Chapter Five

How To Witness

I have seen many approaches to witnessing and many books on the subject. Many of the teachings are based upon an organized way to lead someone to the Lord. We choose to teach how to rely more upon the Person of the Holy Spirit and the scriptures in our witness. We have no formulas or complicated methods to win the lost. The most powerful witness is allowing the love of God to flow through you as you witness. People in the streets or those we meet as we go door to door can quickly see through a person. They know if you genuinely care for them. Remember to make friends first, then share the gospel with them.

Your witnessing will be more fruitful if you see the heart of the person you are speaking to. I try to listen to the person. Allow them to speak all they want. Allow yourself to see their heart. Oftentimes their words will describe their heart. We find many people that are hurting and turned off by religion. Don't jump into their conversation and interrupt it. Let them share all their hurt with you. Listen to the heart of the person and be sensitive to what they are saying. Tell them that you care and that you feel that this is why you are in the streets. People will then understand that you care for them. Take time with the one person you are with. Don't be thinking about the time or anything else. Give that one person all of your attention. They are the reason that you are in the streets. Now when you speak, you will speak with your heart into their heart. The very love of God will penetrate their heart. As you share the scriptures with them don't just read it. Experience the scriptures with them. Let it come into your own heart as you read it like it is the first time that you heard it. When you pray the sinners' prayer with them, pray with the same emotion and compassion as the first time you prayed it. If you will open your heart while you are witnessing, the Holy Spirit will lead you and speak through you. He will give you the words to speak to that one person that He has lead you to.

Our simplest and yet most effective example comes from the Book of Acts. Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to an Ethiopian and was effective in leading him to Christ and on to water baptism. All of my witness in the streets has followed this simple pattern. Yes, the words and the surroundings may vary, but the methods do not. We must allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit of God, use the scriptures, explain them, and ask the question. Also, we need to share with them about water baptism and this new life they have experienced.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you
Acts 8
26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

Share the witness
30 And Phillip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

Use the Word of God
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and
preached unto him Jesus.

Ask the question
37And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Water Baptism
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Lead them in prayer and share about the new life and water baptism.

We should be excited and bold with our witness and not let an abnormal world make us an abnormal witness. Your witness must be motivated from deep within you. One who has chosen to be a witness for Christ must be willing to be an example of Him. Others are watching your life. I was witnessing to an eighty-three year old man and he said something interesting to me. He was saying that the Bible he reads is people's lives. He watches their lives to see if the gospel is true. Apparently, he had found no one in his opinion who was an example of Christ. However, we should note that it is sad if there are few living the life of a Christian as found in the Word. This man did receive Christ as his Lord after we shared the scriptures with him. It was not our life that impressed him to be saved, but it was the scriptures. I am sure that most who had previously witnessed to him pursued the argument rather than the witness of Christ. It is so sad that he found no example all those years. Allow the love of God to flow into others' lives. Don't allow the world to control your witness but rather speak to the heart. Also, allow your Christian love to flow into them. When we met this man he was going through trash cans to search for aluminum cans. His clothes and hands were dirty, yet we extended our hands and a hug to him as we extended our hearts. Allow the Lord to love others through you.

It is the Lord's will that all be saved. I have often thought that if you know enough to be saved, you know enough to witness. The assurance we find in the scriptures for our own salvation are often the same scriptures used to present the gospel. Oftentimes when we see people's circumstances or their appearances, we wonder if God can really save them. Yes, the Lord can save anybody and He can use you to lead them. It is so important that we don't debate religion, but simply witness with the truth. Witnessing is not a plan but it is presenting the person of Jesus Christ. It is not a method that saves, it is the message. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Let's rely more upon the Holy Spirit than our techniques.

To know Jesus you must repent, believe, and have knowledge. We should let the emphasis and focus be on Christ. It is very important to use the Word of God when we witness. Take a Bible with you when witnessing to be identified as a follower of Jesus Christ. People are convicted just by the Word of God. You should open the Bible and point to the verse so the person that you are witnessing to can read the Word of God with you. Be sure and have them read it or you can read it and put their name in the scriptures where it seems appropriate. Have the Word of God with you at all times. If you don't have the Word with you it indicates you don't think you are going to need it. When you carry the Word, you are prepared for God to use you.

