WITNESS

What is witnessing?

1 It is telling someone else what you have seen and heard about the Lord
Jesus Christ (Acts 4 20 I John 13: 1 Peter 3 15)

2 “Witnessing is taking a gook look at athe Lord Jesus Christ and then telling
others what you have seen.” –Lorne Sanny.

3 “Show me your redeemed life, and I’ll believe in your Redeemer” Voltaire

Some people you know never read the Bible and seldon attend church-if you
want them

4 to know what Christ can do for them, let them see what Christ has done for
you

“God hasn’t engaged many of us as lawyers, but He has summoned all of us

as witnesses” anonymous (Acts 1:8).

How to Witness?

Do not extinquish your normal Christian life before others (Matthew 5.14-16.
Romans 1 16)
2. Openly speak of your salvation (Psalm 107-2; John 9-25)

3. Use God’s Word (Acts 17:2,3, Hebrews 4:12)

4. Present Christ (I Corinthians 1:23,24)

5. Live the Christian life (I John 2:6; Philippians 2:15).

C. DEFINING EVANGELISM: Evangelism is the presentation of the good news

about Jesus Christ to those who do not know Him. Evangelism is the first step
in making disciples. Several other titles have been used to describe the
evangelistic effort such as witnessing, soul winning, and sharing our faith.
Three other facts are helpful in understanding the nature of evangelism

B.The power of evangelism is the Holy Spirit and the presence of Jesus Christ
Acts 18: Matthew 28:19,20; John 15:5

1. The power of evangelism is not a persuasive personality or a careful

set of arguments. While it is important to be able to give a clear
presentation of the gospel, one must never trust in personal ability but
in the power of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Recognizing the power of evangelism should teach us to trust
God for all our evangelistic efforts. We must consistently mix prayer
with our evangelism

2. The message of evangelism. 1 Peter 1:23; Hebrews 4:12 Acts 1:8, 1

Corinthians 15:3,4; Ephesians 113; John 14:6.
The Word of God is God’s instrument for the new birth. Trying to evangelize
without Scripture is like trying to drive a car without gas. God uses His Word
to expose mankind’s sinful condition and to present Jesus Christ

The message of evangelism is found in a person (John 14:6) In Acts 1:8 Jesus
told the disciples they would be His witnesses. The Apostle Paul indicated the
content of his message in I Corinthians 15:3,4 The death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ is the good news of God’s salvation for sinful
mankind. The message of evangelism is examined in detail in lessons three
through six. Reviewing these lessons would be helpful.

The message of evangelism is found in a person (John 14:6) In Acts 1:8 Jesus
told the disciples they would be His witnesses The Apostle Paul indicated the
content of his message in I Corinthians 15:3,4 The death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ is the good news of God’s selvation for sinful
mankind. The message of evangelism is examined in detal in lessons three
through six. Reviewing these lessons would be helpful.

3. The effect of evangelism. Often evangelism is defined in terms of its

effect The effect of evangelism is not the definition of evangelism but
the outcome. The desired effect of evangelism is that people would
recognize their sin and respond to their need of Jesus Christ as their
Savior In reality though, not everyone responds favorably. Acts 14:1,2
records a response to the evangelistic work of Paul and Barnabas. The
indication in this scene is that some believed and others refused to
believe.

The responsibility of each believer is to share the message of the gospel and
offer opportunities for others to accept Christ. But the effect of the message
must be understood as the work of God.

D MOTIVATIONFOR EVANGELISM: Many professing Christians only share the

truths of their salvation among other Christians. Those who do this seem to
lack motivation for witnessing to people who do not know the Savior. There is
an increasing problem in the area of motivation for evangelism in the church
today. The problem is partially due to a lack of clarity on the gospel message
among believers. The lack of motivation also exists because of the
occurrence of many false motivations. At this point we want to look at some
false and proper motivations for evangelism.

1. False motivations for evangelism:

a. Guilt: Many churches today use guilt to motivate their people to

witness. This type of witness is not empowered by the Holy Spirit

b. Success: Many people feel that they have to lead someone to

Christ every week, or they are not a successful believer.

