Step by Step Guide to Witnessing

[Easyrider]

Confrontation about a non-believers sin's is the biggest mistake
we can make when witnessing as I found out from experience.
When witnessing, establish a repore with the person first, find
a common ground that you both have and discuss it for a while.
Then, give your testimony about being Saved and elaborate
how Happy you are now. If they are interested, they will respond
with questions which open's the door for you to witness to them.
This has worked for me more than anything else.
Bombarding people with GUILT about their sin will not accomplish
your goal.
My 2 cent's for what it's worth..Have a blessed evening all!

 

[TrojanChristian]

I think the problem about using confrontation is that it makes people very defensive. It comes off as "I am better and holier than you" even though that it not the intention.

I think Christ's teachings were all about love and honesty. It is our job to plant the seed by witnessing and let God do the rest. I believe that being vulnerable and sharing how God changed the sin in your life, in a non-judgmental way, will make people think about the sin in their life. We all have things we are unhappy with. By sharing a personal, heartfelt testimony of how God changed us for the better, and how Jesus as our Savior gives us peace, they will begin to question if that can be real in their life (and the answer is obviously yes!).

The point is that people who are witnessed to aggressively are NOT moved. It is like telling people, "Well, if you spit out your gum in Singapore you could get jail time." I hope that does not sound blasphemous, but the analogy is that they do not believe in God, just as they do not believe that they are in Singapore, so the rules and laws do not move them in the slightest. It's more of a "ok, that's great for you, but that's not the way I think so leave me alone." Honestly, I think it could turn them OFF from Christianity for at least a prolonged period of time, if not forever.

Everybody can relate to feeling lost and trapped in our lives though. That is why we need Christ in the first place! By being vulnerable with your testimony, and attributing the new peace in your life to Jesus, people may actually question what they believe.

As a newer Christian, if somebody had used the aggressive tactics on me I would have been furious. All it took was one person to share the incredible things God had done in his life to really make me think about Jesus and if he could help me where I was lost. In a matter of about a week I went from a stone-cold atheist to a servant of Christ simply by my friend being honest and non-aggressive with me. I watched him change for the better and wondered what had happened...when he shared it was God, I knew Christ had to be in my life. Now I am a rapidly changing man and people are starting to notice the drastic changes in my life, and I tell them it is Jesus.

Please think before you go aggressive like this, especially with strangers. As a recent atheist it turns us off so quickly and hardens hearts against the Lord. Speak to them on a common ground and remember they do not believe in God yet...so God's law is not believable to them, but proven, visible change in a person's life, when attributed to Christ, can make all the difference between an atheist and a new believer.

In Christ,
ChristianTrojan

 

[Alive4Evermore]

How long did Jesus take to build a relationship with the woman at the well before He spoke to her about her sin? The truth is, we cannot afford to wait very long, because if someone dies in their sins, they will end up in the Lake of Fire. Scripture says that "now is the accepted time; today is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). I am not willing to risk the souls of sinners just so that I may befriend them first before I witness to them about their eternal destination. I want them to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14), so that they will not have to suffer the consequences of their sin. God "will render to each one according to his deeds (Romans 2:6).

 

[Easyrider]

How long did Jesus take to build a relationship with the woman at the well before He spoke to her about her sin? The truth is, we cannot afford to wait very long, because if someone dies in their sins, they will end up in the Lake of Fire. Scripture says that "now is the accepted time; today is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). I am not willing to risk the souls of sinners just so that I may befriend them first before I witness to them about their eternal destination. I want them to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14), so that they will not have to suffer the consequences of their sin. God "will render to each one according to his deeds (Romans 2:6).

And how is that working out for you in your witness?
Are people open to you?
How do people respond to being told about their Sin?


John 4:13-20-NLT
13 Jesus replied, “People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water.
14 But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether.
It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me some of that water!
Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to haul water.”
16 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.
17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.
Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—
18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t
even married to the man you’re living with now.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet.
20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that
Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we
Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim,*
where our ancestors worshiped?”

Acts 4:33-NLT . . .
The apostles gave powerful witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and God’s great favor was upon them all.

Be sure to Tell Others the
News of Christ’s Resurrection.

Acts 10:42-NLT . . .
He ordered us to preach everywhere
and to testify that Jesus is ordained
of God to be the judge of all-the living
and the dead.

Warn people about the coming
judgment by the living Christ.

1 Peter 3:15-NLT . . .
If you are asked about your Christian Hope,
always be Ready to Explain it.

Be Ready to Explain why
you have Hope!!

1 John 1:2-NLT . . .
We testify and announce to you
that HE is the One who is Eternal Life.

Tell Others the Good News that
Eternal Life is Found in Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:2-NLT . . .
I decided to Concentrate only on Jesus Christ
and His Death on the Cross.

