What should my witnessing include?
Exodus 18:8-11Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and Egypt on behalf of Israel. He also told about all the hardships they had experienced along the way and how the Lord had rescued his people from all their troubles. Jethro was delighted when he heard about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel as he rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians. “Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.”
John 9:25“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
Our witness should include telling others how God has rescued us and freed us from the burden of sin.
Psalm 28:6Praise the Lord! For he has heard my cry for mercy.
We are to tell others about the prayers God has answered.
Psalm 30:3You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
We are to explain how God has saved us from spiritual death.
1 John 1:2This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.
We are to tell others the terrific news that anyone can have the gift of eternal life in a perfect world. It’s not too good to be true.
Luke 23:34-43Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Our witness about Jesus may get scoffed, but it may also be received with surprising insight. The thief on the cross realized several crucial parts of the Gospel message: his own sinfulness, Jesus’ sinless character, and his helplessness without God’s help. When someone demonstrates this kind of understanding, we can assure them, as Jesus did this man, of their destination in paradise.
Acts 4:33The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.
We are to tell others about the resurrection of Jesus, the basis for our hope in eternal life.
Acts 10:42“He ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead.”
We are to warn people about God’s ultimate judgment ahead. Eventually there will only be two sides. It’s important to be on God’s side.
1 Peter 3:15If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
We should always be ready to explain why we have hope. We are to trust God to give us the words, but we should take time to think about situations or questions others may ask about our life or faith and how we might respond.
1 Corinthians 2:2I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.
We are to tell how Jesus died on the cross to take away the punishment that our sin deserves.
Luke 24:47“It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’”
Romans 3:23Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
1 John 1:8-9If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
We are to explain the message of repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation with God, emphasizing how it has impacted our lives. We can let the Holy Spirit convict others and guide them to connect their story with our own story of grace.
Romans 10:9If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
We need to make clear the need of our friends to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and to believe in his resurrection.
1 Thessalonians 1:5When we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you.
How we live is an important element of our witness for Jesus. We need to make sure that our actions match our words.
