Should Christians Witness?
My dear Friends,
Believers are commanded by Jesus to be His witness, to share the Gospel. I believe a true Christian should not only witness but daily preach and minister the Word of God. I have come to the conclusion that most professing Christians do not share God with others as Christ commands. In fact, I believe that there are less than 5 percent of true Christians who share the Word of God regularly. Does this mean 95 percent of Christians are ashamed of Jesus? I use the word "true" regularly before the word Christian. This is because I am unsure of someone professing to be a Christian who does not share the word of God with others. I believe a true Christian is compelled will love and commanded by Jesus to share the Good News. What kind of a person lets people go to hell? A Christian who does not share the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost can hardly be called a Christian. Are such people born again? Has the Holy Spirit been quenched to a point that He no longer directs the life of the so-called believer because the believer has turned to worldliness instead of godliness?
Jesus said in Mark 16:15-18:
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
The first command here is to "preach the gospel to every creature." When we witness we preach the gospel and give our personal story. See in verse 16 that a believer is to be obedient and be baptized; and in verses 17 and 18 He commands believers with the authority and the power in His name to heal others. I bring this to your attention because Jesus is telling all who are His disciples to preach the gospel (for repentance) and to heal by casting out demons and laying hands on the sick. He also said that they will speak in new tongues (a gift from the Holy Spirit by receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit), and protection from any deadly things. The serpent is symbolic of the devil (scorpions are referred to as demons).
Again, I want to emphasize that sharing the gospel, witnessing and healing all go together. When a person is healed and a demon is expelled, winning souls is easier.
We can also look to Matthew 28:19-20 (The Great Commission) as we go out to all nations preaching the gospel and teaching the ways of Christ.
I believe there are several reasons why professing Christians do not share the Gospel with others: (1) Fear (of rejection, isolation); (2) Do not know the Word of God; (3) believe false doctrine; (4) uncommitted and lack conviction; and (5) never born again (do not really believe the Gospel and were never saved in the first place).
We have to examine ourselves closely where we are in the faith. I believe faith, yet more importantly, unbelief is the true reason professing Christians do not witness. Do you truly believe the work of Jesus Christ? Do you believe Jesus is the savior of the world? Do you believe He came to save sinners? Can you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that He rose from the dead and is alive? If you believe this, you should be excited and grateful to share the Word of God. We have been given a gift, a great gift. What do you do when a gift is given to you? You receive the gift with joy and gratefulness and then you use the gift if you are truly grateful. The gift is a usable gift, not to sit on a mantle never to be touched. How do you use the gift? You share the gift because the gift that was given never runs out. The gift is the abundance and the fullness of Christ, of life and goodness and love. He gave freely that now we give freely. If every Christian went out into the world and witnessed daily, this world not be in the desperate and wicked state it is in now.
These are the End Times. We are in the last days. I believe, because of the rapid acceleration of depravity and wickedness in the world today, we are in the last of the last days. There is nothing holding back the Rapture of the Church. The prophecies have come to pass. Go out and do something. Go out and be a soul winner.
Is the Pastor Responsible for Teaching His Congregation to Share the Word of God?
Absolutely. I have come to believe very few pastors regularly talk to their congregations about sharing the Word of God. I strongly encourage pastors to speak every Sunday about witnessing. Could you image if a mega church went out one day a week with three thousand believers and witnessed throughout the city, in the streets and knocking on doors for one or two hours? The glory of God would certainly be magnified over the city. They don't do this because the pastor has not trained this people to witness and to speak to friends and strangers regularly regarding the Gospel and salvation. What do you think Jesus did with the seventy? He sent them out in groups of two (Luke 10:1, 17). You should read the whole passage Luke 10:1-12:
After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ 12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.
What did Jesus say? "The laborers are few." Why are they few? There should not be "few" laborers. There are millions of Christians. So, should there not be millions upon millions of Christians witnessing? This is a big problem and the church is to blame for not stressing the most important work of Jesus (The Great Commission). And that is winning souls and saving the lost. Pastor Bob Yandian said simply: "Witnessing does not make you a child of God; it reveals you are a child of God." How true.
Do all Christians Have the Ability to Share the Gospel?
Yes, if they yield to the Holy Spirit. But to witness and share the Gospel one has to have enough knowledge of the Word of God. Where does knowledge and wisdom come from? Both knowledge and wisdom are from the Holy Spirit. Ask and it is shall be given. One should be mature in the faith. And the only way one is mature is to read, study and hear the Word enough to draw the necessary Scriptures when needed to answer specific questions with ease and confidence. By the way, do know how many people you can witness to on an airplane? You can cover the entire plane on a five hour flight. The airport gates are also an excellent place to witness.