Ways to witness in everyday life

well. i was wondering when this was going to come up.

all those ways are great. right now: here's how im learning.

I start off with a normal conversation. ask the weather. business. sports. whatever.
then i'd pull out a track (not always...) and say something like "hey, did you get one of these? it's a gospel tract eh." or i'd ask if they've got a christian background or if they've ever thought about what happens after death... things like that...

after that deliberate swing from the natural to the spiritual. then i'd ask them if they know what the ten commandments are... or if they consider themselves to be a good person... after that... then i ask something like "could i ask a few questions to see if that's true" (if i asked 'em if they're a good person) if i asked 'em about the ten commandments... i'd ask if they'd want to go through a few of them to see if they've kept them.

me - have you ever lied?
him- sure everybody does
me - what does that make you?
him- uh... human?
me - i know you're human. haha. more specifically, what would you call me if i told a lie?
him- a liar.
me - you ever stolen something?
him- nope.
me - you aint lyin to me now eh? you havn't stolen anything even something small?
him- ok ok. when i was young i did...
me - now, Jesus said "ye have heard that is was said by them of old, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But i say unto you, that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart" have you ever lusted?
him- yah. plenty of times.
me - what's your name again?
him- Jim
me - so Jim. by your own admition you're a lying thiefing adulter-at-heart, and your going to face God on judgement day... would you be innocent or guilty?
him- i guess i'd be guilty...
me - so would you go to heaven or hell?
him- mmm... heaven.
me - why do you think that?
him- well isn't God a good God? and doesn't he forgive people?
me - ok. answer me honestly now. you're in court, standing before the judge in a case where you've stolen multiple vehicles... the fine is set at $25,000... the judge asks you if you've got anything else to say and you say "well judge... i believe that you are a good judge and that you'll just let me go because i'm a better person now... i wont do it anymore..." the judge would answer "you are right in one thing. i am a good judge. and because i am a good judge, punishment needs to be dealt."
him- yah. true.
me - so if you died tonight... and you're facing God on judgement day... what're you gonna say?
him- i can't really say anything really...
me - now listen to this - now you're in civil court... mutiple crimes that you've committed. you've been rule guilty as charged with a fine of $500,000. you can't pay it out no matter what. and as the guards are leading you to jail... a stranger comes up to the judge and hands him a cheque for $500,000. the judge hurridly says to you. "stop! your fines just been payed. we can't keep you here anymore. now go." now how would you feel towards that stranger?
him- completely gratefull. thankfull. i wouldn't know how to react...
me - that's exactly what God did for you. he sent Jesus down to die on the cross for your sins. he rose from the grave to defeat death so you would not have to go to hell. it's like this. you broke the law. and Jesus paid the fine. that make sense to you?
him- yeah. that makes alot of sense. wow.
me - you've got to trust in Jesus just like you trust in a parachute... when jumping 25,000 feet out of a plane, you dont just believe in the parachute, you put it on. there is one name under heaven whereby you may be saved. Jesus Christ.


then i'd ask further about his decision and that. or "so tonight, before you go to bed. think about this conversation... and seriously consider trusting in Jesus like you trust in a parachute." something like that... i'd thank the person for the conversation, send off salutations... have a good day. God bless. if i've got a bible on me. give him that. if he hasn't got one. give him a tract. something to remind him of the conversation.

from there. God does the rest. and prayers would go out for that person. continuous prayer. i dont lead people in a "sinner's prayer" because its too stereotypical and the prayer needs to come from the persons heart. him/her personally talking to God. not me talking for them. them to God. straight up.

and i dont know what else to add...

start natural. switch to spiritual. give them the law. give them the gospel only if they are humbled by the law. 1Peter 5:5 "God resisteth the proud, and gives grace to the humble."

also. i wouldn't go up to someone and say "Jesus loves you!" or "i'd like to talk to you about Jesus Christ." nor would i say "your a sinner! you're going to hell! repent!" these people have got to know what sin is. get them to realize they have the disease. then give them the cure once they've realized it. 1Corinthians 1:18 "for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness."
psalms 19:7 "the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul"

make sense? or do you want more scripture?

 

Gekko,
That is a good way to do things and reminds of the Kirk Cameran show about everyday witnessing.

