How to Be an Effective Witness

A man, while walking his dog past a two-story house, noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A small column of black smoke pouring out a ground-level window. His heart raced immediately and he began looking around. There was no one else. Only he knew it. He screamed "fire, fire" until he could no longer yell. No lights, no dogs barking...nothing, but deadly silence. Finally, he ran up to the front door and started pounding on it. No response and the smoke was getting worse. He saw open flames now coming out of the window. As a result, he picked up a potted plant and hurled it through a window and jumped in. He looked around and saw no one, then instinctively ran upstairs where he kicked all the bedroom doors open and rescued the family. He was a hero but he had risked his own life in the process. He had some minor cuts and bruises but would survive, along with everyone that was in that now burned out house.

There is a great fire coming alright. And many in our own neighborhoods may have never even believed it, just like those living upstairs felt comfortably numb to their world. Paul said that they can not know it if they have not heard it. And by whom can they hear it if not from us?? We know that God doesn't want anyone to perish so we must be bold (II Pet. 3:9, I King 8:60 KJV).

God doesn't solely want more Christians. And He certainly doesn't want more religious people. God desires disciples after Jesus' own heart; in sharing His testimony about inheriting eternal life through Jesus Christ. All true evangelism, says John McArthur, "...must take the imperfect sinner and place him up against the Perfect Law of God...so they can see their see their deficiency against a Holy God (P. 162).

I heard a shocking stat one time from evangelist Chip Ingram, that only 95% of Christians will help lead at least one other person to Christ. When the number is two or more, it drops to about 1 in 30. [1] That amounts to about 1 and a half witnessing per Protestant Christian church member. The only other stat so heartbreaking, Mr. Ingram went on to say, was that Christians donate only about 2.7% of their income to their local church. This is lost revenue to expand the Kingdom! It is directly related to the churches witnessing, visitation and community outreach in sharing Jesus with the lost. Mr. Ingram, on that same broadcast, said that "Where a person's heart is, will usually be found on their check book register".

How much joy we miss out on in the opportunity to share Jesus Christ with others. My pastor gave me a book last summer that really helped me in remembering the best way to witness, called People Sharing Jesus. [2] It used the acronym F.I.R.M. It's an easy way to remember how to open up a conversation with people using the word FIRM. F is for family, friends, I is for interests of theirs, R is for what religious background or thoughts that they have about religion and M is for the message of the Gospel. This method makes it easy to remember how to open up to people, like starting with talking about their family...their children or even grandchildren. Tell me who doesn't like to dot on their own flesh and blood?

A few years ago I finally started sharing the Gospel, in large part to Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. This book lit a fire under me and I became eager to start sharing the Gospel. Let me tell you, I was fearful at first. One time going door to door I met someone who said that they worshipped the Devil...another lady told me that, "yeah, I'm going to hell, what the (expletive) do you think about that?!" But I discovered that the way to conquer fear was to go out and get scared many times. It gets easier and easier over time. But if I ever forget to pray first, you can just forget about it. Don't go there. However, over time the fear turns into an indescribable joy that I can not even explain to you. Jeremiah 20:9 [NIV] now makes a lot more sense to me and has become my swan song: But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." I must have been ashamed of the Gospel before, but not anymore.

The greatest witnessing tool by far is that of personal testimony. To witness, in the Greek means "to provide evidence for". Under this umbrella of evidence are personal testimonies, relating one's own actual events in their life and directly relating this to others. We are to shine so they see Him, but it says let it shine, not make it shine. Too much light hurts the eyes but neither should we hid it. I have never seen a dove attack (Col. 4:5). There is comfort in your own personal testimony. Especially if we are honest and tell them what God has called us out from. I was like an anti-saint believe me...you can not imagine. I snorted, smoked, shot up, drank or mainlined everything and anything I could get my hands on, until I ended up in prison. My mother didn't want me, I never knew my father. I became homeless, in poverty, hungry, jobless and friendless. Until I came to the end of my self, I was down as far as one could go, I could only look up.

