WITNESSING

[princessdeb4111962]

Hello everyone,
My question is:
Tell me how you witness for Christ Please?the bible says that all Christians should be out saving the lost.I'm a new walking Christian and I feel so strong in my heart God wants me to witness to my family and other lost people but just the thought of it makes me nervous,scared,I'm very shy,I don't want to feel rejected,I'm sweating just thinking about it,so please help me thanks God bless you all DJ

 

[MahogonySnail]

Just ask them if they beileve in God and go from there.

 

[wattie]

As a church family, we set up a table for public to come to. At the table we offer drinks without charge in return for doing a survey about what life is for. This survey leads in to a gospel presentation.. where members of the public are given a chance to receive Christ right there.

This is very effective.. because the survey is non-threatening and if people don want to hear what Jesus said life was for.. we just say ok... see you later.. we don force it on them.

The challenge is if we do see people praying to receive Christ into their lives.. to encourage them to come to church.. pursue Jesus. They stay saved if they don't go to church.. don go after Jesus.. but won't have as nearly as much growth as if they learn the bible and have fellowship with other believers.

 

[pickles]

I often question wether I should be doing more. Most of those that i speak to know about Jesus. They are what I call the walking wounded. Because of bad expeariances they have walked away or reject Jesus compleatly. I try to witness by how I live, and love Jesus. My hope that by not judging or forcing. my faith will bear witness. I gently share when the oppertunity arises. Sometimes I wonder if I should be more agressive and have often prayed about it. A bruised reed he will not crush comes to mind. But with a sence of time is short I am beginning to question if I should do more. I can only trust in Jesus on this, he has never failed to give me the push when needed. So maby a little push is what I should do. God bless, pickles

 

[watchmen]

You know what is really hard is witnessing to ''church members'' that think they are saved, and are really on their way to Hell. They refused the truth worse than any unbelievers out there.

 

[starfield]

Hello everyone,
My question is:
Tell me how you witness for Christ Please?the bible says that all Christians should be out saving the lost.I'm a new walking Christian and I feel so strong in my heart God wants me to witness to my family and other lost people but just the thought of it makes me nervous,scared,I'm very shy,I don't want to feel rejected,I'm sweating just thinking about it,so please help me thanks God bless you all DJ

In addition to what others have said, I examine Jesus' approach in sharing the gospel in Mark 10:17-31

Instead of telling them they are sinners (it will sound judgmental), ask them if they have broken the law of God. If they are not saved, share your testimony to them about how Jesus changed your life and He can do the same for them. Pray before and after evangelizing because it is the Holy Spirit that will convert them and give you the right words to say.

In my church, we give out gospel tracts and I find it very effective and easier.

Witnessing is not the easiest thing in the world but God will assist you.
God bless.

 

[BLC]

Hello everyone,
My question is:
Tell me how you witness for Christ Please?the bible says that all Christians should be out saving the lost.I'm a new walking Christian and I feel so strong in my heart God wants me to witness to my family and other lost people but just the thought of it makes me nervous,scared,I'm very shy,I don't want to feel rejected,I'm sweating just thinking about it,so please help me thanks God bless you all DJ

You are the kind of person that God can use because your heart is after God. Every time we go out and witness by knocking on a door, speaking to people on the street or at work, passing a tract to a stranger, sending an email to a friend, writing a letter or whatever the case may be, and we mention the name of Jesus Christ, whether they receive what we have to say or not, God keeps a record of that time and writes it in a book and puts beside it, 'Well Done'. Every time we confess the name of Jesus Christ before men, Jesus Christ confesses our name before the Father in heaven (Mt 10:32) and when we get there we will hear, 'Well Done'.

We live our lives before men but unto God. The next time you meet a lost soul, think and picture in your mind all their sin being transferred to Christ on the cross and then picture them putting everything aside in their life and believing upon His name for salvation. If God has drawn them and their heart is ready, they will believe. If the seed has to be planted or watered then you have done it because of your faith and obedience. Then you can rest in the faithfulness and love of God for that person.

 

[1still_waters]

Complicated topic. You have so many issues to think about.

Am I doing what God wants?

Am I being obnoxious?

Is what I'm doing, doing more to harm the furtherance of the Gospel than advance it?

Is it necessary for me to be preachy and alienate everyone in my life simply because I'm called to "witness"?