If someone says they don't believe the Bible, you should act like you didn't hear them the first time and continue reading. If they say that they don't believe the Word, then say, "Then it won't hurt you will it?" If they continue to say they do not believe the Word, then say, "What is there about Romans 6:23 that you don't believe?" Read the scripture to them and explain to them that since salvation is a free gift and if hell is a real place, then it would not hurt them to pray and allow the Lord a chance to show them that He is real.

Romans 6
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Quickly you will see that they are discussing the Word of God with you. Always remember that it is not you convicting them, it is the Holy Spirit. It is not your words but the words of the Holy Spirit. If they are going to argue, let them speak until they are finished and simply use the Word and stay with the message of the Cross and the Word of God. You should have only one purpose and that is to share Christ by using the Word of God. Don't get sidetracked. Just simply share Christ. Don't defend your church but rather just talk about Jesus. God is able to produce the fruit of a new birth from the scripture you share with them from your heart.

Our witness must be consistent and we should establish a pattern of witnessing all the time. I go out witnessing almost every weekend whether I feel like witnessing or not. Every time I begin witnessing I am so glad I came. Oftentimes, I wonder when someone is saved what would have happened if I had not come. Sometimes we will sow seed as we witness. Sometimes we will harvest seed. We can be an effective witness and we can plant, cultivate, and harvest all at the same time. Yes, we are in a time that the Holy Spirit is harvesting souls as the Word of God is sown.

Amos 9
13 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

To be an effective witness we must issue the invitation by inviting others to Christ. We need to develop an attitude for witnessing and realize that God can save and that He will work through you. Also, an effective witness shows love toward everyone. We must witness with an attitude of understanding and not be confrontational. Let's have an attitude that Jesus is with us when we witness. Your witnessing life will not be any stronger than your own life in Christ.

We don't need to wait for the ideal circumstance because it may never come. Simply be bold and compassionate with your witness. Sometimes I create an environment for witness. What I mean by this is if I am in a disruptive area, I will ask the person to step over to an area where I can speak to them. Occasionally someone may want to argue with you. If someone is arguing loudly, just keep your pitch soft and volume levels the same. They will come down to your volume. We should stay in the spirit of communication as we witness and further develop our prayer life. There is no substitute for prayer.

The following are a few of the common sense things that a witness should remember as they are in the streets and sharing the witness of Christ.

DO

• Ask them if they would like to receive Christ.
  
• Use sidewalks as you walk door to door and be respectful of others' property.
  
• Invite others to your church.
  
• Obtain follow-up information for the pastor or minister of visitation.
  
• Drive your vehicle as a witness in the streets and obey all laws.
  
• Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
  
• Have them pray the sinners' prayer aloud with you.
  
• Use scriptures in your witness.
  
• As you walk from door to door pray and ask God to be with you.
  
• Prayer walk the area you will be witnessing in.

DON'T

• Don't take risks.
  
• Don't repeat anything told to you in confidence.
  
• Don't debate religion.
  
• Don't be confrontational with others.
  
• Don't be disruptive.
  
• Don't say words that can be misinterpreted.
  
• Don't be judgmental.
  
• Don't stay past your welcome.
  
• Don't put tracts on wiper blades of vehicles or in door openings.

Street University Lesson Five

Group Discussion

1. Discuss the witness of the Holy Spirit through Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch. (Acts 8:26 to 37)
   
   
2. Share your testimony of what you felt and experienced when you came to know Christ.
   
   
3. Discuss additional things that should not be done when witnessing.

Bible Study

1. Locate numerous scriptures in the Bible on the assurance of Salvation through the Word of God and Jesus Christ.
   Colossians 2:2-7, Hebrews 10:22-23, 2 Timothy 1:12, 1 John 3:19-21, 1 John 5:10, Ephesians, 3:12, 1 John 3:14

Assignment

1. Have a practice session and go through the way of salvation with someone that is already saved.
   
   
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to someone that is lost and prepare their hearts to receive Christ. (Obtain witnessing materials and have them with you.)