C Competition, Some churches will compete with one another in the number
of salvation’s and baptism’s they have each year.

2. Proper motivations,

a. The command of Christ, Matthew 28 19,20; Mark 16:15, John

20:17

Jesus Christ not only gave the supreme example of evangelism but also
commanded those who follow Him to be involved in evangelista All who
receive the Holy Spirit are His witnesses (Acts 1:8) The command of Christ
must be the primary motivation for evangelism. Each believer must realize
that their lack of involvement in evangelism is a matter of disobedience. To
evade the command to evangelize is to disobey the example and command
of the Savior. The seriousness of this motivation must be understood for
effective evangelism.
 b. The love of God: John 3:16; Romans 5:8, II Corinthians 5:14,15,
John 4:9-11

When an individual experiences the love of God in salvation, he will want to

share it with others. When one understands the extent of God’s love, he will
be motivated to reach out to those who do not know his Savior

c. The need of mankind:Matthew 9:36; 20:34.

Compassion for the lost condition and eternal destiny of those apart from
Christ is not the primary motivation for evangelism, but it is a proper
motivation.

God’s children must set aside all their excuses for a lack of involvement in
evangelism and recognize their complacency as disobedience to the pattern
and command of the Lord Jesus Christ

E. METHODS IN EVANGELISM: Before looking at the methods of evangelism, it

is important to realize that each believer who has experienced God’s
salvation is a witness. An evangelism course on methodology does not
qualify someone to be a witness salvation does Jesus said that we are the
light of the world, He did not tell His disciples to go out and be the light of
the world (Matthew 5:16) Methodology can be helpful, but we must never
forget that our own personal salvation qualifies us to be a witness. As the
blind man witnessed in John 9:25, One thing I do know, I was blind but now I
see!”

There is basically only one method of evangelism and that is the

proclamation of the good news about Jesus Christ Indeed, this is the heart of
evangelism. Any evangelistic method that deviates from the message of
Christ is not true evangelism Several methods for proclaiming the message
are of helpful consideration
1 Personal testimony, One of the simplest and most effective ways to share
the gospel with others is through the testimony of our own salvation.

2 An invitation to church. Unbelievers can receive first hand exposure to

dynamic Christian testimony by being among God’s people and under the
teaching of God’s Word. This may also be an effective lead into a

Conversation with someone with whom we have trouble sharing our faith.

An invitation to church should never be a substitute for personal

Responsibility

3. Friendship evangelism, Through building friendships with unbelievers

we earn their trust and respect Friendships provide firm platforms for
the presentation of the gospel.

4 Life-style evangelism. We must witness with our lives as well as our lips.
However, one must never be a substitute for the other To witness solely with
our lives is self-centered in its ultimate effect People will think nice things
about us but not about our Savior. See Matthew 5:16.

5 Corporate evangelism, Participation in evangelistic efforts of the local

church provides exciting opportunities for evangelism. This must not be done
with the mentality of ‘putting in our time’ Remember we are the light At
work, rest, and recreation we must shine for Jesus Christ

EVANGELISM AND REPRODUCTION; Evangelism is not an end in itself. The

fruit of our evangelism must become the focus of our training efforts To lead
someone to Jesus Christ and leave them without resource for growth is like a
mother having her baby and leaving it out in the street. The enemy is alive
and alert to those who are new in Jesus Christ. As was stated in the
introduction: ‘leading others to the initial acceptance of Christ only partially
fulfills the Master’s call to make disciples. We must take the truths we have
learned and invest them in the lives of those who have not learned them
Several concluding challenges are appropriated at this point:

Begin to pray and look for opportunities to share the gospel with others.

2 Use this manual as a resource for teaching others.

In the next six months go back and read through the entire manual.

Review your memory verses and be consistent in Scripture memory.

Studs and Discussion Questions

1. What is the gospel? Explain

2. What is the proper motivation for evangelism?

3. What methods of evangelism have you found effective?

4. How are you equipped for helping others spiritually as a result of this
study?
5. Where do you plan to begin helping others?