Reaching the lost at Any Cost

NJ Institute of Theological Studies

Why Should We Witness?

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why should I witness?" Several reasons should come to mind. First, because Jesus commands you to: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit," (Matt. 28:19). Also, Ezek. 3:11 says, "and go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or not..." Second, you must witness because you love the unsaved (if you don't, you should). The most loving thing you can do is present the gospel in hopes of bringing others to salvation. Galatians 5:22 lists love as one of the fruit of the Spirit. It is love's nature to give. Take for example John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." Love gives, and if you have only a small portion of His love, you will want to give to others. Third, witness because it is a wise thing to do. Prov. 11:30 says, "...he who is wise wins souls." Now, I know I am not a very wise person. But, since God says I'll be wise to win souls, or try to, then great, let me at it. I want to be wise in God's sight. Fourth, witness to keep people out of hell. Hell is a terrifying place of utter anguish and eternal separation from God. Those who are not saved go there. Witnessing is an attempt to keep them out of hell. Fifth, witness because it pleases God and brings glory to His name. And finally, witness so they may find the love and fellowship of God (1 John 1:3), the greatest of all treasures. I can think of no greater gift than salvation. It frees the sinner from sin, it delivers the lost from damnation, and it reveals the true and living God to those who don't know Him. The angels of heaven rejoice greatly when anyone passes from judgment into salvation (Luke 15:10). Shouldn't we as Christians rejoice too? Shouldn't we weep over the lost? Shouldn't we ask the Lord of the field to send laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2)? Certainly! The salvation of others is the goal of your efforts. The love of God is your motive. Is there anything greater? So, give.

Foundations are First

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).

Without a proper foundation, buildings don't stand, civilizations don't last, and Christians don't witness well. The foundation I am talking about is the foundation of basic Christian doctrine. Do you know what the Trinity is? How many natures does Jesus have, one or two? Are we saved by grace through faith or by grace and works? For what purpose did Jesus die? Did He rise from the dead? If so, why? Perhaps you do not believe that knowing doctrine is important. Maybe you think that we should just tell people about Jesus and let them choose to accept Him or not. Unfortunately, witnessing isn't always that simple. Knowing what and why you believe is essential. For example, if someone says he wants to receive Jesus as Savior but doesn't believe that He is God in flesh, is that important? If someone says that the Trinity is not biblical, what would you say? Is the Holy Spirit a force or God? Doctrine is important because it defines who you put your trust in. It is not simply that you have faith, it's who you put your faith in. A "Setup" at church.

A few years ago an associate pastor of a local church asked me to give a talk on some biblical issues to his college and career group. As we talked about the lecture he decided he would like me to test the group on their doctrinal knowledge. He asked me to pretend I was someone off the street who happened to walk in to "see what was going on and challenge them." Since no one at the study knew me, it seemed like a great idea. He said, "Ask them questions that will make them think. Ask them questions about their faith." Since he wanted them to answer for themselves, he arranged not to be there. Instead, a Bible study leader, who knew of the "setup," would be in charge. This way, the group would be forced to defend their faith because their pastor wouldn't be there to bail them out when things got tough, and they did. I asked some questions about the Bible, got some answers, and then asked more questions about their answers. I asked them how they knew the Bible was true, how they knew they were going to heaven, why their beliefs were correct and everyone else's was false, and more. All I did was challenge them. Later I asked them about Jesus. I said, "If Jesus is God then why did He pray to God the Father?" The sudden silence spoke loudly against them. I continued with, "Some Jehovah's Witnesses I was talked to a little while ago said that there was no such thing as the Trinity. They had a bunch of proof texts. Why should I believe you and not them. They have answers and they seem to know their Bible." Needless to say, the group was thoroughly upset. One person left to get the pastor. Two girls were doubting their salvation and a couple of guys told me later they wanted to beat me up (and these were Christians!). Just about then it was time to stop. The Bible study leader, who had kept tactfully quiet until then, interrupted the discussion and, playing along for a few seconds longer said, "All right, all right. Let's put a stop to this. " He looked confidently at everyone and said, "Don't worry. We are going to have a speaker here tonight who will be able to answer all these questions and explain why the Bible really is the word of God, why there is a Trinity, and all that other stuff we talked about." A couple of people said to me, "Yeah, so why don't you stay and you can hear some answers." I smiled and said, "Maybe I will." The Bible study leader smiled too and as he pointed to me he said, "And tonight, he is our speaker." They stared at me for a moment. Then, as if on cue, they all began to moan and groan. They had been set up. I smiled. After a while, they smiled too. What are you called to do? You are called by God to accurately know His word, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). You are called by God to grow in your walk with Him, "Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity..." (Heb. 6:1). You are called by God to search the scriptures daily, "Now these were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).

How good is your foundation?

