 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
How do I witness?
Maybe you understand that you must reach the lost, but do understand how to reach the lost? Let me give you a couple of
examples of how people try to witness. A teenager pulls up into his driveway with his stereo cranked up, listening to rap music
that’s full of profanity and perversion. His neighbor, which is an older lady, comes over yelling, “You young punk kids listening to
that devils music, you’ll all going to burn in hell!” This is not exactly what this teenager wants to hear and it’s not going to cause
him to stop listening to this music. More than anything, he is now going to feel that all Christians are just out to criticize people
and he will purposely listen to the worst kind of music he has every time he pulls up in his driveway just to get a laugh when he
sees this old woman screaming at him.
Now let’s look at example number two. A man walking down the street sees the teenage kid drive by with his music cranked up.
He watches the kid pull in his driveway and hears an old lady screaming something about little heathens go to hell, or
something like that. Walking further up to the kids drive, he hears the old lady slam her door as she storms inside. Coming
around to the other side of the kids drive, he notices the kid walking away from the old lady’s yard. He looks over and sees the
old lady’s car has window marker all over it. He stops the kid as he is going inside and says, “Listen, you’re a young man and
you have a full life ahead of you. I want you to know that your life with Jesus would be much better. Jesus loves you and has a
great plan for your life.” Trying not to laugh, the kid walks inside and now thinks that all Christians need medical attention.
Neither of these examples will help this teenage kid come to know Jesus. The bible does not tell us to condemn the sinner as
the old lady has done, nor does it tell us to tell people that Jesus loves them. How is telling someone that Jesus loves them
going to get them saved? Let’s say you are at a street corner witnessing to people and a man walks by who is living in fornication
and either ignores the fact that he is living in sin or he does not realize he is living in sin. Is telling this man that Jesus loves him
going to help him? He is going to hear that and just keep on walking. This is why you must preach the law of God. If you were
quoting scriptures and telling people that getting drunk, cussing, and having sex before marriage are sins that will send them to
hell, then that man walking by would be convicted of his sin because he has heard that what he is doing is wrong and it will send
him to hell. When you preach to people, you must use the law of God. Go through the scriptures pointing out different sins and
warn that all sin leads to death.
“Why preach the law?” The purpose of the law is to make salvation impossible except through Jesus Christ. Many people who
are lost think that they can gain salvation through their own works. The message of the cross sounds foolish to them, because
they do not understand that only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ can anyone be saved.
1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power
of God.”
This does not mean that we are to forget about preaching the cross, but you need to bring the law to people’s attention so they
can understand the purpose of the cross. The reason people do not believe in preaching the law is because they think we are
teaching that the law is the way to salvation. People say that those who preach the law are false prophets, but they are only a
false prophet if they do not correctly preach the law.
Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:8 “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully.”
We preach the law of God, because a person must come to realize that they need Jesus in order to be saved. Those who
rejected Jesus were under the law of God that no man could ever keep. Paul said in Romans 2:12 that as many as have sinned
in the law will be judged by the law. In Romans 3:23 Paul said that all men have sinned, and in Romans 6:23 that sin leads to
death. When they heard just how impossible it is to be saved by the law, they came to Jesus for salvation by faith.
Galatians 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
Those who believe that they have been saved by faith must be tested by the law to see if they have been born again. So we use
the law to help people recognize whether or not they have been saved. Paul told the church of Corinth to examine themselves to
see if they were in the faith. By comparing the law of God to your life, you are able to recognize whether or not Christ is in you. The
law of God explains who has been born again and who has not. So when we preach the law, the hearers are convicted of their
sin and lead to repentance. The law is preached to reveal a person’s sin, but the message of the cross is preached so that they
may be saved by the faith of Christ, because they believe. In Romans 3:22 Paul said, “The righteousness of God which is by faith
of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:”
When a person hears the message of the cross and they believe that they have already been saved, you must go through the
scriptures to point out the aspects of a true Christian. This person may be living in sin and not understand that a child of God
walks not in the darkness, but in the light. Once you preach the law of God, the person will be convicted of their sin. For example,
let’s say you are witnessing to someone you know and they cuss and tell perverted jokes all the time. This is what you should
show them from the word of God.
Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it
may minister grace unto the hearers.”
The person now understands that they are not abiding in God‘s law. They are convicted of their sin and lead to repentance. You
must use the word of God to convict people of their sin so that they can repent and follow Jesus.
“But we are not supposed to judge.” If you believe that it is wrong to judge
As a Christian, not only do you have the right, but you are commanded by God to warn others of their sin so that they may come to
know the truth. When you preach the law to someone, you are not casting stones at them; you are just giving them the word of
God. If you tell someone that they are in sin and need to repent, you are just doing your job as a Christian.
Jesus said in Luke 17:3 “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be
patient toward all men.”
In 2 Timothy 2:24-25 Paul said, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;”
Too many people will read this and say, “Well, I just don’t think that’s necessary; that kind of preaching just scares people away.”
So the scriptures are no good then, right? God just wasted space in the Bible to tell you to do something that does not work? We
have churches full of lost people, because their pastors thought the same thing. They do not use biblical preaching, because
they would rather go with their own way of doing things than to follow the word of God. They want to soften it up to comfort people,
but that is not how God works.
What did Jesus teach? Go to your Bible in the gospel of Matthew and look at the red lettering and you will see that one of the first
things Jesus said was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Then turn to chapter five and Jesus teaches the law. The
gospel is not just about the love of God and the message of the cross. When Jesus commanded all to preach the gospel, He
had not even gone to the cross. The gospel that Jesus taught was the law of righteousness. Without hearing the law, a person
would not know how God commands them to live. In Romans 3:20 Paul said, “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” and in
Romans 7:7, he said, “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”
Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”
We must not forget about the teachings in the Bible just because we might offend someone or scare them off. It is the law of God
that convicts them of their sin. Of course, they will be offended or scared off, but where there is no conviction, there is no
repentance. Where there is no repentance, there is no salvation. The fear of the Lord must be put in their hearts.
Job 28:28 “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”
Proverbs 15:33 “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.”
Proverbs 16:6 “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”
We must not concentrate on only telling people about the love of God, but we must teach the entire law of God so that people
have the fear of God. A person can go their entire life believing that God is all-loving, and end up going to hell, because they never
heard the law of God and the truth about being saved. I am not as concerned for those who run away from the truth as I am for
those who have never heard it. Let’s say you tell someone not to do something because it will get them hurt, but they do it
anyway. Another person does the same thing, but you never warned them of the danger. Both of the two end up getting hurt. Who
do you feel the most sorry for? We must show people where they stand with God so they can recognize they are a sinner and
repent. After that, it is up to them who they choose to follow. It is not easy to preach the things that people do not want to hear, but
it is what we must do. Not only are we commanded to do this, but we are held responsible for them if we choose not to.
Ezekiel 3:18 “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the
wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine
hand.”
That is a serious verse and one that even makes me tremble; to think that a person might end up in hell because I did not warn
them of their sin. We must warn people of their sin and teach them what is right.
“But what if just pray for them?” You can pray for them all you like, but all you are really doing is asking God to send someone
else to preach to them, because you do not want to do it. Paul said in Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.“ You must preach the gospel.
“Can’t I just invite them to church?” You can, but chances are they are not going to go, and even if they do, it is not very likely that
they are going to pay much attention. They came because you asked them to, not because they felt the need to. Witnessing is not
about inviting people to church. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to bring them in; your job is to preach the gospel. When a person hears
the gospel, the Holy Spirit will convict them of their sin and they will feel the need to go to church.
Who goes to the hospital? Sick people, right? When does a person go to the hospital? When someone tells them that the doctor
loves them? When someone invites them? No, they go when they realize they are sick and the doctor has a cure. You must get
people to realize that they are a sinner before they are going to see the purpose in going to church. If you preach the law and they
become convicted of their sin, you will not have to tell them how cool the live music is going to be or what kind of food will be at
the church dinner. A person that truly understands that they are lost and headed to hell is going to run to the first person that can
lead them to Jesus. They will go to church, because they will hunger for the truth and want to gain knowledge and understanding
of God’s word.
