Chapter Ten

Sharing Christ

Who to witness to

When you are out witnessing, be in an attitude of prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to someone. It is important to have someone with you to help assist with any distractions from others. Your witness will be more effective if the person you are witnessing to can hear just you. If you are not sure who to speak to, then speak to everyone unless the Holy Spirit says not to. Jesus said that He was not willing any should perish.

Proverbs 3
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

Matthew 18
11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Therefore, we should feel free to witness to anyone. However, I do not witness to young children. In today's society your intention to share Christ with a young child could be misinterpreted.

When someone tells you they are not a Christian or that they never professed Christ as their Lord and Savior then you should be prepared to lead them in prayer. First, I recommend that you pray a preparatory prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to convict them. This prayer seems to allow the words you speak to be heard by their heart. When I do not pray this prayer, many times the witness ends up in much discussion on their part about religion or some other subject.

The Approach

As you approach the person it is always a good idea to have something to give them. A Christian sticker or tract is always good to hand someone. Many times this is the easiest way to make contact with someone. Introduce yourself and listen for their name so you may use it later in your conversation. If they do not speak English, see if one of their children can interpret for you. I often use their family members to interpret for me as I witness. Also, see the chapter called "The Approach" for more detailed information on how to approach someone with your witness.

The Question

It is always a good idea to make general conversation first and try to enjoy their friendship. Say to them, "I must ask you a question before I leave. We are visiting everyone and ensuring that they know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior." Ask them the following:

"If you died tonight would you know without a doubt that you would go to heaven? Please answer as if God were listening."

While they are thinking, you should pray silently and ask the Holy Spirit to search their heart. Pray with your eyes open and don't let them see you pray. It could create confusion if they see you pray for them. If they respond with a yes, then ask the following:

"Have you prayed a prayer aloud and personally invited Him into your heart?"

Continue your conversation until you are assured that Christ is in them.

Next open your Bible and show them Romans 10: 8-10 and read it out loud. Place their name in the scripture where it seems appropriate. This makes the Word of God even more personal. It is a good idea to explain the scriptures as you go along. The following scriptures have some suggested comments added in them. The suggested comments that I use are in parentheses in the scriptures below.

Sharing the Scriptures

Romans 10
8 But what saith it? (Everyone wants to know what God is saying to them. The scriptures are asking what does God say. Well let's see together.) The word is nigh thee, (Hold the Bible out and show them. This says that the Word is near you. Even right in front of you.) even in thy mouth, (It is in my mouth right now and it could be in yours. I am speaking it now.) And in thy heart: (The Word is in my heart and it can be in yours.) That is, the word of faith, which we preach; (The Bible says that faith comes by hearing God's Word. The Word of God will actually give you the ability to believe. But, we must say it aloud and let our heart hear it and faith will come.)
9 That if thou (Place their name in place of thou.) shalt confess with thy (Place their name in place of thy.) mouth the Lord Jesus, (The Bible says that we make a confession out loud. Let's see what happens when we do this.) And shalt believe in thine (Place their name in place of thine.) heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Ok, it says that if we say we believe that Jesus is Lord and God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. But, He has asked us to confess the scriptures out loud. He will help us to believe. Let's look at the next verse.)
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; (Remember He will give you the ability to believe.) And with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (The Bible asks us to say it aloud. When we do this, we are doing what God has asked us to do to be saved. )

After I have read and explained the scriptures, I tell them, "You too can have the Word in your heart and be saved right this moment and you can know without a doubt that you will go to heaven when you die. If you would like to pray that prayer to confess Christ as your Lord then simply take my hand right now and we will pray together." You see it is easier to take someone's hand and thereby say yes than to first say yes with their voice. Also, this gives you a point of contact as you pray for them.

Now pray the sinners' prayer with them that we discussed and tell them about this new life that they have just received. It is always a good idea to give them a tract that has the scriptures you used in it and to give them a Bible. I always like to write their name in their Bible and the date they were saved. Also, I write the scripture references that I used in the front of the Bible.

Prayer of Rededication

Oftentimes while someone has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior once in their life, they may not be living for Him right now. They may be backsliden and according to their own words feel they would not go to heaven if they were to die. I find that almost one-third of those I speak to in the streets once knew Christ and have fallen away. It is so important to ask the Question and issue the invitation to receive Christ even if they have once been saved. I generally use the same techniques on those that have backsliden as I use with those that have never known Christ. We do ask them if they want to come back to Christ instead of asking if they want to know Christ. Sometimes those that have fallen away have become hardened to the scriptures and God.

Now you may ask them if they would like to rededicate their life. And say the following:

"If you feel that He is not as close to you as when you first began to walk with Him or if you have fallen away, would you like to pray and rededicate your life right now? Then simply take my hand and we will pray together." This gives you a point of contact as you pray for them. It is a very important point to note that you will lead the prayer. I have seen some confused and did not want to come to Christ because they did not know how to pray. Make it clear that you will lead them in prayer. Also, I have seen that those that I train will have more success if they ask for someone to respond by an acknowledgment of simply taking your hand, and thereby saying yes in their heart to praying with you.

If they say yes, then have them pray the following aloud. Tell them sometimes it is best to begin new with Christ when someone has fallen away.

Sinner's Prayer

"Father, in Jesus Name I ask you the best way I know how that you forgive my sins and take my life and direct it, lead it, and guide it, all the days of my life. I want to know You in a more personal way and help me to grow in Your Word. I believe that You died on the Cross for me and that You were raised from the dead. I confess You as my Lord. In Jesus name I pray. Amen."

This New Life

Now tell them how to walk in this world and that life is a series of decisions and we must make the decisions that our heart and the Word of God is telling us. This is called repentance and that is turning away from what we know is wrong. I never tell them what to do, I let the Holy Spirit tell them about what things in their life they need to deal with. God deals with all of us differently and we must let God do the work in their lives. I tell them that their life is a long journey and they will sin and do things wrong but it is important to know that we can ask for the Lord to forgive us. We should ask for His forgiveness and protection everyday as we walk in this world. Ask them to tell someone what has happened to them. It is a good idea to give them a Bible and materials that explain their new life in Christ.

Street University Lesson Ten

Group Discussion

1. Discuss the questions to determine if someone may be out of fellowship with God or backsliden.

2. Discuss the most difficult witness you ever had that did not come to know Christ. Allow the group to participate with you to discuss what could have been done differently in the witness.

Bible Study

1. Make a list of scriptures about our new life in Christ.
Romans 5:9, Romans 6:18, Colossians 1:12, Psalms 27:1, 1 John 5:4 Hebrews 4:16, Hebrews 11:6, 2 Timothy 1:7, Romans 8:17, 2 Peter 1:4, Galatians 2:20, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 3:21, 1 John 5:13, Romans 8:2, Romans 8:36, Colossians 3:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17

2. Study the scriptures for references that are examples of Christ speaking to someone's heart.
John 4:4-26, Mark 10:17-22

3. Make a list of the different types of people that Christ shared with.
The poor in Matthew 11:4-6, A good moral man and a leader in John 3:1-10, An adulterous woman and the religious in John 8:3-11, A rich man in Luke 19:2-10

Assignment

1. Practice with someone by leading them to rededicate to Christ.

Optional Assignment

1. Take your group to the streets and homes surrounding your church to witness.