Are you like the people in that church? Are you weak in your basic Christian foundation? Can you defend the Trinity biblically? Can you show someone in the Bible that Jesus is God in flesh or that salvation is by faith only and not by our works? Do you know if Jesus rose from the dead in the same body He died in or was it a different spiritual body? These questions are crucial and you need to have the correct answers. Do you? If your foundation is weak, then you need to strengthen it. Without a good foundation you won't be able to stand against a breeze of opposition. That is why you must first establish your foundation: you must witness in the strength of truth, not the weakness of error. Just as a baby must crawl before it walks, a Christian must know the basics before he can mature: "Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity..." (Heb. 6:1). Let's first learn the elementary teachings before we go on.

Three Important Verses in Witnessing

"So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11). If you only study one page on this section on evangelism, this page is it. Why? Because here is where you will learn three of the most important verses of evangelism: Isaiah 55:11; Rom. 1:16; and John 12:32. Isaiah 55:11 Isaiah 55:11 says, "So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." God's word is unique. It was by His word (speech) that God created, "God said, Let there be light'; and there was light" (Gen. 1:3). "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God..." (Heb. 11:3). Jesus is called the Word, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God... and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:1,14). When Jesus was on the earth, He taught. He taught with words and His words had a very strong effect on people. They angered some and broke others. But when Jesus spoke, things happened. Jesus forgave sins by speaking, "And seeing their faith, He said, Friend, your "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16).

sins are forgiven you'" (Luke 5:20). He raised the dead by speaking, "Lazarus, come forth" (John 11:43). He calmed the wind and sea with words, "Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and it became perfectly calm" (Matt. 8:26). He cast out demons by speech, "And He said to them, Begone!' And they came out..." (Matt. 8:32). He healed by speech, "And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed.' And immediately his leprosy was cleansed" (Matt. 8:3,13). God's words are powerful. The Word (the Bible) is described as having many qualities: It is inspired: It is truth: "The sum of Thy word is truth" (Psalm 119:151).

"...If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of mine; It makes free: and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). "So faith comes from hearing, and It produces faith: hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17) "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any twoedged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and It judges: intentions of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).

The Word of God is a mighty weapon. That is why you should memorize! Romans 1:16

Rom. 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." What is the Gospel? 1 Cor. 15:1-4 says it is the sacrificial death and physical resurrection of Jesus for sins. It is the powerful message of salvation to sinners. If you know that the Word of God will accomplish what God wants it to and if you know that the gospel has power to save, then it should ease your mind to know that in witnessing you are using two very powerful weapons: God's Word and God's Gospel. The Word of God is the Bible. The Gospel of God is His revelation or redemption. John 12:32 John 12:32, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." Here Jesus speaks specifically about His crucifixion. It is He who draws to Himself all who are to be saved. When you present the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4), the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus for sins, Jesus draws the sinner to Himself. He does the work, not you. As a Christian, you are to witness with truth, honesty, and integrity. As the Lord provides the opportunity, you should respond in a humble and gentle spirit (2 Tim. 2:24). And in that, you should point people to Jesus. It is He alone who saves. If you know that God's Word will accomplish what God desires, that the gospel is powerful to save, and that it is Jesus who draws all men to Himself, then you should realize that the responsibility of salvation does not rest on you, but on God. You are the teacher, the deliverer of good news. "How shall they believe in Him who they have not heard?" (Rom. 10:14). You help them hear!

Salvation is God's work

"Salvation belongs to the Lord" (Psalm 3:8).

When someone appeals to God and seeks forgiveness in Jesus, his sins are removed, he is cleansed, his relationship with God is restored, and he is made a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). All of this is the work of God, not man. The Bible has a phrase that describes the non-Christian. It is 'natural man'. In 1 Cor. 2:14 Paul says, "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." Our human condition can be compared to a drop of poison in a glass of water: all the water is poisoned but it is not as bad as it could be. The water is incapable of being good. We, too, are incapable of really being good. When Jesus' disciples asked Him who can be saved, He replied, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matt. 19:26). That is why salvation rests in God alone by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). About now you are probably wondering what this has to do with witnessing. Why do you need to know all this? I am glad you asked. It is helpful to know because you must realize it is God who saves people. Specifically, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts the sinner of sin -- not you. "And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment" (John 16:8). Remember, the gospel is preached after sin is made known. Because the sinner cannot come to God on his own, he must be convicted of his sin, and thus be made aware of his need for salvation. The conviction of sin is beyond our control. It is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). Prayer is essential in witnessing It is, then, vital that you pray and request God to convict as well as save. Prayer is an essential part of witnessing. When you witness you must pray. Then you are free to spread the gospel as effectively as you want and to trust God to give the increase (1 Cor. 3:6-7). Ask Him to send the Holy Spirit; ask Him to convict the world of sin. The work of the Holy Spirit is essential in salvation. The Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit works in two types of people during witnessing: the saved and the unsaved. In the saved, He dwells within (Rom. 8:11), teaches (John 14:26), anoints (1 John 2:27), guides (John 16:13), and sanctifies (1 Pet. 1:2). Without the Holy Spirit we would be like ships without rudders, unable to live as Christians and certainly unable to witness effectively. In the unsaved, He convicts of sin (John 16:8). Sinners come to Jesus to have their sins cleansed. They do this after they discover their guilt before God. This too is the work of the Holy Spirit. Since the natural man is separated from God because of his sin (Isaiah 59:2), the Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures (that you quote) to convict him of his sinfulness, convince him of his need for salvation, and convert him through the Word. When a natural man (or woman) is aware of his sinful condition then the gospel message of deliverance from sin is preached and becomes effectual. Sin