“So how do I approach someone?” Just introduce yourself as you would with anyone else and start a conversation. Do not just
jump right in their face and start rebuking sin, because they are going to run away before you even begin to give them the word of
God. For example, if you hear a man cussing, you are not going to jump in his face telling him he is going to hell, because he
might not even know that what he is doing is sinful. You must treat him as if he is a child that does not know any better. You must
explain to him why cussing is wrong and then preach the gospel. Do not just tell him that Jesus loves him and has a great plan
for his life. Give him the law of God and tell him about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Who became sin for us and was put to
death in our place to make the payment that we owe to God. This will convict them of their sin and cause them to see the
purpose in the cross. Now they understand what it means to repent and believe the gospel.
Remember the two examples I gave before with the teenager and his music? The old lady started the all condemning method,
while the man walking up the street gave the all love method. Neither of them worked did they? But the part of the story that you
did not hear was when that teenager went to the park to play basketball, a man shooting free throws asked him if he would
please turn that music off. He asked why and the man told him that it was offensive to him and his Lord. The man explained what
sin was and why God did not want us to be a part of this sinful world because it leads people to hell. He went on to tell him about
Jesus taking our sin upon Himself and dying in our place. The teenager heard all of this and turned off his music. As he shot a
few hoops, he thought about what he had heard and how it made him understand God’s love and the purpose of His law. He
humbled himself, repented, and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
You don’t have to be a preacher or a youth leader to make a difference in peoples lives. You can make a difference just by
preaching the gospel. God has given you a talent and you can use that talent to reach the lost. If you play basketball, go to the
court and reach the lost. If you skateboard, go to the skate park and reach the lost. If you snowboard, if you surf, motocross, bmx,
golf, tennis, even just going bowling, whatever you do, reach the people around you. Use every opportunity you have to reach the
lost. Get a group of people together and go to events in your area such as car shows, fairs or any type of public gathering. Hand
out tracts or talk to people about Jesus. You can’t afford to put this off, because millions of people are headed to hell. Do
everything you can to reach the them. You might not even have a chance to reach everyone you love before it’s too late.
You can make a difference! Be a witness!
examples of how people try to witness. A teenager pulls up into his driveway with his stereo cranked up, listening to rap music
that’s full of profanity and perversion. His neighbor, which is an older lady, comes over yelling, “You young punk kids listening to
that devils music, you’ll all going to burn in hell!” This is not exactly what this teenager wants to hear and it’s not going to cause
him to stop listening to this music. More than anything, he is now going to feel that all Christians are just out to criticize people
and he will purposely listen to the worst kind of music he has every time he pulls up in his driveway just to get a laugh when he
sees this old woman screaming at him.
Now let’s look at example number two. A man walking down the street sees the teenage kid drive by with his music cranked up.
He watches the kid pull in his driveway and hears an old lady screaming something about little heathens go to hell, or
something like that. Walking further up to the kids drive, he hears the old lady slam her door as she storms inside. Coming
around to the other side of the kids drive, he notices the kid walking away from the old lady’s yard. He looks over and sees the
old lady’s car has window marker all over it. He stops the kid as he is going inside and says, “Listen, you’re a young man and
you have a full life ahead of you. I want you to know that your life with Jesus would be much better. Jesus loves you and has a
great plan for your life.” Trying not to laugh, the kid walks inside and now thinks that all Christians need medical attention.
Neither of these examples will help this teenage kid come to know Jesus. The bible does not tell us to condemn the sinner as
the old lady has done, nor does it tell us to tell people that Jesus loves them. How is telling someone that Jesus loves them
going to get them saved? Let’s say you are at a street corner witnessing to people and a man walks by who is living in fornication
and either ignores the fact that he is living in sin or he does not realize he is living in sin. Is telling this man that Jesus loves him
going to help him? He is going to hear that and just keep on walking. This is why you must preach the law of God. If you were
quoting scriptures and telling people that getting drunk, cussing, and having sex before marriage are sins that will send them to
hell, then that man walking by would be convicted of his sin because he has heard that what he is doing is wrong and it will send
him to hell. When you preach to people, you must use the law of God. Go through the scriptures pointing out different sins and
warn that all sin leads to death.