I think one of the major concerns we should be aware of is the obnoxious factor. Christians have been known to do many things all in the name of witnessing. This may include things like preaching over and over to family members and friends who are clearly not accepting the message. Confronting people on their 'sin' every time they may say a word or action that you find offensive. Or simply pushing your faith down someone else's throat!

I know Jesus said the world will hate us because of him, but sometimes I wonder if the world hates some of us, simply because we're obnoxious and lack any tact in the delivery and timing of the Gospel.

I really can't define for YOU what is the proper balance between sharing your faith and just being totally obnoxious and annoying. You're the only one who knows the dynamics of your personal relationships. This is something you will have to wrestle with and work with on your own.

 

[imoss]

Hello everyone,
My question is:
Tell me how you witness for Christ Please?the bible says that all Christians should be out saving the lost.I'm a new walking Christian and I feel so strong in my heart God wants me to witness to my family and other lost people but just the thought of it makes me nervous,scared,I'm very shy,I don't want to feel rejected,I'm sweating just thinking about it,so please help me thanks God bless you all DJ

First of all, you are a new Christian... concentrate primarily on your relationship with the LOrd and knowing him and his will through his word. Do your bible study and prayer at least once daily. As you grow in the Lord they will see the changes in you and already the light of Christ In you radiates from within. They can see this better than you can feel it! Yes you should definitely witness... for a new Christian the story of your conversion is an amazing God given witness tool. b4 I go into any situation (my husband & I are surrounded by unbelief) I pray for the Lord to give me the oportunity and the words for all I encounter. Very rarely does the Lord not come up & usually always initiated in some way by the person i'm speaking to. Also, know that we all have different personalities... i am very outgoing so to boldly speak up for the Lord is quite easy for me... my husband is quite shy and so for him its more difficult... i tell you what though, he's a man of few words so when he speaks people listen. me... blah blah blah they can tune out! Also, pray for a softening of their hearts to hear and to see the will of God in your life that they may come to the Lord too. I pray for there not to be a lost soul in my entire family... its huge, my dad had 11 brothers & sisters & i pray for that entire clan along with my moms side & my husbands family... So we can also have prayer ministry for those around us and the Lord will send bold people to them. If you are shy and unsure of exactly what to say thats when its the Holy Spirit in you working through you and GOD gets all the glory cause on your own you can do nothing but with Christ all things are possible! pray for the oportunity so its natural & pray for the words and the spirit will interceed on your behalf. God bless you as you walk. "how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" Romans 10: 15 I think the beauty of the feet is mentioned because its the feet that move us. Your sister in Christ!

 

[imoss]

Complicated topic. You have so many issues to think about.

Am I doing what God wants?

Am I being obnoxious?

Is what I'm doing, doing more to harm the furtherance of the Gospel than advance it?

Is it necessary for me to be preachy and alienate everyone in my life simply because I'm called to "witness"?

I think one of the major concerns we should be aware of is the obnoxious factor. Christians have been known to do many things all in the name of witnessing. This may include things like preaching over and over to family members and friends who are clearly not accepting the message. Confronting people on their 'sin' every time they may say a word or action that you find offensive. Or simply pushing your faith down someone else's throat!

I know Jesus said the world will hate us because of him, but sometimes I wonder if the world hates some of us, simply because we're obnoxious and lack any tact in the delivery and timing of the Gospel.

I really can't define for YOU what is the proper balance between sharing your faith and just being totally obnoxious and annoying. You're the only one who knows the dynamics of your personal relationships. This is something you will have to wrestle with and work with on your own.

Very well stated stilly, If we pray for the oportunity to witness the Lord is faithful & sometimes he tells us to just be quiet and listen... when we feel the nudge of the Holy spirit that the person is turning away we need to quickly listen and not keep pressing. My dad curses God as a regular part of his conversation... i say a silent prayer each and every time because b4 i'd say "is my lord & saviour" after he'd curse and then it would escalate the behaviour. now i bring it to his attention in other ways, like he had a plane trip planned he cursed God and i said careful dad, you are going on a plane then i did like the plane doing a crash & a whistelling sound with my hand being the plane. after that every time he'd swear my boys would do the plane crash motions... dad laughed and stopped... for awhile. now i need to find something else to bring it to his attention cause he doesnt even realize. I do say little ears cause my boys are there... but he doesnt hear that in spite of his rather large ears.