Myself, I have used that same aproach. I also like to just ask have you accepted Jesus as your savior or are you saved. They will come back with I believe in Jesus and then goes the whole spill of, the Devil also believes, but isn't getting back into Heaven. This sends people thinking. I try to just be real and evne headed and listen as much as I talk. People always have a story to tell if you just listen and from that you can get to the reason why they have not asked Christ into their lives.

 

While I appreciate your zeal and passion for evangelsim, this idea will no longer work becuase most bills are not opened by live people everyhting is done atuomatically.

A theologically sound tract is always good to have on hand.

 

i also like what it says in Hebrews somewhere...

i havn't tried it... but im going to try and ask "do you know the Lord?"

but first. i'll use the RCCR concept: (displayed by Jesus with the woman at the well)

R-elate: relate to the person in the natural sense. sports, weather, what they're doing etc.
C-reate: create an opportunity to swing from the natural to the spiritual. ie. do you know any good churches around here? you had a christian background? you know the ultimate statistic for the world? etc.
C-onvict: (i know only the holy spirit convicts) convict them by speaking to their conscience using the moral law of the ten commandments to reveal their sin. because that's the only way they will be convicted.
R-eveal: reveal to them the gospel if they have humbled themselves.

i like that concept.

Jesus related to the woman at the well in the natural - asking for water.
Jesus then created an opportunity to swing from the things of man to the things of God by talking of eternal water.
Jesus then used the 7th commandment (adultery) to convict the woman because she had five husbands, and the man she was with was not her husband.
Jesus then revealed Himself to her saying "whom thou speakest of, I am he." kind of thing.

 

Some good ideas here.

When we travel I sometimes slip a tract into the Bible in the hotel or motel room. Often I have underlined verses in the hotel Bible about salvation. Also, the maid appreciates it if you leave a cash tip for her--inside a tract!

 

I think the best way to start a conversation with someone in regards to religion is to ask "What do you personally think that it takes to get you to Heaven?" If they say something like, "being good, doing good deeds, etc." ask them "Can I tell you what the Bible says about it?" Then, using the acronym "LIFE", tell them that L in life stands for LOVE. They may ask, what does love have to do with it. Tell them, Love has everything to do with it. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have ever lasting life." They may then ask, well if God loves me so much, then why do I feel so isolated? The I in life stands for Isolation. Tell them that because of sin, we are separated from God. Romans 3:23 says "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." and Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death." Total separation and isolation from God for eternity. They may then ask, Then how do we overcome this isolation? Tell them, God made man to have a relationship with Him, but because of sin, we have been isolated from Him. The ONLY way to have a personal relationship with God is to be FORGIVEN. Jesus Christ went to the cross for that very reason. His death on the cross made it possible for us to be forgiven. But you have to ask for it. The F in LIFE stands for forgiven. 1 Peter 3:18 says "For He also suffered once for sin, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God." Then you might say something like, "Eternal life, is it real or is it a myth?" It is VERY real. John 10:10 Jesus says "For I have come to give life, and to give it more abundantly." John 1:12 says " But for those who have received Him, He gives to them, the right to be called the children of God, for those who believe in His name." The E in Life stands for ETERNAL LIFE.

Check out www.GotLife.org. This is a class I have been taking for the last 12 weeks, and it has been a blessing in my life. It is a wonderful tool in witnessing to those who don't know Him. It also goes into detailed instruction on what is called RAMP. Ressurection, Archeology, Miracles and Prophecy that prove the Bible to be 100% accurate. It would be a blessing to anyone who would want to know how to witness and what to say. God's Blessings to each and every one of you.

 

*nudges everybody*

i like what you've put there JoyceK. because it is preaching Christ and his resurrection. im not against it.

the one thing that concerns me is the mentioning about sin. and unless i've skipped over it - i dont see anything about repentance. nor any explanation of what sin is.

if the people do not know what sin is - how can they repent of it?

we need to take these people to Mt. Sinai before they can go to Mt. Zion - bring them to the ten commandments (by the law is knowledge of sin) and then their heart will be ready for the grace of God. because they should be humbled by the law.

again - i point out that if they do not know what sin is - how do they understand why Jesus died on the cross - and how are they to truly repent?

tell them sin is "missing the mark"? yah. taht wlil mkae a wolhe lot of snsee...

give them what scripture says what sin really is "the transgression of the law"

 

Any one ever go into WalMart or another store at Christmas time and slide tracts into boxes on the shelves?
OK...i'm guilty.

