Witnessing

Witnessing...How? why? What is it?
How many times have church members been challenged to go out and witness to those in the community? How many times have people went and when they witnessed went through a set routine of what to say? How many people know how to witness?
Many times, we as Christians are often bullied, pushed, shoved into going out and witnessing without realizing what it involves. We get into a rut of walking up to a complete stranger and saying, " Do you know Jesus loves you?" or "Can I tell you something that will take less than two minutes about your future?" Both approaches may work but then you tell someone they need to get saved or that they are lost and many times we end up sounding like a recording. How many of us pray before we approach anyone? If we pray for guidance on who to witness to the Lord will lead you to the hearts that are ready to hear from him. To the hearts that have been softened in preparation to hearing about the wonderful love of Jesus. Sure we can say Jesus loves you, but can you say it with such meaning that it becomes fresh and real every time you say it?
Witnessing for the Lord involves more than walking up and saying Jesus loves you. Can you specifically think of something he has done for you? Are you excited about sharing what God has done for you? Witnessing is sharing God's love for people and what he has done for you personally. Sure we share that God sent his son to die for us but it has to be more personal than that or people won't listen. Witnessing is sharing how God changed your life when you became a Christian. When you repented how did he change you? Did you give up drinking? Did you give up cussing? Did you give up smoking or premarital sex? What did he change about you? Share it!! did he take away the urge for drugs? Share it!!. Give people a reason to want to accept Jesus and change their lives. People are not going to want to give up something they enjoy without having something better to replace it. A dog is not going to give up a bone that it is chewing on unless you give it something better. Give the people a reason to want o give up their
old ways and to want to serve God.
Have you ever met someone who wanted you to volunteer to do something? Lets use for an example visiting a nursing home. Were they excited about it? Were they bubbling over they were so excited about it? Didn't the fact they were so excited make you want to listen to them and make you consider getting involved?
Now suppose that same person came up to you and asked you to get involved in visiting thee nursing home but you had been watching them and all you had ever heard them do was to complain about all the work involved and how much time it took up and so forth. You had never heard them say a good thing about any of the benefits of visiting these folks and now they wanted you to get involved. Would you want to?
Witnessing is very similar. If you are excited and can tell people the benefits of serving God (more than you don't go to hell) you are much more likely to get people to listen to you. That is why it is sometimes easier to witness to people you don't know than people you do know, because the people who you do know are the ones who have been watching you day in and day out. They are the ones who know if you are truly living as a Christian.
How do you witness? Well many denominations and churches have a prescribed routine however I would say follow the leading of the Lord. Pray about who to witness to, and ask the Lord for the words to say. You can't witness to a drunk the same way you will need to witness to a bank president yet both equally need to hear the word of the Lord. You can't witness to an elderly person in a hospital the same way you would witness to a teenager. If you follow the Lord's leading he will give you the words to say for each situation.
Why should you witness? Well the Lord doesn't want any to perish and you may be only person who could reach a soul. Perhaps you are the only one who that particular person would listen to. If you fail to follow the leading of the spirit and the Lord has to send someone else to talk to them, then they may not get saved and will end up spending eternity in hell. The Bible tells us that we are to go and spread the gospel through all nations. That doesn't just mean the foreign lands. Missionaries are needed in the small town and the ghettos of America. there are many people here in America that have never heard the gospel of Jesus. There are children in our schools that to them Jesus or God is just a name that they hear their parents use when cursing. These people have no idea of the love of Jesus. It is just as important for them to hear about salvation an the changes God can make in your life as it is for the witchdoctors in Africa.
Ask Jesus how you can be a more effective witness for him. Ask for his guidance and to give you souls for your harvest. Ask him to show you what you must do and to help your daily life to be an ongoing witness.

Have a glorious day.