Ideas for Witnessing Your Faith

Good morning, Happy Souls!

Bill Keller wrote a wonderful devotional today
that I highly recommend to you.  He has given
me permission to copy his e-mails, and I'm sure
he would be happy if you would share this with
people you know as well.

It's always been hard for me to know how to talk
about my faith.  I'm getting better.  Perhaps
you sometimes feel the same way.  If so, today's
devotional is for you and me.

Please read on.

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL    WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2006
( Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 1:23, 2 Timothy 4:2,
1 Peter 3:15 )

A simple way to share your faith and lead someone to
Christ.  Sharing your faith with others is like
praying, there is only one wrong way to do it and
that is not to do it!  Over the years there have
been thousands of books and tapes produced on
witnessing, one evangelism program after another
created, and the fact is they are ALL great.  You
can never learn too much about how to witness to
others, how to share your faith.  The reality is
there is no one way to do it, but many different
approaches.  In the end, however, they all lead a
person to the eternal choice they must make about
Jesus.

You have to remember that each person who shares
their faith is unique and different in how God has
wired them, each person you witness to is unique
and different in how God has wired them, and the
circumstances and dynamics each time you share your
faith are also unique and different.  That is why
today I wanted to take some time to share with you
a simple way to witness and lead someone to faith
in Jesus Christ.

The number one reason people don't share their
faith more often, and sadly in the case of most
Christians who fail to do it at all, is fear.  The
biggest fear is the fear of rejection.  Witnessing
has many similarities to sales which is why you find
people who are most proficient at witnessing are
usually great sales people.  In the world of sales
the first thing you learn about is rejection.  A
good salesperson is able to hear 99 people say no
and go into that 100th sales presentation just like
it was the first.

That is not easy to do and why it is a gift to be
a great salesperson.  Even if you are not a natural
salesperson, the key is to never forget that if
someone says no when you share with them how they
can be saved, it is not you but Jesus they are
rejecting.  Just like a good salesperson never
takes it personally when someone turns them down,
you can't ever take it personally when someone you
ask to commit their life to Christ says no.  Again,
they are saying no to Jesus, not you.

Also, the key to being a good salesperson is being
a good closer.  You will never get the sale if you
don't ask for it, and you will never see someone
come to Christ if you don't ask them to.  The basic
rule of Sales 101 is ABC or, Always Be Closing. 
The basic rule to Evangelism 101 is asking the
person you are witnessing to if they would like to
know Jesus as their personal Savior.  At the end of
a sales presentation you have to ask the person for
the sale, and at the end of sharing the Gospel you
have to ask the person to accept the Lord.

Another fear so many people have is being asked
questions they can't answer.  You don't have to be
a theologian to tell people about Jesus.  If they
ask you a question you don't know the answer to,
simply tell them you don't know but will find out. 
Contact your pastor or your Sunday School teacher
or someone at your church for the answer.  This is
why the more we read and study God's Word for
ourselves the more confidence we will have when we
are confronted with different questions.

However, never forget that most people asking
questions are not really interested in the answer as
they are in trying to justify their own unbelief. 
Most ask questions as a way of proving that we are
"wrong" and they are "right."  People who reject
God's Word and the love of Christ in their life,
will use questions there may not even be an answer
to, to feel better about their choice to reject the
Lord.  That is why I will answer their questions,
but immediately put the focus back on them and the
choice they have to make regarding accepting Jesus
in their heart.

The other great fear people have about sharing their
faith is offending the person you are talking to
about the Lord and what ramifications there may be
to them personally.  So rather than offend someone,
rather than deal with whatever persecution there might
be, they simply say nothing.  Listen, it is better you
offend someone with the hopes of them coming to know
the Lord than sitting back and saying nothing, while
they die in their sins and are lost for all eternity.

It is better someone calls you "Bible thumper,"
"stupid for believing the Bible," "intolerant,"
"hateful," "no different than the Taliban," or
whatever else they may say to you to try and
intimidate you into being silent, than saying nothing
knowing they will die one day and spend eternity
in hell.  The fact is the Gospel IS offensive to
those who reject it, but it is the words of
everlasting life to those who choose to believe.

I love you and care about you so much.  The bottom
line is that God has commanded us, not suggested to
us, that we share our faith in Christ with others. 
This is not a commandment to just pastors or
evangelists, but to EVERYONE who knows Christ as
their Lord and Savior.  If you really love someone,
how can you let them die, knowing that without
Christ they will be lost for all eternity, without
telling them about Jesus?

I will be praying for you today, praying that you
won't allow fear to keep you from being obedient to
God and telling others about Jesus.  The easiest
and most natural way to approach someone about faith
in Christ is by simply sharing what Jesus has done
and meant in your life.  There is no way to deny
what you have personally experienced in your
relationship with the Lord.

Today, I rebuke that sprit of fear of rejection, I
rebuke that sprit of fear of questions you can't
answer, I rebuke that spirit of fear of offending
someone by telling them about Jesus, I rebuke that
spirit of fear of being persecuted for sharing the
Gospel.  I pray that God will give you a spirit of
BOLDNESS and COURAGE as you tell others about how
they too can know Jesus Christ as their personal
Lord and Savior!

I take a very direct approach to witnessing.  I
look the person in the eye and ask them if they
believe they will die one day.  Of course they say
yes. I then ask them if they believe they have ever
sinned.  Again, they will say yes.  I tell them that
they are right, they have sinned and they will die
one day.  I remind them that the Bible says tomorrow
is promised to none of us and that each day is
literally a gift from God.

I go on by telling them that it is their sin that
is separating them from a Holy God who loves them
so much and desires for them to spend all eternity
with Him.  I tell them that is only possible because
of what Jesus did.  He willingly died on the cross
for our sins and that is why if you will confess
Him as your Savior, ask Him into your heart and
life by faith, HE will forgive you of your sins and
you are guaranteed to spend eternity with God your
Creator when this brief life is over.

I share with them that this choice not only has
eternal ramifications, but means something to them
right now.  Those who know Jesus as their Savior
have the power of God residing within them, and can
know the peace, the joy, and the abundance of this
life that is impossible without Christ.  Additionally,
they can see the plan and purpose God has for them
fulfilled during their brief journey here on earth.

At that point I simply ask them if they would like
to know Jesus as their personal Savior.  If they say
no, I tell them that I will be praying for them and
that they need to spend some time alone with God and
pray about what I told them.  I remind them that God
loves them and He is there when they are ready.  If
they say yes, I spend a few moments to make sure they
know that what they are doing is literally giving
their very life to Christ.  He gave His life for them,
and they are now giving their life back to Him.

The key for you to remember is that this is a
personal decision each person has to make for
themselves.  Nobody can make it for them, you can't
force them, or intimidate them, or scare them into
making it.  It has to be a conscious choice that
they make.  When they are ready, I simply have
them pray with me what is commonly called the
"Sinner's Prayer."  This prayer does not exist in
the Bible, though it is taken largely from Romans
Chapter 10.  These words don't save anyone but are
simply a verbal guide for what they are doing BY
FAITH in their heart.

"God, I am a sinner. I ask you to forgive me of my
sins. I believe in my heart, and confess with my
lips, that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.
Come into my heart Jesus. Take my life, I surrender
it to you. From this moment on, I will live my life
according to the Bible and serve you.  Thank you for
taking away my sins and giving me everlasting life. 
In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen"

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html

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(C) Copyright 2006, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved


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May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2006 Donald W. Mitchell