I have recently felt very convicted about this and I've started thinking about the why and why not. So I’ve put together two lists. The first list is 15 reasons why I think I don’t witness. The second list is 25 reasons that I’ve found as to why I do witness. I hope these lists will challenge you, convict you, and encourage you as they’ve done for me. It's my prayer and hope that the first list continues to get shorter and the second list continues to get longer.
15
Reasons Why I Don’t Witness
1. I am afraid.
2. I am too selfish.
3. It’s just easier not to talk
about faith.
4. I don’t really know what to say.
5. I am too busy.
6. I am too shallow in my
relationships.
We have a
tendency to keep our relationships with people at surface level. We do this by keeping our conversations with
neighbors, coworkers, and relatives at a small talk level, things like just talking
about work, sports, weather, etc., never really rarely engaging people on a
deeper and more meaningful level. Therefore,
we don’t feel comfortable talking about heaven, hell, Jesus, or religion with
them.
7. My lifestyle is sometime a contradiction to the truth that I believe.
8. I don’t think about the urgency.
We have a
tendency to live life in the ‘here and now’ and don’t think much about the fact
that at any moment eternity could be here and we could all be standing before
the judgment of God.
9. I don't see people as a soul or
see them in light of eternity.
10. I enjoy being accepted.
We don’t
want to be ‘that guy’ or ‘that girl’ that everyone avoids because they talk
about Jesus. We are afraid that if we
share Jesus with people then we run the risk of losing our friendship with
them. We like the fact people like us
and don’t want to do anything that would cause people not to like us.
11. I don't want to stick my nose
in someone's business.
12. I don't like confrontation.
13. People have questions and I
don't have all the answers.
People
have critical questions about God, Christianity, and life. These questions are big and sometimes
loaded. Opening up a simple conversation
about faith is like opening Pandora’s Box of questions about Christianity that
we need experts, professors, scientists, pastors, and philosophers to help us
answer.
14. There doesn't seem to ever be
the right timing.
15. People will think I'm judging
them.
25 Reason
I Do Witness
1. I am called and commanded to.
2. Eternity is a long time.
3. Heaven and hell are real.
4. I may be their closest and best
contact with the true Gospel.
5. Most people have not really heard a
clear gospel presentation.
6. In the back of their mind most
people still wonder what will happen to them when they die.
There are
some people who believe there is nothing after death, but they are a very small
minority. Most people want heaven when
they die. The big question is exactly
how can you be certain of heaven.
7. I know enough.
If you
knew enough to be saved, then you know enough to help someone else be saved.
8. I have a story to tell.
You have
a testimony. You have witnessed the work
of God in your life if you are saved. All
you have to do is tell someone that story.
9. I am be blessed when I do.
Philemon 1:6 “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”
10. I am not the one who saves
someone anyway.
No matter
how smart, well crafted, convincing, emotional, or inspirational your
evangelism is it will not save anyone.
Jesus saves, only Jesus. It’s up
to you to speak, it’s up to him to save.
We get the easy part.
11. It's not as confrontational as I
think.
Witnessing
is not winning an argument. Don’t be condescending,
be willing to listen, be kind, be honest, show compassion, and be passionate. You don’t need a megaphone or a large sign to lead someone to Christ.
12. I really do care about my
friends and family.
13. I am loved and respected by
other people.
People
will listen to you. Believe it or not
there are people that look up to you and respect you. Many of the people you need to share your
faith with probably love and respect you enough to listen to you and give you
an opportunity to share your faith if you ask.
14. I don't have my life all
together and nobody expects me to.
15. I am not alone.
You've
heard, “you may be the only Jesus people will ever know.” I hope that’s not true, because I make a
pretty lousy Jesus sometimes. The
scripture says, “We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.” We aren’t alone when we witness. You have an incredible support system made up
of the Holy Spirit, the church, and the countless other Christians around you.
16. There are tons of unique ways
to share my faith.
17. No one expects me to have all
the answers.
So often
we are afraid of people’s questions and fear that our inability to answer all
their faith questions could show that there is a weakness in the faith. Listen, most people don’t expect you to know
everything, they probably already know you don’t. Your inability to answer all their questions
won’t surprise them and won’t diminish the opportunity you have to plant a
solid gospel seed.
18. There are lots of people I know
who can help me answer tough questions.
19. I have not been given a spirit
of fear.
2 Timothy
1:7 “God gave
us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control”
20. People want what I have.
People
want joy. People want peace. People want joy. People want forgiveness. People want to go to heaven. We
have all of these things and we know how they can get them too.
21. There is power in the gospel.
Romans
1:16 “For I am
not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power
of God for salvation to everyone who believes”
22. I always accomplish something
when I do witness.
A seed is
planted, love is shown, and a person is just that much closer to believing.
23. I have prayer.
They may ignore
our words and reject our message, but people are powerless against our
prayers.
24. Jesus paid too much to save me for me to be silent about it.
25. Because Jesus worked for me.
He did and I will never be the same. Now, this should not be the only
reason we give people for why the gospel is true. There are a lot of reasons for belief that are much deeper than this one. But, it is still true, and it’s probably still one of the
most convincing personal evidences of the power of the gospel.
I am ashamed of the first list. My first list exposes my selfishness, my lack
of courage, my lack of faith, and my disobedience. As I wrote the first list there were many tears
shed and much repentance. I am convicted
by this list and I am grateful for God’s forgiveness and grace to me even
sometimes these things are true of me. I’m
ashamed of the first list, but I’m not ashamed of the second list! There are a lot more reasons to share your
faith than to sit in silence. I am
grateful that more and more throughout my growth in Christ the reasons on the
second list have overridden the reasons on the first and that I have had the
courage the share my faith with people. It’s my prayer that this second list continues
to override my first list more often. It’s
my prayer for you too that your reasons for sharing your faith would be greater
than for remaining silent.