“Why preach the law?” The purpose of the law is to make salvation impossible except through Jesus Christ. Many people who
are lost think that they can gain salvation through their own works. The message of the cross sounds foolish to them, because
they do not understand that only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ can anyone be saved.
1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power
of God.”
This does not mean that we are to forget about preaching the cross, but you need to bring the law to people’s attention so they
can understand the purpose of the cross. The reason people do not believe in preaching the law is because they think we are
teaching that the law is the way to salvation. People say that those who preach the law are false prophets, but they are only a
false prophet if they do not correctly preach the law.
Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:8 “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully.”
We preach the law of God, because a person must come to realize that they need Jesus in order to be saved. Those who
rejected Jesus were under the law of God that no man could ever keep. Paul said in Romans 2:12 that as many as have sinned
in the law will be judged by the law. In Romans 3:23 Paul said that all men have sinned, and in Romans 6:23 that sin leads to
death. When they heard just how impossible it is to be saved by the law, they came to Jesus for salvation by faith.
Galatians 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
Those who believe that they have been saved by faith must be tested by the law to see if they have been born again. So we use
the law to help people recognize whether or not they have been saved. Paul told the church of Corinth to examine themselves to
see if they were in the faith. By comparing the law of God to your life, you are able to recognize whether or not Christ is in you. The
law of God explains who has been born again and who has not. So when we preach the law, the hearers are convicted of their
sin and lead to repentance. The law is preached to reveal a person’s sin, but the message of the cross is preached so that they
may be saved by the faith of Christ, because they believe. In Romans 3:22 Paul said, “The righteousness of God which is by faith
of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:”
When a person hears the message of the cross and they believe that they have already been saved, you must go through the
scriptures to point out the aspects of a true Christian. This person may be living in sin and not understand that a child of God
walks not in the darkness, but in the light. Once you preach the law of God, the person will be convicted of their sin. For example,
let’s say you are witnessing to someone you know and they cuss and tell perverted jokes all the time. This is what you should
show them from the word of God.
Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it
may minister grace unto the hearers.”
The person now understands that they are not abiding in God‘s law. They are convicted of their sin and lead to repentance. You
must use the word of God to convict people of their sin so that they can repent and follow Jesus.
“But we are not supposed to judge.” If you believe that it is wrong to judge
As a Christian, not only do you have the right, but you are commanded by God to warn others of their sin so that they may come to
know the truth. When you preach the law to someone, you are not casting stones at them; you are just giving them the word of
God. If you tell someone that they are in sin and need to repent, you are just doing your job as a Christian.
Jesus said in Luke 17:3 “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be
patient toward all men.”
In 2 Timothy 2:24-25 Paul said, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;”
Too many people will read this and say, “Well, I just don’t think that’s necessary; that kind of preaching just scares people away.”
So the scriptures are no good then, right? God just wasted space in the Bible to tell you to do something that does not work? We
have churches full of lost people, because their pastors thought the same thing. They do not use biblical preaching, because
they would rather go with their own way of doing things than to follow the word of God. They want to soften it up to comfort people,
but that is not how God works.
What did Jesus teach? Go to your Bible in the gospel of Matthew and look at the red lettering and you will see that one of the first
things Jesus said was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Then turn to chapter five and Jesus teaches the law. The
gospel is not just about the love of God and the message of the cross. When Jesus commanded all to preach the gospel, He
had not even gone to the cross. The gospel that Jesus taught was the law of righteousness. Without hearing the law, a person
would not know how God commands them to live. In Romans 3:20 Paul said, “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” and in
Romans 7:7, he said, “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”
Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”
We must not forget about the teachings in the Bible just because we might offend someone or scare them off. It is the law of God
that convicts them of their sin. Of course, they will be offended or scared off, but where there is no conviction, there is no
repentance. Where there is no repentance, there is no salvation. The fear of the Lord must be put in their hearts.
Job 28:28 “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”
Proverbs 15:33 “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.”
