By Jackie Ricks
When you do anything such as cook, repair something, teach a lesson or whatever, you must be prepared. You must prepare the necessary tools, ingredients, and other necessary items. You must also be aware of the steps involved, or you may need to learn certain things before you can perform the job. The same is true of witnessing or making disciples.
Before teachers can teach a lesson, they need to know the material themselves. The same is true of telling someone how to come to Christ or how to be a better example for others. You all know how we became a believer, but can you explain it to someone else? What verses should we use? You have several ways to approach the subject. You may prefer the “Roman Road” by using the verses from Romans (3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10, 13).
Others may choose the “Four Spiritual Laws”:
• God loves you and has a plan for your life (John 3:16; 10:10).
• Man is sinful and separated from God (Rom. 3:23; 6:23).
• Jesus Christ is the only solution (Rom. 5:8; I Cor. 15:1-6; John 14:6).
• We must receive Christ individually by faith (John 1:12; Eph. 2:8-9).
There are other ways as well. The important thing is to know the Scriptures that will help you share with others. Otherwise, Satan will conveniently help you forget what they are when you need to talk to someone. You may not need to memorize and quote them, but you do need to know what the verses are and the order that you want to use them. In fact, the best approach may be to use the other person’s own Bible (if they have one) so they know the verses are actually in the Bible.
Be prepared with God’s Word. Although it’s good to use the other person’s Bible, you should always have one with you. However, don’t carry a large Bible that is immediately obvious what you are doing. Sometimes that alone will turn someone off, and you won’t even get a chance to talk to them about God. Having a small Bible that fits in your purse is handy if you need to use it. You may also want to carry a church bulletin, tract or card that has the church information on it. You may also write your number on it so that the person can call you if they have questions.
Another way to be prepared is by knowing your testimony. Think about what your life was like before salvation and then what it’s been like after. Many people believe that becoming a believer will alleviate all their problems. Although you don’t want to make it sound like a believer’s life is full of problems, you do need to let the person know that when problems come, God is only a prayer away and always answers your prayers. Emphasize that it may not always be in the manner that you expect, but that it’s always what’s best and in God’s will.
All of this is important no matter to whom you are speaking — friend, acquaintance or stranger. However, if you are going on a church visitation or witnessing program, you need to be prepared with a list of where to go. You may use visitor cards from the church service or names of friends and acquaintances of people you know. Sometimes, you will be able to obtain a list of newcomers to town from an outreach service. After getting the list, pray that God leads you to the ones whom He has been preparing. If you can find out anything about them that might help start the conversation, please do so.
Whether you need to present the gospel spontaneously or in a regularly planned setting, you must be prepared to say and do what God leads you to. Don’t be caught with nothing to say when the Spirit leads you to present the gospel.
For further study, read the verses mentioned above (II Tim. 3:14-17 and I Peter 3:15). Pray and thank the Lord for helping you to be prepared to witness, while also asking Him to help you recognize when opportunities come. Be prepared to witness when the need arises.