Sin does two things: it offends God and it kills man. How? It offends God because it is His law we break. It kills us because of the nature of Law. Have you ever heard of a law without a punishment? A law without a punishment is only a slogan. Since God is just and laws have punishments, then God must punish the lawbreaker. But that is not the end of the story. God is also merciful and gracious. His justice fell upon Himself -- on the cross. His mercy falls upon us -- by grace through faith. Justice, Mercy, and Grace Imbedded in the relationship of Law and Gospel are the concepts of justice, mercy, and grace. One of the best ways you can show the difference between them is to use illustrations that show their differences and relationships. For example, Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. Let's suppose you have a bicycle and I want it. So, one night I sneak over to your house and steal it. You catch me and I go to jail. (Jail would be where I "pay" for my crime of breaking the law.) The penalty is met and that is justice. I get what I deserve. Let's change it a little. I sneak over to your house and steal your bike. You catch me. But you don't send me to jail. Instead, you tell me to forget about it. The penalty, jail, is not met. That is mercy. I did not get what I deserved. One more change. I sneak over to your house and steal your bike. You catch me. You don't send me to jail. In fact, you give me the bike plus a hundred dollars. That is grace. The penalty is met (by you paying the 'damages') and I was given what I did not deserve (the bike and money). Justice, which demands payment, does not meet the requirement of mercy, which seeks forgiveness. Mercy does not meet the requirement of justice. Grace meets both. The Lamp Analogy1 Let's say I am at your house or apartment with my wife. We are talking about church and in my zeal I accidentally knock over your lamp. Now, this lamp is special. A dear friend gave it to you and it has great sentimental value, and besides, you need a light in your room. After a moment or two you realize that the damage is done and decide to forgive. You say to me, "That is alright, Matt. I forgive you for breaking the lamp, but give me ten dollars." Is asking for ten dollars after you've just forgiven me, true forgiveness? Certainly not! When God forgives our sins, He says He will remember them no more (Jer. 31:34). Forgive and forget are similar in spelling and similar in meaning. If you forgive me can you demand payment from the one forgiven? No, because a forgiven debt does not exist. Let's say that instead of asking me for ten dollars you turn to my wife and say, "Matt broke my lamp. You give me ten dollars for it." I ask you again. Is that true forgiveness? No. You are simply transferring the debt to someone who was not involved in the original offense. But, we have a problem. The lamp needs to be replaced. In true forgiveness, then, who pays for its replacement? (Think about this a bit before you go on to read the answer.) Who pays? You do! You're the only one left. Remember, if you've forgiven me the debt, how can you demand payment? Now, who was my offense against? You. Who forgives? You do. Who pays? You do. When we sin, who do we sin against? God. Who forgives? God. Who pays? God! Did you get that? God pays! How does He do that? Simple. 2000 years ago on a hill

outside the city of Jerusalem He bore our sins in His body and died on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). He took our punishment: "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried... He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him..." (Isaiah 53:4-5). God is just. God is merciful. God is gracious. In the justice of God, He took our place. In the mercy of God we don't get punished. In the grace of God, He gives us eternal life. Even though we are unworthy of salvation, even though we are unworthy of God's love, even though we are unworthy of mercy, even though we are worthy of wrath, God saved us. He did so not because of who we are, but because of who He is, not because of what we do, but because of what He did. God is love (1 John 4:16). God is holy (1 Peter 1:16). God is good (Psalm 34:8). We could never fathom the depths of His purity and kindness (Rom. 11:33). We could never, through our own efforts, attain Him. There is only one thing left for us. We must worship Him, love Him, and serve Him. He alone is worthy. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

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1. I do not remember where I read the lamp analogy, but I have been using it for many years. Someone contacted me and mentioned that it was used by Josh McDowell. If that is the case then he received the credit for the analogy.

