Lesson Twelve: Witnessing for Christ  

Aren’t you glad someone told you about Jesus Christ? Different believers have different skills, talents, and gifts, but every believer has a responsibility to be a witness of Jesus Christ in some way. This lesson is designed to show you your Christian obligation to be a witness and provide you with some tips on how you can do this effectively.  

 
I.     A Ministry for Every Believer 

       A.    The last instructions the Lord Jesus Christ gave his followers before ascending back to the 

               Father was to teach and preach the gospel to others (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47-48, Acts 1:8).  

 

       B.     This is called the ministry of reconciliation in Second Corinthians 5:18. Observe that this ministry is essentially
                a word ministry (2 Corinthians 5:19).  

 

       C.    God uses human instrumentation (like you and me) to bring sinners to Christ (Proverbs 11:30, 1 Corinthians 4:15, 7:16, 9:22).  

II.   Being Prepared to Speak Up 

       Many believers do not witness for Christ because they do not know how. If it is your responsibility to witness for Jesus,
       then it is your responsibility to prepare yourself for the opportunity when it should arise (1 Peter 3:15).  

 

       A.    You should know what the gospel, is since that is the substance of our message. The gospel is defined in the
               New Testament in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. You can have confidence that any sinner that truly believes the gospel will be
               saved (Romans 1:16).  

       B.     You should be equipped with the word of God, since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God! It is a
                good idea to get a small Bible and mark the verses that you might use to lead someone to Christ. You should also
                memorize important verses that will help in the event that you do not have a Bible with you. You can begin by memorizing
                “The Romans Road”: Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9-10.  

        C.    Try to remember to take tracts with you (in your pocket or your purse) so that you can share these with people you
                attempt to witness to.  

        D.    Keep in mind that everyone needs to be saved. Learn to look upon others as eternal souls that must be born again to
                be spared hell.  

III.   Objectives for Presenting the Gospel 

        There are certain truths that a lost person must be confronted with in order to be saved. Outlined below are some important
        basic steps that should be covered when attempting to lead someone to Christ.  

 

        A.    You must show the person that he is a sinner and that his sin separates him from God.  

                 1.      Appropriate scriptures – Rom 3:10, 23, James 2:10.  

                2.      The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-18) serve as an excellent tool to illustrate man’s sinfulness (1 John 3:14).  

 

        B.     You must show the sinner that there is a penalty for his sin and that penalty is death.  

                 1.      Appropriate scriptures: Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:14-15, 21:8.  

        C.    You must show the sinner that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for his sin.  

 

                1.      Appropriate scriptures: 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18, 1 Corinthians 15:3, 2 Corinthians 5:21. 

 

                2.      It is important that they understand that Christ was sinless (1 Peter 2:22, Hebrews 4:15).  

 

        D.    You must show the sinner that salvation is by faith alone, apart from works.  

 

                1.      Appropriate scriptures: Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:21, 3:24, Romans 3:24. 

 

         E.     You must show the sinner that they must receive Christ personally by faith.  

 

                 1.      Appropriate scriptures: John 1:12, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31. 

 

                 2.      If the person is prepared to do this, you may ask them to pray and ask Christ to save them (Romans 10:13-15).  

 

IV.    Giving Your Personal Testimony 

     
            One of the most powerful tools that you have at your disposal is your own personal testimony. Even if you
            didn’t feel perfectly comfortable going systematically through the gospel, or if a person didn’t seem to be receptive
            to scripture at first, you can always tell someone what Christ has done for you.  

 

         A.     There are three parts to every personal testimony as can be seen from the Apostle Paul’s example in Acts 26.  

 

                   1.      Your life before you got saved (Acts 26:4-5. 9-11). This is your chance to tell someone that you were 
                            a sinner in need of a Savior.  

 

                   2.      How you got saved (Acts 26:12-18). This is your chance to tell someone that you trusted Jesus Christ 
                            alone and He saved your soul.  

 

                   3.      Your life since you got saved (Acts 26:19-23). This is your chance to tell someone that Jesus has made a
                            difference in your life and that you know you’re on your way to heaven.  

 

 V.   A Few Tips   

 

           A.    Mark a Bible. There is nothing as powerful as God’s word.  

 

           B.     Pray for souls. You’ll be much more conscious and burdened for the souls you pray for.  

 

           C.    Pass out tracts. Even when you can’t speak up you can often pass along the gospel in print.