Proverbs 16:6 “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”
We must not concentrate on only telling people about the love of God, but we must teach the entire law of God so that people
have the fear of God. A person can go their entire life believing that God is all-loving, and end up going to hell, because they never
heard the law of God and the truth about being saved. I am not as concerned for those who run away from the truth as I am for
those who have never heard it. Let’s say you tell someone not to do something because it will get them hurt, but they do it
anyway. Another person does the same thing, but you never warned them of the danger. Both of the two end up getting hurt. Who
do you feel the most sorry for? We must show people where they stand with God so they can recognize they are a sinner and
repent. After that, it is up to them who they choose to follow. It is not easy to preach the things that people do not want to hear, but
it is what we must do. Not only are we commanded to do this, but we are held responsible for them if we choose not to.
Ezekiel 3:18 “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the
wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine
hand.”
That is a serious verse and one that even makes me tremble; to think that a person might end up in hell because I did not warn
them of their sin. We must warn people of their sin and teach them what is right.
“But what if just pray for them?” You can pray for them all you like, but all you are really doing is asking God to send someone
else to preach to them, because you do not want to do it. Paul said in Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.“ You must preach the gospel.
“Can’t I just invite them to church?” You can, but chances are they are not going to go, and even if they do, it is not very likely that
they are going to pay much attention. They came because you asked them to, not because they felt the need to. Witnessing is not
about inviting people to church. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to bring them in; your job is to preach the gospel. When a person hears
the gospel, the Holy Spirit will convict them of their sin and they will feel the need to go to church.
Who goes to the hospital? Sick people, right? When does a person go to the hospital? When someone tells them that the doctor
loves them? When someone invites them? No, they go when they realize they are sick and the doctor has a cure. You must get
people to realize that they are a sinner before they are going to see the purpose in going to church. If you preach the law and they
become convicted of their sin, you will not have to tell them how cool the live music is going to be or what kind of food will be at
the church dinner. A person that truly understands that they are lost and headed to hell is going to run to the first person that can
lead them to Jesus. They will go to church, because they will hunger for the truth and want to gain knowledge and understanding
of God’s word.
“So how do I approach someone?” Just introduce yourself as you would with anyone else and start a conversation. Do not just
jump right in their face and start rebuking sin, because they are going to run away before you even begin to give them the word of
God. For example, if you hear a man cussing, you are not going to jump in his face telling him he is going to hell, because he
might not even know that what he is doing is sinful. You must treat him as if he is a child that does not know any better. You must
explain to him why cussing is wrong and then preach the gospel. Do not just tell him that Jesus loves him and has a great plan
for his life. Give him the law of God and tell him about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Who became sin for us and was put to
death in our place to make the payment that we owe to God. This will convict them of their sin and cause them to see the
purpose in the cross. Now they understand what it means to repent and believe the gospel.
Remember the two examples I gave before with the teenager and his music? The old lady started the all condemning method,
while the man walking up the street gave the all love method. Neither of them worked did they? But the part of the story that you
did not hear was when that teenager went to the park to play basketball, a man shooting free throws asked him if he would
please turn that music off. He asked why and the man told him that it was offensive to him and his Lord. The man explained what
sin was and why God did not want us to be a part of this sinful world because it leads people to hell. He went on to tell him about
Jesus taking our sin upon Himself and dying in our place. The teenager heard all of this and turned off his music. As he shot a
few hoops, he thought about what he had heard and how it made him understand God’s love and the purpose of His law. He
humbled himself, repented, and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
You don’t have to be a preacher or a youth leader to make a difference in peoples lives. You can make a difference just by
preaching the gospel. God has given you a talent and you can use that talent to reach the lost. If you play basketball, go to the
court and reach the lost. If you skateboard, go to the skate park and reach the lost. If you snowboard, if you surf, motocross, bmx,
golf, tennis, even just going bowling, whatever you do, reach the people around you. Use every opportunity you have to reach the
lost. Get a group of people together and go to events in your area such as car shows, fairs or any type of public gathering. Hand
out tracts or talk to people about Jesus. You can’t afford to put this off, because millions of people are headed to hell. Do
everything you can to reach the them. You might not even have a chance to reach everyone you love before it’s too late.
You can make a difference! Be a witness!
© Copyright 2007-2010 surefaithministries.com All rights reserved