Overcoming a Fear of Witnessing
Our fear of witnessing,
generally, is based on focusing on ourselves instead of God and others.
We must point people to Jesus at all costs.
As human beings, we are generally too preoccupied with our own image,
our own needs, and our own comfort to truly extend ourselves to minister to
others. We know that we should. We
want to, but when the time comes, when opportunity presents itself, we find
ourselves not saying anything at all. It seems our tongue is stuck to the
roof of our mouths. Have you ever experienced this? I have!
So, how can we overcome fear and
be of service to others in sharing the Good News of the Gospel?
Possible causes of fear in
witnessing include shyness, past or supposed rejection or humiliation, an
inability to communicate your personal testimony, a lack of knowledge of
Scripture, and a failure to trust in the Lord. Defining the actual cause of our fear can be
difficult, and understanding the reason for it will not rid us of our fear. But we are commanded to be bold for Jesus, so
may have to simply persevere. (See Ephesians 6:19)
In the meantime we can apply some basic principles and sharpen our
skills, since fear can be overcome by preparation. (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
If we are not walking with
Christ, we will not be able to witness for Christ effectively, so we certainly
need to be living a consistent, Christian life.
“…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds
and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) If at all possible, we should be attending a
Bible-teaching church. And, we should
do what we can to improve our knowledge of Scripture.
Our Lord shared the gospel with
many different people. He understood
Nicodemus and the woman at the well, and He used that knowledge to draw them to
Himself. (See John 3 and 4) Our approach
should also be tailor-made for those to whom we are reaching out. As we speak with an unbeliever, we should try
to determine what is keeping him from salvation. Generally speaking, there are three factors
that keep people from belief, ambivalence about God, fear of God, and hatred
toward God, which includes despising His teachings and His Son.
A study of the Gospel of John will show that the key to successful witnessing
is love. Jesus loved people to the point
of accepting the cross and separation from the Father. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can
learn to love people more. When we do,
we will be more motivated to share the gospel, since our desire to save people
from eternal punishment will grow. Love
compels us to communicate the good news.
The Holy Spirit will open doors
for us by convicting people of their sin and stirring up a desire for
salvation, and He will arrange for our paths to cross. Our job is simply to speak with people and
explain that salvation is available to every sinner, and to present the good
news of the Gospel.
Speaking is what many find
troubling, as did Moses. (See Exodus 4:10)
However, if we are walking in Christ, if we study and plan, if we rely
on the Holy Spirit (See John 16:8; Titus 3:5), and if we truly love people and want
to help guide them to Jesus, we should be able to find a witnessing approach
that works for us.
One method to consider is
to prepare and memorize a simple testimony of what Jesus did for us, and this
should include several keywords. We also
should memorize a few key verses that relate to the gospel and to our
testimony. Then, when any one of our
keywords arises in a conversation, in a context that can be related to the
things of God, we can discuss our testimony or recite a verse and explain the
meaning. If we are asked any relevant questions, we can proceed with the
confidence that the Holy Spirit has opened a heart. If the other person expresses no interest, we
can simply continue the original conversation without anxiety. At the very least, we will have planted a
seed.
I have studied and used several
different methods of sharing the Gospel over the years, but my favorite has
become the ABC plan of salvation. It’s a
simple, straightforward way to share Christ with someone (witness to them) that
is easy to remember and tell someone else.
Add in your personal testimony, and some appropriate scriptures relating
to each of the letters, and you are all set.
Here is the complete plan:
A stands for Admit. A person must
admit to God that they are a sinner.
They must repent (be sorry) for their sins, and turn away from
sinning. Verses that support this step
are Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Acts 3:19; and 1 John 1:9.
B stands for Believe. A person must believe that Jesus is God’s
Son, and that God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for sin. Verses about believing include John 3:16;
John 14:6; and Romans 5:8.
C stands for Confess. A person must confess their faith in Jesus
Christ as Savior and Lord. Read Romans
10:9-10, 13.
Remember that new believers
need to be discipled. Get them into a
good, Christ-centered church, and help them through the trials that always come
to new believers. Satan will almost
certainly begin to attack them, and they can easily be, “…carried away
by all kinds of strange teachings.” (Hebrews 13:9)
Study the Word, live the
Christian life, let the Holy Spirit do His work (John 3:8), and look for
opportunities to share the gospel. It is
a privilege to be a part of spreading God’s good news to the world. As we
fulfill the Great Commission, we have Jesus’ wonderful promise that, “…surely
I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
What have we to fear?
If you have any comments, or
would like to know more about witnessing to an unbeliever, you can respond in
the comment section below or email me at: lifesjourney1949@gmail.com
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