The Do's and Donts of Witnessing

"Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person" (Col. 4:5-6). Like most things in life, witnessing has guidelines. Following is a list of 20 Do's and 12 Don't's. They should aid you while witnessing and help prevent serious errors. If, however, you choose to ignore them, witnessing will be difficult and awkward. Do's 1. Do Pray. 2. Do speak to please God. 3. Do read your Bible. 4. Do start with a positive witness for Christ. 5. Do keep things simple. 6. Do share your salvation experience with them. 7. Do know what you believe. 8. Do have a genuine love. 9. Do be simple and define your terms. 10. Do memorize appropriate Scriptures if possible. 11. Do be ready to learn from the people you witness to. 12. Do be patient and gentle. 13. Do listen attentively. 14. Do answer their questions. 15. Do ask questions. 16. Do let him save face. 17. Do bring him, if possible, to a decision about Jesus. 18. Do encourage him to study the Bible by itself. 19. Do use Scripture in context. 20. Do remember that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Don'ts 1. Don't attack directly or make fun of someone. 2. Don't jump from one subject to another. 3. Don't expect too much from him. 4. Don't have a spiritual chip on your shoulder. 5. Don't lose patience. 6. Don't come on too strong. 7. Don't debate peripheral issues or doctrines. 8. Don't get sidetracked defending your denomination. 9. Don't be uptight. 10. Don't assume. 11. Don't argue. 12. Don't speak too fast or unclearly.

Leading Someone to the Lord

Alright, so you know about the Law, the Gospel, sin, salvation, the Four Spiritual Laws, and the Roman Road, but how do you lead someone to the Lord? How do you

introduce someone to Christ? First of all, you tell them about God, sin, and Jesus dying on the cross. So, let's say that after all this, the person you're witnessing to is touched by God's Word and wants to become a Christian. You say... "Do you understand what I've been telling you?" "Yes." "Do you want to receive Jesus as your Savior?" "Yes. Yes I do." "Good. But first, I need to tell you something. Being a Christian means living for Christ. It means seeking to do His will and not your own. It won't always be easy. Satan will make your life difficult at times. You may lose friends and things won't necessarily get better overnight. Being a Christian can be costly. In fact, Jesus said that you must deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). That is what Jesus wants you to do, to follow Him always -- even when others don't want you to. "Now, If you still want Jesus as your Savior and Lord, I would be glad to pray with you." "Yes, I do. I understand and I still want Jesus." "Then let's pray." You tell him to repeat what you say, maybe bow his head and close his eyes, or not... It doesn't matter. An example of what to say is "Dear Jesus, I know I have sinned against you. I confess that I am a sinner. I accept the sacrifice you made on the cross on my behalf. I ask you to come into my heart. Please cleanse me of my sin. And give me eternal life. I repent from my sins and put my trust in You. Thank you Jesus. Amen." The preceding paragraph is only an example of how to lead someone to Christ. As I've said before, there is no formula, but only a recognition of one's sinfulness before God, confession and repentance of sin, and trusting in Jesus' sacrifice for sin. I would like you to take special note to tell the person that being a Christian is not easy. In a way, when you do this you are trying to talk him out of being saved. But what is really happening is three things: 1) you are making sure conversion is real, 2) you are warning him of what is to come, and 3) you are trying to prevent a 'false conversion' and the excuse he might say later like, "Oh, I tried Christianity once. It didn't help me." Remember, we receive Christ for the forgiveness of sins, not to "make things better." Also, you want someone to come to Christ with full knowledge of what it means to be a Christian. If we aren't willing to follow Jesus through thick and thin, then we aren't worthy to be called His disciples. We are to love Him more than anything else (Luke 14:2628). Also worth noting is the short sentences used in the prayer. Don't worry about exactly what to say, just speak the truth, confess sin, ask Jesus for forgiveness, speak slowly, and use short sentences. This way, there will be no confusion.

The Four Spiritual Laws

"Four Spiritual Laws" can be of help. They are simple, to the point, and use Scripture to convict, convince, and convert. They are:

1. God loves you:

2.

3.

4.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Man is sinful and separated from God. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23); "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23); "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God" (Isaiah 59:2). Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6); "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). We must individually receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12); "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Rom. 10:9); "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). The Roman Road

Another list of verses usable in the same way as the Four Spiritual Laws is the "Roman Road." The advantage to these seven verses is that they are all in the book of Romans. Sometimes this is an advantage when you don't want to flip through a lot of pages.

1. Rom. 3:10, "As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one...'" 2. Rom. 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." 3. Rom. 5:12, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world,
and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned."

4. Rom. 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

5. Rom. 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

6. Rom. 10:9-10, "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in

7.

your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Rom. 10:13, "For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

I recommend you put the Roman Road in your Bible. Go to Romans 3:10 underline it and write Romans 3:23 next to it. Then go to Romans 3:28, underline it and write Romans 5:12 next to it, and so on. That way all you need to do is memorize where you start: Romans 3:10.

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