Witnessing

OCOSBE Blog Comments Off on Witnessing

By Evangelist John McMinn

Many opportunities come for us to be a witness. Is this witnessing?

For example: I have a post on www.mostimportantthing.org which gives my testimony before knowing Christ, the discovery of my need for Jesus, and how my life has changed since knowing the Lord. When people visit that page, I receive notification that someone read my testimony. Is this witnessing or merely a witness?

Witnessing is a verb where being a witness is a noun.

This simple grammatical fact can help you see that witnessing requires activity and intentional action. It is something that you do. The website just sits there waiting for someone to come read it. I don’t want to discount the value of having a testimony posted online, in writing, or in any other form of media. However, as Christians we called to do more than live isolated lives posting on social media, feeling smug because we believe we have satisfied our Lord’s directive to “Go into all the world…”

Witnessing is an honor, a privilege, intoxicating, addictive, and never ever an accident. There have been many times in my life that the opportunity for me to witness or lead someone to belief in Jesus, was unexpected. Not an accident. These encounters were arranged by God. He was very intentional about who with, and at what time, the God moment would take place.

You can’t save anyone.

I was greatly humbled when I heard a preacher say that the Lord added to their number this morning a new family. I realized that this comes from Acts 2:47:

“And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.”

We can’t save them because Jesus does all the saving. We choose to be obedient. We choose to do what He asked us to do. We even make preparation for the tasks that we hope for.

Prepare for the order.

Did you go to school to learn how to do your job? Did you study before someone was willing to pay you to do it? Maybe you are a welder, a truck driver, a shoe cobbler, or a doctor. In all these professions you had to do your homework before you were qualified to do the job.

Why is it that so many are afraid of witnessing yet do nothing to grow in confidence and command of the scriptures? Many say, “Someone else is better qualified than me.” or “I’m afraid!” These are prompted by emotions of insecurity and sometimes pride. However, emotions are not sin. Failure to do what God says is sin. If we allow our insecurities to keep us from even preparing to be a witness then of course we are going to be embarrassed and fearful in a witnessing encounter.

We want God to go before us and soften the hearts of others before we speak. We want to speak boldly, knowing that we know who we are in Jesus, and what He has done for us He will do for others.

Don’t plan for failure.

If God were asking you to go out and get people saved. We would fail miserably. However, God’s plan is for His church to grow and for people from every tribe and nation to come to faith in Jesus.

Plan to be ready for the God arranged appointment. He has promised in Rev 7:9

“After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

Think about it. They will listen, they will repent, and they will become saved. Who does the saving? Jesus! Who will do the telling of how to be saved? Those that plan for it.

Because it’s God’s plan.

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» OCOSBE Blog » Witnessing
On April 13, 2016
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