Tell how JESUS died on the Cross
to Take Away our Sins.

 

[Easyrider]

How long did Jesus take to build a relationship with the woman at the well before He spoke to her about her sin? The truth is, we cannot afford to wait very long, because if someone dies in their sins, they will end up in the Lake of Fire. Scripture says that "now is the accepted time; today is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). I am not willing to risk the souls of sinners just so that I may befriend them first before I witness to them about their eternal destination. I want them to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14), so that they will not have to suffer the consequences of their sin. God "will render to each one according to his deeds (Romans 2:6).

The woman mistakenly believed that if she received the water Jesus offered,
she would not have to return to the well each day.
She was Interested in Jesus’ Message because she thought it could
make her life easier. But if that were always the case, people would
accept Christ’s message for the wrong reasons. Christ did not come
to take away challenges, but to change us on the inside and
to empower us to deal with problems from God’s perspective.

The woman did not immediately understand what Jesus was talking about.
It takes time to accept something that changes the very foundations
of your life. Jesus allowed the woman time to ask questions and
put pieces together for herself.

Sharing the Gospel will Not Always have Immediate Results.
When you ask people to let Jesus change their lives,
give them time to weigh the matter.

 

[Alive4Evermore]

I can address this in my group, perhaps even in the blogs I have here on CF.

 

[Plantpot]

I have used Ray Comforts method - not in an aggressive manner, but compassionatly.
People need to be made aware of the fact they are sinners first - (the Law is the schoolmaster that brings us to Christ.).. before they can repent of their sin..

 

[Mister_Al]

Actually, the Law was a covenant between God and Isreal, not God and the world. Ephesians 2:11-12 tells us that the gentiles had no part in any of Gods covenants. And, Romans 6:12 tells us that sin is not charged to men's account when there is no Law to trangress. So how can we use the Law that we never had any part of to confront people of sins that God can't charge to their accounts?

Weren't people dying as a result of sin before the Law was given (Romans 5:12-14)? They were dying as a result of Adam's sin and not from their own (Romans 5:14).

We need to be telling people they are going to die and go to hell as a result of Adam's sin and there is no way out other than changing family lines through their union with Christ. To try and be a witness to a person on the grounds that their sins are sending them to hell is scripturally wrong.

Blessings,
Alan

 

[abelieverinChrist05]

i like this method.

if im witnessing a hispanic person i'll use The Roman Road.

and if preach in english, ill use this method.

thanks

 

[Servant of Jesus]

God already knows who his children are and I don't believe that Ray Comfort should think that he needs to take on the role of God and confront people and ram Christianity down their throat.

I think it is rather presumptuous for Ray, in effect, to think that if it wasn't for him and his confrontational method, some people aren't going to be saved. If that were true, then could not the opposite also be true: that Ray Comfort's confrontational method is inadvertently actually a tool of the devil to turn some people away from ever embracing Christ?

Whenever I see a church in crisis- dwindling attendance, division, a controversy involving a pastor- I ask myself: is this not the devil at work, sowing seeds of discontent through confrontation, and therefore successfully dividing and conquering the Christian church?

Christ's message was pure and simple: love your neighbor. Confrontation, no matter how honorable the goal may seem to be, is not showing love.

 

[abidenhim]

This issue is very easily remedied...What did Jesus do? Let's take a few moments to look at the way He preached throughout His ministry. Firstly, His Sermon on the Mount. Did He preach about sin and repentance? Yes, He mostly certainly did. He preached how hatred is murder in God's eyes (1 John 3:15) and how lust is adultery of the heart. He went so far as to say, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell" (Matthew 5:9). Here are more biblical examples of how Christ witnessed to the unsaved: 1. the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-22); the scribe (Mark 12:28-34); the lawyer (Luke 10:25-29); the adulterous woman (John 8:3-9); and one example of His interactions with the Pharisees, whom He referred to as a "brood of vipers" and "white washed tombs" (Luke 16:14-28). Not once, do I read Jesus ever telling sinners that "God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives." He preached the Law of God while confronting sinners (whether gently or harshly as He did with the religious Pharisees), and He preached repentance. He used the moral Law in conjunction with future punishment. Why did He openly confront people about their sinful nature and the righteousness of God? The answer is quite simple, because He loved them. He was not afraid to offend or of being politically incorrect. He was not afraid of rejection or ridicule. He did not shy away from using words like sin, repentance, judgment or hell. How can we, as His followers, not follow His example? Look at Paul, Peter, John, James, and Stephen. Moreover, Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, and D.L. Moody. Read about these great men of God, and learn how they sought to save the lost.

 

[abidenhim]

Christ's message was pure and simple: love your neighbor. Confrontation, no matter how honorable the goal may seem to be, is not showing love.

