When Should I Witness?

There are many times Christians struggle to share the gospel with others. However, this is one of the main commands we are given in Scripture, as found in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20. Why do we struggle with sharing the gospel? In investigating these challenges, I hope some of your fears will be recognized and that Scripture will show us a way to more readily and easily share the gospel with others.

Fear

This is probably the biggest reason Christians offer as to why they do not share the gospel. But as we investigate fear, can we find strength through Christ and His word? We can. First, Scripture reminds us not to give into the spirit of fear. Paul addressed this with Timothy in the 2nd Epistle he wrote to him: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).

This must be where we start our internal focus on fear: it is not of God, but it is of Satan. We must be willing to recognize that Satan does not want the gospel to be shared and will do anything possible to stop it from happening. Through Christ, there are four ways we can challenge this fear and share the gospel.

Focus on God

Many examples in Scripture show that when people were their strongest, they depended on God the most. One of my favorite examples is when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, and Peter stepped out of the boat to join Him. We need to remember that while this took place, the storm was still raging and the boat was still being tossed around. Not many people would have been brave enough to get out of a boat in the middle of a storm. While this feat would have been impossible, with God, it was possible. The fear kicked back in when Peter took his eyes off Christ, and Peter began to sink. Christ used Peter's fear to focus his eyes back on faith.

We should lean on this example of Peter’s faith and the consequential lack thereof as a reminder that we don’t just need Christ for a moment to get us started. We are dependent on Him continually and need Him in our lives as a daily guide for the storms of life. We are reminded of this in Colossians 3:2, which says, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth”(NKJV). The first element of conquering fear is shifting your focus. Are you focused on your abilities or on the abilities of God that He enacts through you?

Examine Our Minds

How do we direct our hearts to avoid giving into the fears we often face? We’ve already unpacked the importance of building a foundation of focus on God. Now we move to another emphasis in controlling fear: to consider our thoughts. It seems that many people in the Bible learned to develop a mindset that focused on God and God alone, and this mindset allowed them not only to grow closer to Him but also to stay on the path God had for them. We look no further than David, who was later called a man after God's heart. Or even Abraham, who in Isaiah 41:8 was called a friend of God. How were these two men, despite their failures in life, still men who greatly adored God?

When we examine these two men, it is clear that they followed God and had their minds focused on what God would have them do. As for David, when facing multiple enemies during his reign, we see repeatedly that God was in the forefront of his mind and his actions were directly related to God’s guidance. Abraham also sought the Lord continually and displayed his devotion and trust in God’s ways when he was willing to sacrifice his own son for the sake of obedience.

Developing this mindset will be key to conquering our fears. So how do we set our mind on things above so that we are not as easily swayed by our fears we have allowed to control us previously? The answer is emptying our minds of the things that cause us fear and then filling them with the things that will strengthen our faith. What things should we try and remove from our minds? One of the easiest to identify – but the hardest to eliminate – is the feeling of doubt. This is something that many Christians have had to endure during their ministry. These seeds of doubt are often based on either an earlier failure or the remembrance of the failure of a friend in a similar situation. Focusing on doubt as a distraction to keep us from attempting what could result in a huge success is a problem. I am reminded of a story that was told about a famous inventor. This inventor had thought up a particular item that he felt could change the world. As he set out to make this new invention through trial and error, he was met with constant failure. After multiple attempts, instead of giving up, this inventor ended up eventually finding the solution. When asked why he never gave up, he said, “I found many ways not to do it wrong.” The inventor was Thomas Edison and the invention was the light bulb. I use this to tell you that when things don’t go as you plan, we don’t have to consider them failures; we can instead utilize the learning experience of what NOT to do to help guide us in the right direction. We should not let our mistakes deter us but should lean in and not give up.

Accept the Leading of the Holy Spirit

We must realize that, as believers, we are literally the messengers of God. With this, we are not those doing the winning to Christ but are merely presenting the message to those seeking the truth. The Holy Spirit will do the burdening alongside the words and testimony we present. When we attempt to share the gospel or bring people to conversion on our own and do not rely on the Holy Spirit’s prompting and guiding, we can end up doing more harm than good. Sometimes, people aren’t ready to be faced with the truth of the gospel, and when we attempt to share it with them too early, they can end up ignoring your words or developing a negative view of faith. We also run the risk of pushing the hearer down a wrong path despite our attempts to share the truth. Only the Spirit knows when a person is ready and only the Spirit is able to bring conversion: it is not our job to do either. I am reminded of when the apostle Paul says, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7, NKJV). If we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, then we are taking ourselves out of the equation. We are not responsible for the success or failure of one knowing Christ. This can reduce anxiety if we realize that we are following the leading of the Holy Spirit in sharing the gospel and if we accept that it is a personal decision; sometimes, the person receiving the gospel may wait and accept Christ later.

On the other hand, if we genuinely listen to the Holy Spirit, we do not want to ignore opportunities to present the gospel, as we should always be ready to share the truth with those we come in contact with. We never know when we will come across someone that may be seeking Christ and just have no idea how to find Him. For the Christian, the focus should always be on willingly listening to the Holy Spirit and allowing conversations to be directed by Him.

When we try to force the conversation, many times this will result in a negative environment and, in many cases, do more harm than good. There are many people out there that have been spiritually damaged because of these conversations. How do we help these individuals that have a negative concept of Christianity? The first priority is developing a friendship/relationship with those we come into contact with. By getting to know who they are, we show them we are genuinely interested in their life, and not attempting to make them feel inferior by communicating their need for a Savior. The second priority is to look for an opportunity to share the gospel after you get to know them. It is highly likely that this will not happen in a first meeting. Keep in mind, to reach someone for Christ, we are showing His love for them by emulating that love in your friendship. Remember, you may only have a part in the process, and even if you don’t see the whole process come to completion for this person, you are still making a difference.

Resist the Temptation of Giving Up

Many people only view success a certain way. This is much like a runner that runs a race with only one desire: the desire to win. When they finish less than first, they feel disappointed and like a failure, even if many others either finished behind them or didn’t complete the race. In the same way, many people feel like a failure if they do not get to see someone come to Christ. This is something that Satan is using against Christians, attempting to lead them toward giving up and not being the testimony God wants them to be. The example of Noah and the ark is a great example of endurance in following God. Noah spent multiple years building the ark; I am sure many things occurred during this time, such as warning the people of the impending flood and facing the ridicule of those who thought building the ark far away from water was nonsense. However, despite no one heeding his warning and joining his family on the ark, Noah persevered and built the ark, worshiping and following God and His leadership. There have also been many stories of people presenting the gospel for years and not seeing one person follow Christ. The important thing is that by being the testimony for Christ, those seeds are planted, watered, and will eventually lead to a harvest. Christians should rejoice in opportunities to share the gospel until the time that they are called home.

Being the witness for Christ is something that we are commanded to do in the Great Commission. However, witnessing is actually only one part of that command. As a witness, we are bearing the testimony of what Christ has done for them, just as He did for us. This is perhaps the greatest responsibility for the Christian and should not be taken lightly. Laying the foundation of witness will be key to following the rest of what Christians should be doing. We are also commanded to teach them and observe what Christ commands us to do. Be ready and listen to the Holy Spirit, actively looking for that opportunity to bring honor and glory to God.