Personal Evangelism, Witnessing

All believers in the Church Age are mandated to witness to anyone who has not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. We, as believers, are all ambassadors for Jesus Christ here on earth. Also, witnessing or personal evangelism is not related to our spiritual gifts that each believer receives at salvation, but a part of our full-time Christian service for the Lord. The principle of prayer in witnessing is presented in Ephesians 6:18-20.

“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:18-20, NASB)

Knowledge of salvation is necessary to evangelize. The focus of witnessing is the person and work of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor. 5:17-21.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, NASB)

The objective is not to lead the unbeliever to Christ, but to accurately give them the Gospel information so they can make a decision. You don’t force them into a decision. You should understand the doctrines of reconciliation, propitiation, redemption, imputation, justification, regeneration, and expiation. You must have this epignosis doctrine information in your soul. Do you? Some people think what you need to know is the method, techniques or salesmanship. You must know your subject.

If you are witnessing to a Christian Science practitioner, you don’t have to know about the woman who started it, likewise with the other systems of religion. Witnessing for Jesus Christ is the responsibility of every believer. Acts 1:8; 2 Tim. 4:5; Col. 2:14; Eph. 6:15.

“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”“ (Acts 1:8, NASB)

“But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5, NASB)

“having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:14, NASB)

"and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;" (Ephesians 6:15, NASB)

Nice people will go to hell. The basis of their indictment is rejection of the work of Jesus Christ and their reliance on human good. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for all of mankind’s sins. He rejected human good as worthless. Human good is works or “righteous deeds” in Isaiah 64:6.

"For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." (Isaiah 64:6, NASB)

Effectiveness and clarity in witnessing depends on the believer’s understanding of the Last Judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment. Rev. 20:11-15; Heb. 6:1.

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15, NASB)

“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,” (Hebrews 6:1, NASB)

The Holy Spirit is the sovereign executive of witnessing. Witnessing is impossible apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The unbeliever does not have any basis for taking in and understanding divine information. They have no human spirit, but they do have a soul that is depraved. So the Holy Spirit must act as a human spirit to make the Gospel understandable to them. You present pertinent Gospel information, the rest is up to the Holy Spirit to make it clear! Eph. 2:1; 1 Cor. 2:14; John 16:8-11.

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,” (Ephesians 2:1, NASB)

"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." (1 Corinthians 2:14, NASB)

““And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” (John 16:8-11, NASB)

The Believer’s Weapon in Evangelism

The pertinent content of the Word of God, the Gospel, is the believer’s weapon in evangelism. The Gospel is the power of God with reference to salvation. The Gospel is the caliber of our weapon. When believers come into contact with the enemy, they are to use their weapon of the Word of God. The unbeliever is the target. Heb. 4:12; Eph. 6:17; 1 Cor. 1:18.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NASB)

“And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17, NASB)

“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18, NASB)

The Bible is the absolute standard for Truth. The Bible is the accuracy of our weapon. 2 Peter 1:14-15; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

“knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.” (2 Peter 1:14-15, NASB)

“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:19-21, NASB)

The Bible is the source of the Gospel. The Bible is also the arsenal from which our weapon comes. Luke 16:28-31; 1 Cor. 15:3-4.

“for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' "But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' "But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' "But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"” (Luke 16:28-31, NASB)

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, NASB)

The Bible is “the Mind of Christ.” Jesus Christ is the designer of our weapon. 1 Cor. 2:16.

“For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16, NASB)

The Bible is divine power that provides the impact of our weapon. Heb. 4:12.

The Bible or the Word of God never returns void. Specific verses and doctrines in the Bible are the aim of our weapon. Isaiah 55:11.

“So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11, NASB)

The Bible or the Word of God endures forever. The eternal Word of God provides the permanence of our weapon. Luke 21:33;, 1 Peter 1:25.

“"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” (Luke 21:33, NASB)

“BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:25, NASB)

The Dynamics of Witnessing

The believer is the agent of witnessing. Acts 1:8; Eph. 6:15; Eph. 6:20; 2 Tim. 4:5.

“and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;” (Ephesians 6:15, NASB)

“for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:20, NASB)

“But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5, NASB)

The dynamics of witnessing depend upon the believer’s proper mental attitude. You are not going to be effective in witnessing if you are ashamed of the Gospel. You are not going to be effective if you have no capacity to love the Lord Jesus Christ and to understand and experience His grace. You need to be consistent in your daily intake of Bible doctrine and the function of the grace apparatus for perception as it relates to Gospel information. Rom. 1:14-16; Eph. 6:15.

“I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 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.” (Romans 1:14-16, NASB)

“and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;” (Ephesians 6:15, NASB)

There are two areas of witnessing and they always go together. They are the testimony of the lips and the testimony of the life. This is coordination of the character and speech. One does not exist without the other. 2 Cor. 5:17-21; 2 Cor. 3:3.

“being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Corinthians 3:3, NASB)

There is very definite reward for witnessing. This reward results from divine good production. Rewards in heaven are an extension of maturing spiritually. They simply commemorate the grace of God. 1 Cor. 3:11-16; 2 Cor. 5:10.

“For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:11-16, NASB)

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10, NASB)

Some people may say, “Well, I’m going to heaven and I’m going to be happy there, so is this reward business going to make me any happier? What does it add? Isn’t this being a little pushy going around witnessing to get a reward in heaven?” People who talk like that have no concept of grace and the plan of God. The believer’s spiritual growth is so designed to reflect the glory of God.

These rewards do not reflect any personal glory, but reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in us. They reflect His glory, not ours. The reason people are confused on rewards is that they are not grace oriented. Everything in heaven is going to glorify God.

Be Fishers of Men

Fishermen must have a desire to fish. As a result of being in fellowship and spiritual growth, believers will be enthusiastic about the Lord and proclaim the Gospel. Matt. 4:19.

“And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”“ (Matthew 4:19, NASB)

Fishermen must be equipped to fish. You have to know Bible doctrine and be constructing an edification complex in your soul as you mature spiritually. Fishermen must know where the fish are located. We are in the World, but not of the world.

Fishermen must know how to bait a hook. Believers must know methods of personal evangelism. Fishermen must keep out of sight or they’ll frighten the fish. The issue must be the Gospel and not our personality. Persistent fishermen are rewarded, but they must never try to force the issue of the Gospel. Believers must stay in fellowship to conduct personal evangelism.