 

No, but I used to like to leave them in phone booths--that was way back in the 20th century before everyone had cell phones. I can't figure out how to leave them inside cell phones!

I also leave tracts everytime I stay in a motel.

 

I don't know that trying to show people they have sinned or broken the 10 commandments is for everyone. God can save people who don't even understand sin. When I was saved, at that moment, I knew I had been going on a road away from God, and I saw I needed Jesus because the Lord had shown me that I was separated from God, but I was not convicted of my sins until later.

In fact, it took awhile to understand the evil of what I had been involved in - over a year, in fact. I had to know God in order to know sin. And the more I know Christ now, the more I am aware of sin.

It's good to remind ourselves that the Lord reaches people in different ways.

 

Marcia,

Id say that understanding that you were going away from God is a pretty good understanding of the basic concept of what sin is. I definitely agree that a person doesn't have to be necessarily convicted of each individual sin in his/her life in order to be saved. THere are so many times when we don't even know we are sinning in specific areas until way after the time of our salvation.

You made some great points!:thumbs:

 

Marcia said "God can save people who don't even understand sin."

hmmm... that's debatable.

how can one repent of their sin if they dont know what sin is?
instead of giving the watered down definition of sin (going away from God - missing the mark etc...) why not give them the biblical definition?

'sin is the transgression of the law'

everyone has a conscience right? right. what does the conscience do? determine right from wrong. to whose standard? Gods. why? because God provided the conscience.

so our conscience knows what's right and what's wrong (unless its been seared with a hot iron - then you got to dig deeper) according to scripture.

how is it possible for one to not know what sin is - and at the same time claim to be a christian?

i do not believe that a professing christian who does not know what sin is - is not soundly saved. he may be saved in a sense - but not soundly saved.

one cannot repent of something they dont even know what.

christianity is not a happy meal.
christianity is not american iced tea.

when i mention "repent of all sins" i do not mean "repent of that time you lied in 1968" i mean in a general sense - which is what the bible talks about. "repent of all sins" = "repent of all the sin in your life" its not specific. if you catch it - confess it.

who has said that we are showing them that they've sinned? nobody.
you ask questions - which leads to the person realizing themselves they have sinned - because they know what sin is.

how can one understand that they've sinned - if they dont know what sin is?

 

gekko, I didn't say that not understanding sin would continue after being saved. Of course, as you grow in Christ, you see sin more and more and become more sensitive to it.

But we better be careful about adding any conditions for salvation -- Jesus said the only condition was to believe in him. People can believe in Christ, can know they need a Savior, without totally at that moment understanding the concept of sin. And sin does not always mean transgression of the law, it means missing the mark.

Remember that God gave the law to the Jews, not to the Gentiles. What Rom. 2 tells us is that the Gentiles have a conscience and therefore can know there is a right and wrong, and so they are without excuse. So the Jews had the law to show they were missing the mark and the Gentiles have a conscience to know it.

This is how I saw it at the very moment of salvation -- I knew that I was going away from God. That was all that was required because the Lord was drawing me to him (you should read my story and how the Lord saved a devoted astrologer and New Ager who hated Christianity!). As Bapmom said, this was an understanding of sin without really using the term (thanks for your remarks, bapmom! :love2: )

I totally believe in acknowledging sin. I witness to witches, atheists, satanists, New Agers, psychics, etc. all the time. I don't downplay sin or hell. But I am also dealing with people who either don't believe in sin or who redefine it and/or have become desensitized to the concept. So I try to show them what it means by talking about the perfection and goodness of God and Christ. When we see the righteousness of God, we see our own failings and sins. I can tell you it works.

