1Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

* As Christians we should all be able to lead a lost soul to the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. To be able to effectively witness, one must have a deep conviction of what the Bible says concerning salvation. This teaching is designed to cover some basics for the Christian worker.

Some things to realize:

That humanity is lost and needs a Savior.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

That Jesus is the only way of salvation.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.

That the Gospel is the power of God for salvation.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth;

That God loves the lost sinner.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That Salvation is a free gift.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is not God's will that any perish

      2Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
      slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
      that all should come to repentance.

The consequences of rejecting Christ.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

You can - share your faith!

You don’t have to know a lot about the Bible in order to share your faith.

A basic understanding of God’s salvation plan is sufficient to lead a person to Christ.

You don’t have to be afraid

2Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind.

When we step out in faith the Holy Spirit will give us boldness to speak.

Some personal observations

Be polite, courteous and respectful.
Don’t be judgmental.

The writer Charles Trumbull speaks of an encounter that he once had with a man on a train. Spewing profanity, the drunken man boarded and lurched into the seat next to him. When the man offered him a drink from his flask, Trumbull didn't condemn his condition. Instead he replied, "No thank you, but I can see you are a very generous man." The man's eyes lit up. As they talked, he heard about the One who offers the satisfying water of life. Later, he gave his life to Christ.

Don’t speak evil of others churches etc.
Avoid a holier then thou attitude.
Dress appropriately.

Remember! People have different convictions about a lot of different things. Your purpose is to win the person to Christ, so close every door possible to the enemy.

An illustration:

Your personal conviction may be that it is ok for you to smoke, BUT the person that you are trying to witness to believes that smoking is a sin. If the person sees you smoking or using tobacco, then the devil will use that to turn the person away from you.

Don’t beat the person to death with the gospel

Sharing your faith also requires you to listen to the other person. don’t just talk! talk! talk!

As you listen to the other person, the Holy Spirit will give you things to say.

Proverbs15:23 ...a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

People can tell if you really care about them.

One must go in a spirit of love. Love will reach people. As you read the Gospels notice how the Lord Jesus reached out to the individual. He cared about them.

People have a choice. God does not force anyone to accept Him. All we can do is share the gospel message, it takes the Holy Spirit to convict the person of their sins and to receive Christ.

The Christian worker must be prayed up and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

When sharing the gospel, keep it simple and to the point, don’t get sidetracked on other issues.

After sharing the gospel, if the opportunity is there, Ask the person if they would like to accept Jesus as their Savior. If yes, then lead them in prayer, (most don’t know what to do)

Say - pray after me:

“Lord I believe you died for my sins and rose again on the 3rd. day. Please forgive all my sins and come into my heart, I receive you Lord Jesus as my Savior.” Once they have prayed, ask them to confess Jesus as their Savior out loud.

Notice:

Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Vs.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Scriptures for assurance

      1John 5:11-13 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this
       life is in his Son.
      Vs.12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not
       life.
      Vs.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of
      God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name
      of the Son of God.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Gospel Tracts

Many times all you can do is give the person a gospel tract. People will often read them in privacy.

Planting seed is just as important as the harvest.

      1Corinthians 3:6-8 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
      Vs.7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God
      that giveth the increase.
      Vs.8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive
      his own reward according to his own labour.

Gospel tracts can be placed in public places. Mailed to individuals. Passed out on the streets etc.

Other ways to witness

Door to door knocking and speaking with people. Hanging tracts out door to door.

Walking in parades, carrying signs. Think about how many people you can witness to in a parade. Signs such as John 3:16 present the gospel message to people.

Proverbs 11:30 .....he that winneth souls is wise.

Psalms 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

In Christ's Service
E.L. Davis