If there was a law against sharing your faith, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Here are several reasons we should witness for Christ.
Our Mandate
Jesus commanded believers to proclaim the gospel. This command is found in all four Gospels and in the book of Acts. Prior to His ascension to heaven, Jesus told His disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20). The Great Commission assumes evangelism.
Let’s not forget that the Creator of the universe, the One who has infinite authority, has given us a direct command. Pastor Charles Swindoll once said, “Whatever we do, we must not treat the Great Commission like it’s the Great Suggestion.” Hudson Taylor, British missionary to China, stated, “The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.”
During the Vietnam War and ten days after I graduated from college, I was caught off guard when I received my induction notice into the U.S. Army. The notice read, “From the President of the United States: Greeting: You are hereby ordered for induction into the Armed Forces of the United States.” Our first child was a beautiful daughter of five months old at the time, but I had no choice but to obey the President’s command to go into the military and follow his orders, even if it meant dying on the battlefield. I learned how to use an M-16 rifle and machine guns. I learned how to throw grenades and fight hand-to-hand combat.
We are engaged in a cosmic battle, and our Commanding Officer has commissioned us to communicate His good news to as many people as possible. Unfortunately, a lot of Christians go AWOL (absent without leave) or missing in action (MIA) when it comes to the Great Commission.
Evangelist Luis Palau recalled that when he was a new believer, his mother encouraged him to preach the gospel in nearby towns. She said to Luis, “Go, go, go. Get out and reach people with the gospel.” Luis told his mother, “Mom, I’m waiting for the call.” She got upset with Luis and said, “Luis, the call? The call? The call went out two thousand years ago, Luis! The Lord’s waiting for your answer!”
Jesus was the supreme evangelist who set the example for us. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
Practice Makes Perfect
Most Christians fail to witness because they have not been trained to share their faith, they don’t think it is their spiritual gift, or they are simply too busy. Evangelism is a spiritual discipline. The more you do evangelism, the more natural it becomes. The Apostle Paul told young Timothy, “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5). Evangelist Bill Fay says, “Even if you share stupidly, unlovingly, or with poor timing, our heavenly Father can use it. What He can’t use is your silence.”
A Guaranteed Harvest
Jesus said, “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (John 4:35 NIV). “Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Mat- thew 9:38 ESV). God is responsible for the harvest; the laborers are to faithfully labor in the harvest.
Jesus told His disciples, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19 ESV). If we are truly following Christ, we should share the gospel.
Unfortunately, few Christians fail to take the Great Commission seriously. Thom S. Rainer in his book Sharing the Gospel with Ease writes, “Based on surveys we’ve taken . . . fewer than one in twenty Christians have ever had a gospel conversation with someone.”
The gospel changes people’s lives. I read about Little Richard who bragged about being omnisexual with a diverse lifestyle of sexual promiscuity and drugs, but in 1957, he gave his life to Christ, and Jesus radically changed his life. It’s easy to write people off when we think they will never give their life to Christ, but the Lord is in the business of changing people’s lives.
In the book of Jonah in the Old Testament, the Lord told Jonah to go preach to the Ninevites, but instead, Jonah headed in the exact opposite direction.
Jonah decided to flee God’s presence because he detested the Ninevites and did not want to see them turn from their sinful lifestyles. Who would have thought that a wicked city like Nineveh would repent and turn from their evil ways (Jonah 3:10)? It took Jonah being swallowed by a great fish and spending three days inside its belly to get Jonah’s attention. In Jonah’s outrage, God reminded Jonah, “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand . . . ?” By God’s grace, we are not swallowed by a great fish every time we choose not to share our faith. But as the Lord has compassion on us, we must ask ourselves, “Shouldn’t we have compassion on those who don’t know Christ who without Him are hopeless and are faced with a Christless eternity?”
Motivated by Love
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
—2 Corinthians 5:14–15 ESV
Ask yourself two questions: What’s the greatest thing that has happened to you? What’s the greatest thing you can do for someone else?
“Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” (2 Corinthians 5:11 ESV). Paul’s reverential awe for Christ motivated him to keep sharing the gospel of salvation to people in order to receive Christ’s commendation at the bema seat of Christ.
In October 2008, the story was reported of the sudden sinking of the cod fishing vessel Katmai in the Bering Sea. Something in the stern of the ship went wrong, and experts believe the ship sank in a matter of minutes, giving little opportunity for the crew to prepare to abandon ship. Four men found in a life raft were lifted into a U.S. Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter. In reasonably good health, the four men insisted that they not return to land but become part of the rescue operation for the others who were still lost at sea. Saved and safe, they insisted that they go after the others. What a clear picture that we who are safe and secure in the grip of God’s grace have the urgent call to go after others who are still lost.
We’re Ambassadors for Christ
The Britannica Dictionary defines an ambassador as “the highest-ranking person who represents his or her own government while living in another country.” As Christians, we are citizens of heaven who represent the King of kings and Lord of lords as official representatives to carry the good news of the King—the gospel—to those on earth. As ambassadors for Christ, we are given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18–20). It’s not so much if you are a witness but rather what type of witness you are.
People Are Lost Without Christ
Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV). “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 ESV).
When I have shared Christ with people and asked them if they have ever heard the gospel before, 90 percent or more of them have said no.
Pastor and author David Jeremiah said, “If we understand what lies ahead for those who do not know Christ, there will be a sense of urgency in our witness.”