Here is my story if interested:

HTML:

http://cana.userworld.com/cana_spiritualjourney.html

 

marcia said "And sin does not always mean transgression of the law, it means missing the mark."

ok - then 1John 3:4 doesn't always mean that sin is the transgression of the law?
missing the mark is the same as breaking the law.
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"Remember that God gave the law to the Jews, not to the Gentiles."
did he?
lets look at what 1Timothy 1:9+ says:
" Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust."

the law was made for sinners. everybody is a sinner. the law was made for everbody.
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i understand that you are dealing with people who dont believe in sin - or dont believe there is a God - etc.
try this analogy out when they say that to you: "ok - so if i jump off a 10 story building believing there is no such thing as gravity - what's going to happen? KERSPLAT! right? your beliefs do not neglect reality..."
trust me - it works
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i believe in acknowledgin sin... but that's not all - how can one acknowledge sin - if they dont know what sin is?
missing the mark? that is a overly-vague description of what sin is.
the bible explains what sin is very clearly "transgression of the law" - if one breaks the law - they sin. simple as that. why steer away from it?
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im not doubting your method doesn't work - in no way am i doing that.
the problem i have is displaying a "God has a wonderful plan for your life" kind of gospel.

i dont like it. i used to love it. took part in it everyday. that's why my life was miserable.

we must expose the disease more then we display the cure.
i believe in 90% law - 10% grace.

i do not believe in presenting the grace of God if they do not understand what precedes it - sin, law, needle-before-cure, mt.sinai-before-mt.zion.
you give them grace first - its going to be like telling someone to put on a parachute so that it will improve the person's flight...
you give them the law first - its going to be like telling someone to put on a parachute because they are soon going to have to jump 25,000 feet out of the plane.

which person is going to hold onto the parachute more when mocking and ridicule come from the other passengers making fun of the guy?

 

Frist of all, what do you mean by the law? Do you mean the 10 commandments? The word "law" in the NT sometimes refers to the 10 commandments, sometimes not, and sometimes it's hard to tell.

Where does Jesus say we need to give the law first before we say to believe in him? Are you saying someone has to believe in the law before they believe in Christ?

1 Tim 1.9 is not about witnessing. It's talking about heresies going on in the church.

Also, what makes you think I say "God has a wonderful plan for your life"? I never have said this. That is not how I witness.

 

marcia said "And sin does not always mean transgression of the law, it means missing the mark."

HP: . Lets say that one is on a firing range and fires a shot at the bullseye. If one ‘missed the mark’ and one discovered that the bullet was loaded without powder and that only the primer launched the bullet, could you praise such a one for missing the target, and would the shooter be disappointed in their own perforamnce for missing the intended target under those circumstances? Why or why not?

Sin is blameworthy and is justly punishable. It is not a mere missing of a mark, but a willful choice of selfishness in opposition to benevolence.

Let me illustrate my point on why sin is not a mere missing of the mark another way. A man stands on the firing line in a competitive shoot. As he bears down on the target an opponent bumps into him just as he squeezes the trigger. The bullet fails to hit its mark due to the coercive bump he received. Who, in fairness and a just frame of mind, would penalize the shooter for missing his mark when there was obvious coercive interference?

Sin is not just ‘missing the mark.' Sin is blameworthy. Sin is a violation of moral law. Strictly speaking, moral law governs over intentions alone. In the absence of selfish and evil intention, no violation of moral law can be predicated.

There can be a thousand reasons why a marksman may miss their target without rightfully and justly incurring anything closely associated with blame. Sin always and rightfully incurs just punishment, personal guilt, and just blame. Sin always involves selfishness as opposed to benevolence. Strictly speaking, missing the mark does not speak to the core prerequisites that must be predicated of any intent or subsequent action denoted as sin. Sin is a moral issue, and moral issues always involve willful intents in direct opposition to known commandments of God. Such is not the case with the sheer missing of the mark

 

Another way,
Link to a flash gospel presentation at

http://www.ExploreChristianity.com

Sin is dealt with in part one.

 

Watching the first video on gospelexplained .com, which addressed the issue of sin, I would give it a grade of about 50%. ( I am a dyed in the wool conservative)The law indeed show us our need of Christ, but you missed emphasizing the part of keeping the law bringing great reward. Ps 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.”

The law is not just a tool to show us how sinful we are prior to salvation, in keeping of the law we are assured that we are indeed ‘who we hope to be found as’ in that last day. It is a tool by which we examine ourselves, not to see how sinful we are necessarily, but rather how obedient we are, and if in fact we are not being deceived as to believing we are someone with a sure hope that in reality is no hope of eternal life at all. . 1Jo 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20 ¶ For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 ¶ And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.