Jesus confronted and condemn some people for their sin. In Matthew 23 He called the religious leaders "hypocrites" seven times. He told them that they were "blind fools," children of hell, full of hypocrisy and sin. He said, "You serpents, you generation of vipers, how shall you escape the damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23:33). He then warned that He would say to the wicked, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).

 

[Servant of Jesus]

Abidenhim: who has probably led more people to Christ- Ray Comfort or Billy Graham?

 

[abidenhim]

This is not a competition of who can win more souls for Christ. The risks are too high when the eternal destiny of the unsaved is at stake. The truth of the matter is this, those who do not repent from their sins will be cast into hell forever. Jesus said, "Unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). If there is no repentance, there can be no salvation. Salvation is not a resolution to change a way of life, but "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). If there is no mention of sin, repentance, Judgment Day, God's wrath or hell, people will be ignorant of God's moral Law - this could cost them for eternity, because not everyone who says 'Lord, Lord' will enter into the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21-23). The Law of God reveals His holiness, His righteousness, His justice and truth. It is the very instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to convert the soul (Psalm 19:7). It is the means by which the way to the sinner's heart is prepared to receive the grace of God. It cannot be forsaken in evangelism. I'm resolved to following Jesus' example in this. He did not mince words nor did He shy away from confronting people of their sins.

 

[Servant of Jesus]

This is not a competition of who can win more souls for Christ.

No, of course it is not a competition; God has already chosen those He will bring into His kingdom.

Romans 8

29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

I'm resolved to following Jesus' example in this. He did not mince words nor did He shy away from confronting people of their sins.

But what was the predominant example that Jesus used? Was it confrontation or love? And even if Jesus occasionally confronted- does that give us the right to be hostile?

 

[Tenken07]

You people should read the book Unchristian. It talks about how so many people have utterly turned people away from christianity due to their methods that dont use love.

They have the statistics to prove it as well as the responses from those who have been treated unkindly by us.

 

[Servant of Jesus]

I am not aware that Ray Comfort has ever provided any information that would allow the effectiveness of his method to be measured.

Although Biblical accounts of how effective Jesus' ministry was are more anecdotal, they nevertheless suggest that a large number of the people in places like Capernaum did subscribe to his message. And, of course, the fact today that Christianity is still the world's most popular religion is a testament to the appeal that Jesus has.

 

[TwistTim]

and many of that great crowd that followed Jesus was false follwers? John 6:66 my friend.....
66As a result of this many of His (A)disciples (B)withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

This followed one of Jesus harsh teachings..... guess he was a loser at witnessing to the truth too.....

and then at his crucifixition.... the fact he was unpopular with the public authorities shows he wasn't good like some people...... he got himself killed.....

and how many people were there when he was captured? even John Mark fled leaving his cloak behind.....Mark 14:51-52 (History/Tradition holds it to be John Mark the Gospel writer, the same John Mark who traveled with Paul and was the cause of his split with Barnabus)

Speaking of Paul's popularity he said this:2 Cor 11:24-29
24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

yeah, a failure... for the sake of Christ..... numbers, they don't matter, souls changed for the Glory of God, by the Grace of God, that matters.

 

[Torah]

My 2cent

What is the point of Witnessing?

Answer: To lead a person to salvation!

What is Salvation? preservation from destruction or deliverance from the power and effects of sin.

What is sin? transgression of the law of God.

Lawbreaker: a person, who violates the law,

punishment: a penalty inflicted on an offender of a law.

What is Salvation? preservation from destruction or deliverance from the power and effects of lawbreakers.

To Witness to a person is to inform them that someone took upon himself there penalty for your violation of Gods law.

Would you want this gift of Salvation whereupon Jesus took upon himself your penalty for violating Gods law?

If you want this gift Pray this prayer with me and mean it in your heart.

Dear Jesus. Forgive me or all my sins and save my soul. I repent of all my sins and ask you to come into my heart and be lord of my life. For I give myself to you. Thank you for hearing my prayer and, and taking on yourself my penalty, and saving my soul. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

There is no magic in the words, the prayer is just a tool for the person to make a decision in there heart. If the prayer come from ones heart then there will be a change.

Remember! The bottom line in Witnessing is to get a person to this point when you can ask them right where you are. “If you want this gift Pray this prayer with me and mean it in your heart”.

I have done this in parks, bus, trains, cars, peoples homes, bars, night club parking lots, bowling alleys, in front of drug houses, drug pusher [Porsche] car,

 

[Dionysiou]

Is this a joke? a step by step guide on how to witness to someone? friends, you are not trying to convince people on seeing things how you do. You are supposed to witness when God urges you too, the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say. Dont turn christianity into another religious sect of do's and donts. Lean not on your own understanding. It is not your job to witness to people, it is His in you.