 

[imoss]

You know what is really hard is witnessing to ''church members'' that think they are saved, and are really on their way to Hell. They refused the truth worse than any unbelievers out there.

hmmm... I dont understand this. Do you mean they never really accepted Jesus as Lord and saviour or do you mean they havent done the work to earn their salvation? If they are church members I think the Lord is at work in their life & we need to worry about NOT judging the works of others who have accepted the Lord, judge our own heart and rebuke righteously in love, when you see fellow believers straying from the path. Also, I dont think this thread is about losing salvation, its about ministering to the lost. I dont agree with you that someone who's saved is not saved and you have no right to judge the heart of another believer. DONT FORGET... rebuke in LOVE not in pride.

 

[watchmen]

Originally Posted by watchmen

You know what is really hard is witnessing to ''church members'' that think they are saved, and are really on their way to Hell. They refused the truth worse than any unbelievers out there.

hmmm... I dont understand this. Do you mean they never really accepted Jesus as Lord and saviour or do you mean they havent done the work to earn their salvation? If they are church members I think the Lord is at work in their life & we need to worry about NOT judging the works of others who have accepted the Lord, judge our own heart and rebuke righteously in love, when you see fellow believers straying from the path. Also, I dont think this thread is about losing salvation, its about ministering to the lost. I dont agree with you that someone who's saved is not saved and you have no right to judge the heart of another believer. DONT FORGET... rebuke in LOVE not in pride.

Whether they ever really accepted Jesus as Savoir or if they have turned back into sin, someone living in repeated, unrepentant, chronic sin are lost, and not saved at all. However there are many in the church living in this state of false security because of false teachings within the church. They are in as much or even more peril as those that have never been saved, or have never attended a church service, they are in as much need or even more of the truth as someone who knows they are lost. Yes it is much easier to witness to someone who knows there lost, than to someone who falsely believe themselves to be already saved.

 

[imoss]

Whether they ever really accepted Jesus as Savoir or if they have turned back into sin, someone living in repeated, unrepentant, chronic sin are lost, and not saved at all. However there are many in the church living in this state of false security because of false teachings within the church. They are in as much or even more peril as those that have never been saved, or have never attended a church service, they are in as much need or even more of the truth as someone who knows they are lost. Yes it is much easier to witness to someone who knows there lost, than to someone who falsely believe themselves to be already saved.

i'm as saved today as i was 18 years ago when i first believed and slowly my life began to change. Back when i'd sin & feel so guilty i couldnt pray for days... I was too ashamed, I was saved on those days. I'll cling to my saviour and try my best to please God & fail & repent and do it all over again cause i'm human & if i could do it on my own there would be no reason for a saviour. We are saved... we are saved we are saved... praise God for Jesus who makes us white as snow! and if i die in the split second between a bad thought and repentance... well i'll be just fine cause "when i go dont cry for me in my fathers arms i'll be sun and moon will be replaced with the light of Jesus face." (Jars of Clay) Praying you truly feel the HOLY SPIRIT within you who gives us the blessed assurance of the price Christ paid for us and gives us the conviction when we mis-step. Hear the words of the believers around you. Praying you will no longer be opressed by your belief of works (this may actually be a pride issue too) and that you can truly move on to the joyous part of knowing Christ... the part where its a JOY to try to please him & you arent just doing it in ****ation avoidance. You are working hard to please God but I got a secret to share with you.... are you ready for it??? YOU, righteous you, who has knowledge of all the failings of many other Christians, fail to please God daily, how is it i know about that evil thought you just had? or the lust you felt? we all do. And you can rest easy if you have a heart attack right after a bad thought, the Lord knows your heart and your desire to absolutely do his will and only his will. Choose Christ not watchman cause Christ is unfailing. I think that you are absolutely necessary for the righteous rebuke of Christians, dont get me wrong. and when you post i listen and review... I just think you probably waste alot of time focusing on other peoples sin, time that would be better spent praising the LORD!

 

[imoss]

Sorry, i'm in a nit picky mood. I think i need to go clean my house. literally & figuratively.

