Evangelistic Tips
Hurricane Warning: Be A Witness For Christ!
Last year, we saw, (and some of us experienced) the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina. Most of Katrina’s victims weren’t prepared for the hurricane’s devastating blows. As a result people lost everything and ultimately found themselves in a state of confusion, hurt, and hopelessness. This year a heavy hurricane season has been predicted. Are you ready? What if a hurricane took your life? Would you be prepared for eternity?
If your answer is “no,” but you want to be prepared, click on “Seekers.”
If your answer is “yes” click on “Believers.”
Seekers:
What does it mean to be a witness? When you’re a witness, you give a detailed account of something you’ve seen or experienced. God wants you to be a witness for Him. In order to do this, you must experience God for yourself. The Bible says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)
God loves you and wants a relationship with you. However, there’s a gap between you and Him. It’s called sin. While we all know that murder and adultery are sins, did you realize that telling a “little white lie,” gossiping, and even “borrowing” a pen from work were examples of sin as well?
God is a holy God who cannot tolerate any type of sin. His law says that the consequence for sin is death. Since God is perfect, and He cannot change His law where does this leave you? It means spending an eternity in hell without God. This would be worse than the most devastating hurricane you or anyone else has ever experienced.
However, there is good news! You don’t have to go to hell. You don’t even have to try to get yourself right or be a good person. Instead, God made a way for you to be reconciled to Him. He sent Jesus to fill in the gap between you and God. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
It only takes one small step to have a relationship with God. “What is this step?” you ask. You must make a personal decision to trust that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins: past, present, and future. He became your Substitute. He died 2,000 years ago, so this free gift is available to you right now. No strings attached. Just believe. Jesus said, “…I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” (John 6:47)
Take a moment to think about this offer.
If you have received Jesus, you have received the gift of eternal life. What do you say when someone gives you a gift? You say, thank you.
What do you thank Jesus for?
1) Loving you.
2) Dying on the cross for your sins.
3) Making the way to salvation available by accepting Him by faith.
4) Promising to always be with you.
If you believe in what Jesus Christ has done for you, now you can be a witness and tell others about Him!
Believers:
Since you have a relationship with Christ, you are already prepared for eternity. However, what are you going to do while you wait? God tells us in Ephesians 5:16 to make the best of our time while we’re here on earth. One of the greatest ways to use our time wisely and show God that we love Him is to be a witness. Jesus clearly tells us the importance of sharing our faith in Matthew 9:37 when He exclaims, “…The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”
What is a witness? It is someone who gives an account or explanation of a situation or experience. In your case, God saved you and you need to tell people. The question is not whether you should be a witness; it is, “How effectively can you share the Gospel message with others?” What can you do to be witness for Christ?
Here is a list of suggestions:
1) Make a list of unsaved people you know and pray for them. This includes
family, friends, and enemies.
2) Find common ground with people and be a friend by showing them sincere
love, compassion, and concern.
3) Always believe that God is able to save people because He died for everyone.
4) If you get the opportunity to share your faith, explain:
a) Sin – It is man’s desire to do his own thing apart from God. Everyone is
a sinner. We have a sin nature so we sin as a result. (Romans 3:23)
Give examples such as lying, gossiping, pre-marital sex, selfishness,
overeating, adultery, cursing, homosexuality, bitterness, etc.
b) Substitution – Jesus Christ is God’s ONLY Solution for our sin
problem and He became our Substitute by dying on the cross to pay for
our sins. He took our place. (John 14:6, 1 Peter 3:18)
c) Saving Faith - We must make a personal choice by trusting that Jesus
died on the cross to pay for our sins. (John 1:12; 3:16)
5) Show love to people whether they accept the Gospel or not.
6) Leave behind a tract which reiterates the Gospel message you’ve just
shared with them. They can refer to this later when you’re gone.
You may be wondering, “What do I get for sharing the Gospel?” While there are many benefits to sharing the Gospel, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have obeyed God, and He used you to share a message that can save someone’s life for eternity.
If your group or organization is interested in learning how to effectively share the Gospel with others, Tiffany is available to conduct workshops. Her contact information is below.
Tiffany Godfrey
PO Box 301
Carrollton, VA 23314
e-mail: tiffanygodfrey@juno.com