The overflow of a rich life in Christ should be sharing with others how they too can have this life. Your devotional life, extended times of prayer, and prompt obedience to God will give your life an attractiveness which adds credibility to your words. Effective witnessing also involves skills. Skills can be learned and sharpened. You will become a sharpened instrument in God's hand as you receive training and gain experience in witnessing.

Christ's first instructions to His new followers in the first chapter of Mark were "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17). His last instructions on this earth to His disciples were "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses..." (Acts 1:8) Christ thus began and ended His ministry with the command to be witnesses!

In the Great Commission, our Lord told His church to go into the world and make disciples of all nations, to baptize them, and then to teach them all the things that He had commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). The witness for Christ is the driving power which moves the church along just as the engine in a ship drives it along. We know that God's Holy Spirit is the true power of the church, but it is the witness of the Spirit through the individual life and through the corporate life of the church which brings power and life to the congregation itself. It is safe to say that the happy church is a witnessing church.

Why does witnessing for Christ make people in the congregation happy? The word "happy" in the Scriptures means "blessed." A witnessing congregation is a happy congregation because they are doing what their Lord told them to do. Too often the church is virtually without a witness except for the preaching and teaching. Christians get caught in the bureaucracy of the church and thus fail to be on the firing line with a witness for Christ. It should be carefully noted that a disobedient, and therefore defeated, Christian cannot in any way be happy.

If the Christian is not a witness for Christ, then he is disobedient. Witnessing for Christ requires dedication and willingness to face rebuke as well as acceptance. Disobedient Christians usually say, "Witnessing is not my gift." Where would the church be now if Stephen and Philip, who were members of the first Board of Deacons, had said, "We are serving tables and witnessing is not our gift?" The shield of faith is intended to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. In the Christian's armor, there is not an armor plate or defensive equipment for the backside! When we turn our back to the enemy and refuse to be a witnessing church, we are going to get the fiery darts in the most unprotected and in the most embarrassing place.

Often Acts 8:4, "All they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word," is used out of context and is believed to mean the apostles were the ones that went everywhere spreading the Word and preaching the Word. The significant context of that verse is found in Acts 8:1: "They were all scattered abroad except the apostles." Now we know that the apostles did their share and more than that. But the point is that everyone besides the apostles also went and evangelized.

This is how the Church of Christ in 300 years accomplished amazing results. The Roman Empire was overthrown by the Gospel of Christ which, on the lips of Christ-conquered disciples, crossed seas and deserts, pierced the darkest jungles, seeped into every city and town, and finally into the senate and the palace of Rome itself -- until a "Christian" Caesar was placed upon the throne.

How? Because everyone was preaching the Word. The Church was burgeoning with such rapidity that by the middle of the second century one of the great apologists could say, "We are everywhere. We are in your towns and in your cities; we are in the senate, we are more numerous than anyone." Constantine knew very well that he had no chance of unifying the Roman Empire or holding power in that empire without the help of the Christians. By A.D. 300 the church had shown such tremendous strength, and was spreading so swiftly, that it appeared the entire civilized world could be evangelized by A.D. 500. But something happened. You remember. Emperor Constantine, supposing to do a favor to the church, declared the whole Roman Empire to be Christian. Thus, millions of barbarians flooded into the church, bringing with them all of the pagan superstitions and heresies. They didn't even know the Gospel. They had never experienced its transforming power and, of course, they could not go out and tell others about it. So, little by little, the idea arose that there was a division between the clergy and the laity, and that this task of evangelism was the job of professionally trained individuals. So they decided to let the ecclesiastical "George" do it. The Dark Ages followed! With only a few bright spots in the history of the church since that time, this deplorable condition has continued down to our day.

In the fourth chapter of Ephesians, we are told that Christ has given pastors and teachers to the church "for the equipping of the saints unto the work of ministry, unto the upbuilding of the body of Christ." The pastor and every member of the staff and every member of the congregation should be a witness for Christ and be equipped and willing to lead others to Christ as the church reaches out in the power of the Spirit and with the authority of the Word of God to make Christ known throughout the world. Think what would happen if all the churches across the U.S. and around the world were to become witnessing congregations!

What impels the Christian to be active in witness? The basic motive is plain obedience. Every Christian is a servant of Christ. So we do not overlook any of His commandments. (1) Obedience is the fruit and proof of our love for Christ and it is an honorable privilege to be sent by Him to share in His own mission in the world. (2) Loving concern for men is also our incentive. To love my neighbor is to seek and to serve his highest good. We cannot claim to love him if we leave him alone to die without Christ. (3) In Romans, Paul writes that his mission to all the nations is "for the sake of the name." It is the preeminent name of Jesus. Love of His name is a concern for His honor in the world, an ardent desire for the fulfillment of our prayer: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give glory" (Psalm 115:1). It is a recognition that God the Father has exalted Him "far above...every name that is named," with a view to securing "that at the name of Jesus," before His supreme rank and dignity, "every knee should bow...and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord..." (Philippians 2:9-11)

A witness in a courtroom is expected to tell what he knows about a given situation. The Christian witness is to tell others what he knows about Jesus Christ and what it means to personally trust Him.

"Show me your redeemed life, and I'll believe in your Redeemer."

-- Voltaire,

"You are writing a Gospel, a chapter each day, by the things that you do, and the words that you say. Men read what you write -- distorted or true; what is the Gospel according to you?"

-- ,

"God hasn't engaged many of us as lawyers, but he has summoned all of us as witnesses."

-- ,

"I cannot, by being good, tell men of Jesus' atoning death and resurrection nor of my faith in His divinity. The emphasis is too much on me, and too little on Him."

