Us With Jesus: Ministry

UWJ|SYF: How Should We Witness?

How Should We Witness?

When you claim the promise of God’s guidance in Isaiah 50, He will direct your words and actions. One day, while boarding a plane, I prayed that God would help me initiate a conversation for Him. However, the lady sitting next to me apparently did not want to talk. She promptly began reading a book.

I also pulled out a book, one about the life and ministry of Ellen White. Just that morning I had read 2 Kings 5, where a little maid testified to her master about the prophet in Israel who could heal. A thought came to me: I should, like the little maid, speak about God’s prophet to this lady, but how? I felt a strong impression that I should begin to make occasional, natural-sounding noises such as “hmm” or “wow” as I read.

So I began (not without some anxiety) to do this. Five minutes passed. Then the lady turned and said, “That must be a really interesting book!”

“Yes,” I replied, “how about your book?”

“It’s not really that great,” she admitted. She was reading it for a women’s book club, and I asked what the story was about. “It’s about a lady whom I actually find a bit disgusting,” she explained. I encouraged her to go on, so she added, “The lady is unfaithful to her husband, vulgar in speech, and her activity, she is . . .”

She stopped and looked at my book, which had a picture of Ellen White on the front. “Who is this lady, and what is your book about?” she asked. 7 I was impressed to tell her about the impact of Ellen White on John Harvey Kellogg (of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes fame). “Have you ever heard of Kellogg’s cereal?” I asked.

“Yes, I had some this morning.”

“And what about granola? Or soy milk? Or peanut butter?” I asked.

We launched into an engaging discussion of all things health, and soon she asked, “But what does this have to do with the lady in your book?”

I explained the connection between Ellen White, the health message, and the longevity of those who follow her recommendations, which are based on Scriptural principles.

“It’s obvious that I must read that book!” she declared. “How can I get a copy?”

Before our time together was over, she had agreed to sign up for Bible studies, obtained the information she needed to order Ellen White’s books, and visited the Ellen White Web site, where she downloaded and began reading The Great Controversy.

Witnessing on the Road to Emmaus

God is faithful! He will give you the credibility you need, the ability to speak, and the wisdom to know how to speak. The best example is found in the life of Christ Himself. By examining Luke 24, we’ll discover 15 witnessing tips for sharing Christ confidently and effectively. 8

Let’s pick up the story in Luke 24:13-15: “Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.”

Witnessing Tip #1: Draw Near

Christ was not aloof. He went to where people gathered. Here, He “drew near and went with them.” While some gospel work can be accomplished from afar, most people need a personal, real-time connection. They need someone to become acquainted with their needs and to sympathetically apply Scripture to their real- life situations. Christ could have reached the world through an Internet connection, but instead He chose to personally seek out those who were hurting.