 

[watchmen]

i'm as saved today as i was 18 years ago when i first believed and slowly my life began to change. Back when i'd sin & feel so guilty i couldnt pray for days... I was too ashamed, I was saved on those days. I'll cling to my saviour and try my best to please God & fail & repent and do it all over again cause i'm human & if i could do it on my own there would be no reason for a saviour. We are saved... we are saved we are saved... praise God for Jesus who makes us white as snow! and if i die in the split second between a bad thought and repentance... well i'll be just fine

I believe your are saved imoss, that doesn't mean everyone in the church is. When I state that many are lost that doesnot have to include you. You shouldn;'t take it personally, you were no where near my mind when I wrote my post. However many in the church are lost, and need to be witnessed to, told the truth about the state of their soul. Further more I see that by your post you were repentant when you sinned. I am not speaking of those that are trying to serve God and sli[p up here and there, I am referring to those that are living in open unashamed rebellion to God and His word, yet name the name of Christ.

Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

 

[BLC]

A believer that has the Holy Spirit of the living God has a faith that is available and optimistic. They have a faith that works and is motivated by the love of God that believes all things are possible with God. Faith doesn't concern itself with the dictates of the fleshly mind of Adam. God asks who will go for us and faith says, 'Here am I send me'! God says when you go I will go with you and faith says, 'Thank you for that promise and I am expecting it'!

Faith looks at things that are not as though they were. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen. Faith says I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me and doesn't worry about the consequences because they belong to God. Faith says that God will supply all my need and will give me the right words to speak that are spirit and life. Faith isn't negative, it is positive because it believes God and not the flesh or the insecurity of Adam (the old sin nature). Faith puts no confidence in man or the arm of the flesh (Jer 17:5).

When we decide to witness or go soul winning, we don't talk ourselves out of it because we don't feel adequate. That wouldn't be faith, that would be unbelief. We are more than able to do all things because we have access to the God of all grace, the Father of all mercy who is able. God has said in (Jer 32:27), Behold I am the LORD, the God of all flesh, is there anything to hard for me?

 

[imoss]

I believe your are saved imoss, that doesn't mean everyone in the church is. When I state that many are lost that doesnot have to include you. You shouldn;'t take it personally, you were no where near my mind when I wrote my post. However many in the church are lost, and need to be witnessed to, told the truth about the state of their soul. Further more I see that by your post you were repentant when you sinned. I am not speaking of those that are trying to serve God and sli[p up here and there, I am referring to those that are living in open unashamed rebellion to God and His word, yet name the name of Christ.

Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

Love that passage too! I wasnt thinking that you were referring to me, I was thinking that we cant say for sure if someone is heaven or hell bound after they've received the Lord. I refer to myself because thats what my experience in this area is based on. My husband & i lived together for 3 years when i first came to the Lord. We justified it by noting that we are totally and completely committed to each other but just didnt have the funds to do the marriage. I now know that the justifications were excuses to have a big fancy wedding thus feeding the flesh instead of God's will, I have a hard time believing, knowing my heart at the time, that i would have been hell bound, thats all, even though i was knowingly continuing in sin. I do understand what you say though, however i'm inclined to wonder if the ones who continue living contrary to God are truly saved/born again or if they are just church members... I'm coming to learn there is a difference. I kept feeling like we should do the right thing so we got a loan and did it. That conviction has to come from within & it did & it will with those church members of yours providing they are truly "born again".

Oh & GREAT post BLC!.

 

[watchmen]

Love that passage too! I wasnt thinking that you were referring to me, I was thinking that we cant say for sure if someone is heaven or hell bound after they've received the Lord.

Sure we can.
Matthew 7
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

 

[BLC]

Sure we can.
Matthew 7
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

What is the fruit that you will know them by? Explain the difference between good fruit and evil fruit? What is the will of the Father that you are suppose to be doing? Don't be vague, don't be shallow, be specific (if you can). Can you be having this good fruit and then just give it all up, reject your salvation and go to hell, just like that? There's no room in your book is for backsliding or being carnal as a believer, no room for God chastening those He loves or for longsuffering?

BTW - How do you know that you are in and doing the will of God at this present time? What is the fruit that would demonstrate that you are in the will of God? Is the fruit, you pointing out the sins and shortcomings of others? Is it the fruit, you judging who is saved and who is not? Is the fruit, those that live holy and those who do not? I thought that love was the fruit of the Spirit, that believes all things and hopes all things and endures all things and doesn't think evil of any man. I thought that joy was the fruit of love, that peace, longsuffering, gentleness and goodness was the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I thought giving a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple was the fruit of loving your neighbor. I thought believing the best and building up the brethren was the fruit of grace. I thought that taking the blame for another man's guilt was the fruit of mercy.

 

[pickles]

Do not love me in word, but in deed and truth. God bless, pickles