-- Samuel Shoemaker,

Dr. James Kennedy relates that before he knew Christ, and while in high school, he had greatly admired a young man in his school who had a fine character and many good qualities. Sometime later, Dr. Kennedy became a Christian and discovered that the young man had been a Christian but had never shared with him. The emphasis was on the young man. The glory went to the young man (the glory that only Christ should have received).

"Witnessing is taking a good look at the Lord Jesus and then telling others what you've seen."

-- Lorne Sanny,

A Christian businessman in Seattle confessed how he had unknowingly discouraged a business associate from coming to Christ for years. One day the friend told the Christian businessman he had met the Lord the night before through a Billy Graham meeting. The long-time Christian was elated and said so, but the new Christian replied, "Friend, you're the reason I have resisted becoming a Christian for all these years. I figured that if a person could live a good life as you do and not be a Christian, there was no need to become one!" This businessman had lived an exemplary life, but he had not revealed the Source of strength for living it.

"I am convinced the world is more eager to hear our message than we are to deliver it. Never in my ministry have I seen such responsiveness and receptivity to the Gospel as in recent days."

-- Dr. Howard Hendricks,

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Since He lives within us, we can simply ask Him to give us the courage to speak for Him. Whenever you are alone with a person for a few minutes you can assume that you are there by divine appointment to share the good news of God's love and forgiveness. Though you should always seek to bring those who are interested to a definite commitment to Christ, you should not feel discouraged when some refuse to receive Him as their Savior and Lord. That is God's responsibility. It is your responsibility to tell them the good news with love and genuine concern. Sharing Christ should be a way of life for every Christian. When you awaken each morning, thank the Lord that He lives within you and ask Him to use your lips to speak of His love and forgiveness.

Witnessing is presenting a Person -- not a plan. The power is in the Gospel. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16).

God doesn't need us to argue His case, but simply to tell others what He has done for us. Read Acts 26:1-29. You will notice in Paul's story (his testimony) of how he met Christ, he included the following:

Using these points, write out your own one-minute testimony, and ask God to give you the opportunity to share your testimony and a gospel booklet with at least one person this week.

Perfect your words on a separate sheet before entering it into your manual. Memorize and practice with your discipler.

Some Christians are constantly being used by God to introduce others to our Savior because they have been trained to talk about Christ in the power of the Spirit. They do not get sidetracked to discuss nonessential matters. A gospel tract (booklet) keeps the conversation centered on the person of Christ, away from distracting issues. The booklet can also be left with the person.

There are many people who express antagonism toward God -- they want nothing to do with religion. But when we tell them about Jesus, they are responsive. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells of a taxi driver in Australia who told him, "I gave up all religion in World War II. I want nothing to do with a God who allows people to kill each other." Bill Bright's answered, "Wait a minute. Are you accusing God of something for which man is responsible? It is the evil in man, his sin, that causes him to hate and steal and kill." He explained the difference between religion, which is men's search for God, and Christianity, which is God's revelation of Himself in Christ to man. The man's attitude changed as he heard about the Person of Christ. Soon he said that he would like to pray and receive Christ.

1. Successful way-of-life witnessing may be defined as simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.

2. Three important ingredients to consider when sharing Christ as a way of life.

3. Pray in the Spirit. It is our responsibility to pray for men to come to Christ and to share Christ with them. God is the One who by His Spirit can produce faith in the hearts of men and change their lives. It is important to remember that only the spiritual man can expect God to answer his prayer for the salvation of loved ones and others. Consequently, we should not expect a casual, superficial prayer of carnal men, like "Lord, save everyone" to accomplish much. If you are concerned for the souls of others and expect God to answer your prayers, be sure you are walking and praying in the Spirit (Philippians 2:13, 1 John 5:14,15). Pray not only for the salvation of men, but also for Christians and their spiritual growth and frequently requesting prayer for other believers as well as for themselves. Make a prayer list or keep a prayer diary and pray for specific non-Christians and Christians by name, and for specific events. As God answers prayer, record the date and how the prayer was answered.

4. Go. a. Do not wait for others to come to you. Go to them with the good news of Christ. One of the great barriers in witnessing is the problem of getting going. There are all kinds of excuses: "I am too busy," or "I am waiting for the Spirit to lead me to someone." We need not wait for the Holy Spirit to "lead us." Christ has already commanded us to go tell the good news to all.

b. Arrange your priorities so that you can take time at least every week to share Christ with someone. The Christian should share his faith as a way of life, not just when he is on a particular assignment. Talk with those whom the Lord brings across your path. In other words, meet people. Ask God to give you a love and interest in everyone you meet. Just be friendly!

5. Turning the conversation to Christ. a. As a unique person, you have a unique sphere of influence. If we look for opportunities to share our faith, we will find them everywhere. It takes only a few minutes to establish a rapport with an individual. Once rapport has been established, a simple transition allows us to share our testimony and the gospel.

When you talk about Jesus, expect people to respond -- not on the basis of positive thinking, but, because of your confidence in God, His love, His sovereignty, His power and His promise that He is not willing that any should perish.

Expect others to respond because our Lord has commissioned us to go to tell everyone the good news. He claimed all authority and promised to go with His disciples in His resurrected presence. We have that same presence and power with us today as in the first century. Given the Lord's claims and promises, it is inconceivable that He would not honor our faithful witness. While the disciples were met with bitter opposition, the Christian movement experienced phenomenal growth. Paul writes to the Thessalonians: "For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake" (1 Thessalonians 1:5).