirit, not our wisdom or cleverness--be Spirit-led and let God give you an answer for the critics, skeptics, doubters, and even seekers. Try to identify with people and show your compassion, that you care about them--people don't care how much you know, till they find out how much you care. And if you really do care about people you will be concerned about their eternal state and where they will spend eternity--ask God to open the door and talk to God concerning the person, before talking to the person concerning God.
Finally, you will sometimes make a scene, or make enemies--some people are totally negative to the truth and have hardened their hearts. A person is not the same after encountering Jesus, they are either softened or hardened. It is well said that you win some, and you lose some--don't be discouraged because only God can see the person's heart and future. You are designed or tailor-made for a certain sort of witness and appeal especially to them in our sphere of influence and circle of friends.
Steps to heed: Just pray for guidance, be prepared with a testimony, know the gospel message, and always look for and sense an open door (jumping at the chance to ask intriguing questions that pique curiosity about salvation, such as, "Do you know what is on the other side?" Other good ones are: "Why should God let you into His heaven?" And "Are you 100 percent sure you would go to heaven if you died right now?" Jump at the opportunity like the saying, "Seize the day!" This may be your big chance, so "go for it!" Soli Deo Gloria!
There are several so-called sound barriers to break, and don't just be under the illusion that mentioning God is all there is to it: Mentioning the person and work of Christ is where the conviction is, because they will have smoke screens for not accepting this as historical, eternal, objective, and universal truth (which they may deny even exists). People can, and often do, get upset and angry when they don't have the answers and go on the defensive with common intellectual problems they believe you cannot answer to their satisfaction to change the subject and get it off Christ--He is the issue, and steer the conversation His way.
By definition, a witness is someone who has a first-hand account or can attest to a fact personally and experientially. We must bear in mind that God does the wooing, drawing, convicting, and regenerating, we are just to be obedient and speak forth what the Spirit leads us to say faithfully.
Don't be discouraged by personal attack, known as ad hominem, or "to the man," because this just reveals that they don't have the answers nor even adequate questions to challenge you and have resorted to defaming your reputation and discrediting your witness or testimony--just make sure you are not to blame for jeopardizing your testimony. Be willing to suffer for righteousness sake and for the kingdom of God, just like the prophets who were persecuted and even martyred--one of the Beatitudes pronounces a special blessing for this experience. Why? Because experience is the best teacher or the school of hard knocks--you must be willing to get down and dirty or to get your feet wet and venture into uncharted territory.
They have to realize that it takes faith and you cannot scientifically prove any historical event because they are by nature non-repeatable; you can only depend upon how reliable the testimony and witnesses are and their veracity. It is a known fact that people usually tell the truth on their deathbed and would certainly not purposely die for a lie if they could help it and knew it was one. People will die for what they believe is true and even become martyrs but not for what they know is a lie if they are in a position to know the truth of the matter because they were eye-witnesses. God only reveals the truth to those who are willing to obey Him and will not force Himself on anyone--they have the choice and are responsible for it.
Don't expect every encounter in witnessing to be successful, but you are always in a win-win situation and will be rewarded for your faithfulness and standing up for Jesus and being obedient, which is the test of your faith, and, even if the person doesn't get converted by you, you may just be planting a seed that others will water and still someone else reap. The point is not that you will win everyone over but that you gain experience in witnessing and be faithful to the Great Commission--we are ambassadors for Christ and must urge people to believe in Christ for salvation. Thank God that He opened a door and gave opportunity, regardless of the outcome--leave this to God, who is able to make the seed grow.
When they find out that you "know your stuff" they will back down and find excuses to end the dialogue and short-circuit you personally, especially insulting you or getting personal, because there is nothing that can be charged against Christ or make Him a sinner. A good point, in fact, is that you can answer all their questions and they can still be unwilling to believe--it's with the heart that man doesn't believe and the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart.
You might jump ahead and anticipate this by challenging them, "If I answered all your questions satisfactorily, would you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and repent of your sins?" They really don't have intellectual problems, but moral ones and they don't want to live a godly, moral, and spiritual life of obedience to God, but do their own things instead of being accountable to God. They will realize that they might not win the discussion and then they will attempt to abort it by any means they can and look for an easy out that preserves their integrity (this should never degenerate into arguing or insults--you can never argue someone into the kingdom, because you can win the argument and alienate the person--you must nevertheless be a bold witness on behalf of Christ in His name).
They view flaws in your character as evidence against Christianity, but don't know that no one is perfect, not even believers--they are only works in progress who are forgiven. Jesus alone is without flaw and sinless and we should all compare ourselves to Him, not each other. Of course, you may think yourself a saint compared to Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler, but they are not the standard and God doesn't grade on a curve and we all fall short of God's glorious standards. Proving a Christian a hypocrite doesn't show that Christ was flawed or negate the faith.
It is extremely vital that you show love and compassion and patience in witnessing and to be "prepared to give an answer" like Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15. If you are abused for your testimony just be reassured that they treated the prophets in like manner and you are being honored to suffer for His name's sake ("When they say all manner of evil against you falsely..."). God looks at the heart and our motive and even if we make mistakes is able to use it because we are His vessels of honor, not dishonor and God has chosen to use us to convert a dying world with no hope and without God.
Experience is the best teacher and we all have some learning to do--no one has arrived to be the perfect irresistible witness that cannot be denied. You may just be losing a battle, but about to win a war. We must be willing to accept temporary defeat or what seems like a failure, because, with God on our side, we can never lose--"We are more than conquerors through Him." "If God is for us, who can be against us?" We all have a lot to learn but you must get your feet wet and venture out in faith. It may be uncharted territory, but we must be willing to leave our comfort zone and test the waters. It is like any skill in a sport, the more you do it, the better you get at it.
The most important link to success is making a beeline to the gospel and realizing its power to convict. We must learn to depend on the Holy Spirit, not our wisdom or cleverness--be Spirit-led and let God give you an answer for the critics, skeptics, doubters, and even seekers. Try to identify with people and show your compassion, that you care about them--people don't care how much you know, till they find out how much you care. And if you really do care about people you will be concerned about their eternal state and where they will spend eternity--ask God to open the door and talk to God concerning the person, before talking to the person concerning God.
Finally, you will sometimes make a scene, or make enemies--some people are totally negative to the truth and have hardened their hearts. A person is not the same after encountering Jesus, they are either softened or hardened. It is well said that you win some, and you lose some--don't be discouraged because only God can see the person's heart and future. You are designed or tailor-made for a certain sort of witness and appeal especially to them in our sphere of influence and circle of friends.
Steps to heed: Just pray for guidance, be prepared with a testimony, know the gospel message, and always look for and sense an open door (jumping at the chance to ask intriguing questions that pique curiosity about salvation, such as, "Do you know what is on the other side?" Other good ones are: "Why should God let you into His heaven?" And "Are you 100 percent sure you would go to heaven if you died right now?" Jump at the opportunity like the saying, "Seize the day!" This may be your big chance, so "go for it!" Soli Deo Gloria!
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