Daily Devotional for Monday August 20, 2001

Telling Others

(Matthew 28:16-20)

One of the hardest things for most Christians to do is to witness. It doesn't matter how old or young you might be, male or female, there just seems to be difficulty in sharing our faith. Let me give you a some basic practical help in this area. First of all, never forget your best witness is how you live your life...not what you say. The unbelieving world has for too long heard Christians say one thing, then live in a totally opposite way. There is nothing more powerful to a non-Christian than how you live. Trust me, whether it is at school, at work, or at play, if you have expressed a belief in Christ, people are watching you. They are not going to judge you so much by what you say, but how you live. You are truly a "living testimony," and how you live is the most effective and powerful witness you will ever have.

When those opportunities present themselves to vocally share your faith, the minute you get into theological debates or Biblical arguments, or trying to make the case for the existence of God, you are going nowhere fast. People are afraid to witness because they feel inadequate answering the tough questions. Listen, it is nice if you can handle yourself in those types of situations, but rarely is a correct or adequate answer to these types of questions going to turn someone to Christ. You have a personal relationship with Jesus. Anytime you talk about Jesus with anyone, it should be in the context of what He has done in your life. The person you are talking to needs to know that this is not some ghost or imaginary character we have dreamed up, but that Jesus is real and has a real impact on your life. Your time of sharing should be focused on that aspect...what he has done for you and the fact that Jesus wants to help whoever it is you are talking to.

Sharing your faith is kind of difficult for many, simply because you lack the conviction of what you believe. If you knew for a fact a bomb would explode at your office building or school at noon Tuesday, August 28, what would you do? Of course, you would do everything in your power to tell everyone to stay away, that something terrible was going to happen. You wouldn't hold back that life-changing information from anyone. Well, if you believe that Jesus is Lord and those who accept Him will spend eternity in Heaven and those who reject Him, eternity in Hell, what are you waiting for? One of the big fears is that of rejection. Listen, they are not rejecting you if they choose to walk away, they are rejecting Christ. But don't forget, you can't save anyone. Only by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit does someone make that decision to accept Jesus. Usually, many have planted seeds, many have prayed, and you are just the last link in God's chain. You did nothing but be obedient and allow God to use you to touch someone's heart. I was an evangelist for 3 years, preached across the country in over 500 churches of every denomination. When I gave the alter call and people came forward to accept Jesus, I knew it was nothing I said, but the prayers of many and the efforts of many planting seeds in those lives over the years. God was just using me for the final step.

Witnessing is not an option, it is a commandment from our commander in chief. Get busy. Live right, holy and blameless before God and man, and take those opportunities God gives you to tell others what Jesus has done for you. God will do the rest.