While in seminary, I was an intern for a period of time at the USC Medical Hospital under Chaplain Phil Manly. One day, a young man was brought into the burn ward with severe third-degree burns over 95 percent of his body after his apartment caught on fire. He was in excruciating pain. I visited him several times and tried to share the gospel, but he was barely conscious. After a month of agony, his body finally gave out. I don’t know if he ever asked the Lord for forgiveness, but I trust that in his dying, agonizing moments, he responded in faith. In Luke 16:19–31, Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus who was poor. Both died, and the rich man who ended up in hell said, “‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me . . . for I am tormented in this flame” (Luke 16:24).
In the movie Gladiator, Russell Crowe as the Roman General Maximus addresses his troops before battle. He tells them, “What we do in life . . . echoes in eternity.”
Second Peter 3:9 says that God is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Second Corinthians 2:15–16 says, “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma of death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.”
Atheist Penn Jillette of the magician duo Penn & Teller said, “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.” Tragically, he is still an atheist who is basically saying if the gospel is true, we should go all out to tell others about the truth.
Suppose you discovered a cure for cancer and didn’t tell anyone. You would be considered totally self-centered if you did not share that great discovery with others. Billy Graham said, “If we really believe that men are lost apart from Jesus Christ, it should become a burning incentive to evangelize with zeal and passion.” Dwight L. Moody said, “I cannot preach on hell unless I preach with tears.”
Here are the two great motivators for sharing Christ: (1) the amazing offer and glorious promise of heaven for those who trust Jesus for their salvation and (2) the dire warnings of hell for those who ignore God and for whatever reason reject God’s offer of love and forgiveness.
We Will be Rewarded for Our Witness for Christ
And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
—Daniel 12:3 ESV
For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.
—1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 ESV
God’s plan for enlarging His kingdom is . . . one person telling another about the Savior. The joy you’ll have when you meet that person in heaven will far exceed any discomfort you felt in sharing the gospel.
—Charles Stanley
I never regret sharing Christ with others. I only regret it when I don’t share Christ with someone I should have. Chuck Swindoll said, “Your courage to acknowledge Jesus publicly will be rewarded.” Your willingness to accept rejection even from family members (Matthew 10:32–36) will be rewarded.
Recently, I hiked up a famous trail in Washington state called Mount Si. At the top of the climb, I shared Christ with three hikers in their early 30s. After I shared the gospel with them, one of the young hikers said in the presence of his other buddies, “I did that.” He meant he had previously received Christ and was a citizen of heaven. His other two hiking buddies were listening to what he said. I thought to myself, Thank you, Lord, for letting me finally get to the top with this weighed pack and share Christ with these three hikers.
Hopefully, his other two friends were impacted by his testimony.
The Lord can use you right where you are. My brother Larry at 16 years of age was led to Christ by an anesthesiologist we called Doc. He was the high school football team’s doctor. Several years later, my brother, as a layman, had reached millions of people for Christ through his ministry called Jesusonlineministries.com. Little did Doc know that this 16-year-old high school kid would impact millions for the gospel.
Time Is Short
Evangelist Mark Cahill wrote a book called One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven—and that one thing is that there will be no witnessing since the lost won’t be there. Jesus said in John 9:4 (ESV) that “night is coming when no one can work.”
The Lord’s coming is getting closer every day. Think of all the people you work with, your neighbors, and those you see on the street, at the park, at the gym, and in the supermarket. The old saying holds true: “As death finds you, eternity keeps you.” We should have a sense of urgency as we witness for Christ because life is short.
Dennis was a guy from church I would occasionally go witnessing with until one day he fell 100 feet to his death on a solo hike. Dennis can no longer witness because he is now in heaven. None of us knows how many hours, days, minutes, or seconds we have left on earth.
A friend of mine, Gerry Autry who worked for Youth for Christ, told me a story of a girl named Dawn who went to a junior high retreat, got motivated to share her faith, and went back home and shared Christ with a friend who received Christ. Six hours later, that friend was raped and killed. She is now in heaven forever.
Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” If you had one week to live, what would you do? Would you be focused on reaching your unsaved loved ones, friends, and coworkers for Christ?
Chuck Swindoll in his commentary on the Gospel of Luke wrote, “This may be your last day to choose, because there is not only a heaven, and there is not only a hell; there is a hurry.”
John Harper’s Last Convert
John Harper was an evangelist who was invited to speak at The Moody Church in 1910. He had been invited to speak to The Moody Church for three months of meetings.
John Harper, his sister, and his six-year-old daughter (his wife had died) found themselves on the great ship, the Titanic. Survivors later reported that as Titanic began to sink, Harper admonished people to be prepared to die. He made sure his sister and daughter were in a lifeboat even as he continued to share the Gospel with whoever would listen. And when he found himself in the icy water with a life jacket, floating near another man, Harper asked, “Are you saved?” “No, I’m not saved!” the desperate man replied. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!” Harper shouted.
Harper knew that he could not survive in the icy water. He took off his life jacket and threw it to another person with the words, “You need this more than I do!” Moments later, Harper disappeared beneath the water. Four years later, when there was a reunion of the survivors of the Titanic, the man to whom Harper had witnessed told the story of his rescue and gave a testimony of his conversion recorded in a tract, I was John Harper’s Last Convert. The Gospel does not spare us from drowning in an ocean, but it does spare us from a far worse eternal destruction.
In Matthew 24:14 (NKJV), Jesus says, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
The Lord is delaying His return to give more people an opportunity to come to Christ before He returns to set up His kingdom.
Ask the Lord to give you an open door to share His good news with others. Ask yourself, “Who in my life needs Jesus?” List the names of five to seven people you know who don’t know Christ, and then pray about how to share the gospel with them. It starts with prayer and then a follow-up plan of some kind such as a letter, a phone call, an invitation to church, a book, or doing something together.