Preview 5: "The Day I Stopped Trying"

This chapter deals with a scary subject for the common Christian. Witnessing. You want to see absolute fear set in on a Wednesday night Bible study? Tell them to close their Bibles and tablets because you are going to hit the streets with the Gospel. The reason, I believe, that most people fear verbally sharing the Gospel is because of the way we (the church) have presented this to them. Although the grace of God is completely ready to empower us to do all things for the sake of the Kingdom, many have failed to recognize the potential dwelling inside of them. Not only that, we are asking people to share in ways that are uncomfortable. Here's how I stopped trying to witness.

I will try to handle this subject as delicately as possible. I know a lot of wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to sharing the gospel. They are true evangelists (in the biblical sense of the word), and I want to be sure they know, along with you, that I honor their ministry. What I want to address in this chapter is the concept about witnessing that is often brought out in sermons, books, and workshops. The idea that you are not who you should be if you are not sharing the gospel verbally with someone every day.

If that last statement sounds strong…good. I want to make sure that you understand that your value in life is not tied to anything you do or do not do. Your value is directly tied to who you are in Christ. What I would love for you to take away from all of this, as it relates to being a witness, is that sharing your life with unbelievers is a powerful form of sharing the faith.

Over the years, I have studied various witnessing programs. I looked into the concepts, memorized the diagnostic questions, and stocked up on the best tracts. I have used the various methods, taught classes on them, and even did the door-to-door programs. What I discovered is that you can get “decisions for Christ” through all of them. So I’m not here to tell you to not share your faith. On the contrary, I believe sharing our faith with others is a part of what it means to be a believer. I just want to help alleviate some of the pressure.

A strong witness to the faith is not just the one who stands preaching on a street corner, goes door-to-door, leaves tracts on a urinal in the bathroom, or turns every conversation into an opportunity for someone to accept Christ. I believe that a strong witness is someone who lives out their faith on a day to day basis. They are consistent in their love for all people. They are compassionate, caring, and steadfast in their relationships. They forgive quickly, and are merciful. They treat others the way they want to be treated. There is a lot to be said about the witnesses I have come across in my life who never shared with me personally, but loved me relentlessly.

I came to the faith through the love of a pastor. He reached out to me in a way that I had never experienced. He talked with me about life, family, and relationships. He gave took me out to eat, gave me a Bible, and showed incredible interest in my life. He captured my heart. While I heard him preach many times, in our personal encounters he never felt the need to ask me to accept Jesus every time we were together. He just loved me. And it was through that love that I came to know the Lord personally.

I learned a lot from that experience. He didn’t have to verbally share the Gospel when we were together. His life was a living epistle to me. His concern for me was the very concern of my Heavenly Father. His invitation to do life together became an open door for me to experience the love of God. I will be forever grateful for this man’s impact upon my life, ministry, and family.

One of the biggest issues that I have regarding the way many people handle this area of our faith (along with other areas) is the amount of pressure that gets applied. Making people feel inadequate. Shaming them. Even causing them to question the legitimacy of their relationship with the Lord because they are not doing things the way they think they should be done. I’m here to say that witnessing for the Lord has more to do with your lifestyle than your conversations. While there are definitely times where we should communicate the Gospel, there are more times where we should simply live out the reality of the Gospel.

An unknown author penned these words: “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” While this quote has often been attributed to Saint Francis, there is no proof that he actually made this statement. However, I do believe this quote to be something we should consider. Jesus taught that we should do our works in such a way as to glorify God in Heaven. I would like to say that just like my experience, the grace of God at work in our lives will empower us to create a platform for the Gospel to come to rest in the hearts of others.

Regardless of how you do it, witnessing needs to come from a place of relationship. Relationship with the Father. Relationship with others. While the Lord often provides us with opportunities to share the Gospel with people we don’t know, the majority of our time is spent with people we actually know. It’s moments like this where we need to figure out the best way to communicate the Good News. This is when our approach needs to become personal. When we need to remove the guilt ridden approach to witnessing and embrace a Gospel lifestyle. Jesus was known as a “friend of sinners and tax collectors.” His life was available to the outcast. He shared the Truth (Himself) through communication, dining with them, and living among them. They heard and visibly witnessed the Gospel before them.

The Kingdom of God, according to Paul, is a matter of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. He also taught that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we start putting all of this together in our thinking, we can envision a Gospel lifestyle. A way of life that points people to the reality of the Father. Think about it this way: WHO YOU ARE can become a platform for people to experience the reality of WHAT YOU BELIEVE. How you carry yourself in life points people to the reality of the Gospel.

This is why we need grace. This is why understanding grace as the divine enablement of God is so important. It’s where the Lord moves us beyond carrying something to actually becoming someone. In the same way that God is love, His Spirit is at work in our lives so that we are love as well. Where we embody who He is in our lives. Where we take seriously the words of John to the early church: “As He is, so are we in this world.” There’s grace for this.

The grace of God empowers you to do it all with the right motive, from the right mindset, and with the right heart. If it is your desire to be a witness for the Lord, then the grace of God will empower you to BE just that. Once again: the emphasis is not on the doing but the being. What the Lord does through you is what He has first created in you.