Our good behavior doesn't save. "Many people think they're going to heaven and say that 'I'm a nice person'" (p. 161). Sadly, hell will be full of a lot of "nice people". But it doesn't have to be this way. Jesus saves (Acts 4:12) and it is complete (John 5:24-30). Even I can not mess it up (John 10:28-29). But unless someone is broken over their sin, and repentant, God can not fix what they think is not broken. But the good news is God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Holiness is not the way to Jesus, Jesus is the way to holiness. But it is not all your responsibility, it is your response to His ability. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink: But you can feed him salty peanuts.

This is better than any money-back guarantee could ever be. God's word will never return void or without results (Is. 55:11), but my words sometimes do. Jesus describes it as sowing seed (Mark 4:14-20). And His word is the most fertile of all seeds. We can plant, water or fertilize, but only God gives the increase. There is hope, justification, and eternal life in these seeds for they hold the very words of eternal life. Memorizing scripture is very effective (used during testimony) for each particular situation. The person may feel that they are not worthy or that they could never be good enough but you can tell them when you accept Christ, it doesn't matter how you feel or what you did, it's what He did (John 3:16-17, 10:28-29)! It is also useful to memorize particular verses to like, Acts, 4:12, 16:30-31, Romans 3:32, 6:23, and John 3:16-17, so you can tell people what salvation is really about.

Jesus said that all authority had been given to us by Him, to ensure that this Gospel will be preached (Mt. 28:18, Acts 1:8, 22:15). He gave us a direct order; an imperative command! Would we not obey a direct command from Jesus? Forbid it happens to me. Besides, He will give us the courage and the boldness if we ask Him (John. 17:14, Mt. 10:19-20,22). And why would He not answer a prayer like that!? What keeps us from asking someone, right there on the spot, if they want to accept Jesus as their Savior. And remember to follow up if they do! This is especially important to them. The Holy Spirit will prompt us, in prayer, to say just what is needed. You may even surprise yourself .

So tell someone today, even right now, that today is the day of salvation and that tomorrow may be too late (II Co. 6:1-2). But what if we offend them? So what! Why not risk rejection? There is love in risking a temporary rejection for the sake of their eternal destination. If we are not ashamed of Jesus' name being spoken in public, He will not be ashamed to say our name before the Father. And it is absolutely worth everything (reputation, rejection, public humiliation) in saving someone's life isn't it? If we're ridiculed, so what, we are sharing in His persecutions, which ought to be reason to shout for joy, since we are divine company and the early Apostles considered that a blessing from God! Someone had to be bold enough to tell me and you. And just think of the grateful eternity that these new brothers and sisters in Christ will have with you.

My friends, we must at least try. Being shy might mean missing a witnessing opportunity. It should grieve our souls knowing that family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers may miss out on eternal life from not hear the warning; just because we're shy or afraid of what others will think. Love's risks of rejection can not be measured in eternity. We would do the same for someone in a burning house with sleeping occupants. Pray that God would embolden you and give you the courage to share the Gospel for their sake. We wouldn't be afraid to yell, "fire, fire!". This is not part of the Great Suggestion, but is commanded of every Christian everywhere in every age in every corner of the world. There is a great fire coming. It is nearer today than yesterday. And tomorrow may be too late. Besides, it's not a Hint from Heloise or a suggestion from Dear Abby. It's an direct imperative, directly from Jesus Christ that we do as He said and "Go!" (Math. 28:19).

John McArthur, Truth Endures: Commemorating Forty Years of Unleashing God's Truth, One Verse at a Time, 1969-2009. (P. 162, 161) Panorama, CA Copyright @ 2009 by Grace To You.

1. Chip Ingram, Living On the Edge Ministries. lote.org 10/21/09 radio broadcast.

2. People Sharing Jesus: A Natural, Sensitive Approach to Helping Others Know Christ (Paperback). Darrel W. Robinson. Thomas Nelson Publishers. Atlanta, GA. Copyright, 1995. ISBN 0-7852-7929-6. Paperback