5 Things You Need to be a More Faithful Witness

Matthew 4:19 records Jesus’ words to his fledgling disciples: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus was speaking to fishermen who would become his disciples. Their occupation (and their preoccupation) was fishing. Jesus demanded a re-orientation of their perspective. As his disciples, they were to prioritize fishing for people over fishing for fish. Those early disciples left their nets and followed him.

Jesus does not call all believers to leave their secular occupation and enter full-time vocational ministry (though he does call some). But what he does call all believers to do, regardless of their occupation, is to be “fishers of men,” to be about the business of sharing the gospel with others.

So how can we as believers be more faithful in our witnessing? Using the image of a body, I want to reflect on 5 aspects of faithful witnessing.

1. The Head of a Faithful Witness

A faithful witness must understand and believe certain truths. First, a faithful witness must believe lost people are lost. The Scriptures remind us that ultimately there are only two categories of people in the world: saved and lost. Those who do not know Christ are perishing. Even John 3:16 reminds us that people will perish apart from faith in Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” People outside of Christ are destined for hell, separated from God’s love for all eternity. People who live and die without knowing Christ are lost. They are lost now, and they will be lost forever.

Second, a faithful witness must believe that explicit faith in Christ is the only way to be saved. How do we know that people are lost? Because we accept the truthfulness of the Bible. How do we know only Jesus can save? Because the Bible says so! We have both an inclusive message (whosoever will may come) but also an exclusive message (Jesus is the only way to God the Father). Acts 4:12 records, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

Third, a faithful witness must know the gospel message. The gospel can be summarized as:

• A message about God (the holy and loving Creator)
• A message about Humankind (created in God’s image yet sinful and fallen)
• A message about Christ (the Merciful Redeemer; his person and work)
• A message about a Necessary Response (repentance and faith)

Fourth, a faithful witness must believe the gospel is powerful enough to save anyone. Romans 1:16 testifies, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” We can sometimes “give up” on people and “say no” for them.

Mark 4 highlights the Parable of the Sower. The text tells us, “the sower went out to sow.” We know the seed fell on four different types of soil, but sometimes we misapply Jesus’ teaching in this parable. We go out as “soil inspectors” instead of as “sowers.” We are called to be “sowers,” not “soil inspectors.” We need to sow the gospel seed widely! Let’s stop saying “no” for other people by not even seeking to share the good news with them.

2. The Heart of a Faithful Witness

At the “heart” of a faithful witness is love for Christ. John Stott argues, “is this not the cause of our guilty silence? We do not speak for Christ because we do not so love His name that we cannot bear to see Him unacknowledged and un-adored.  If only our eyes were opened to see His glory, and if only we felt wounded by the shame of His public humiliation among men, we should not be able to remain silent.”[1]

I believe the most definitive verse in the Bible related to evangelism is Matthew 12:34, where Jesus teaches, “the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” If we are not sharing the gospel message regularly, that really is not a speech problem, it is a heart problem.

The best example of this truth I know is grandparents. No grandparent has ever had in-depth training on how to talk about their grandchildren with others. There are no national conferences on this topic, no DVD training seminars for grandparents. Why not? Because Matthew 12:34 is true! Grandparents do not need training in how to talk about their grandchildren, because their “mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”

The heart of a faithful witness also includes compassion for others. We read in Matthew 9:36 about Jesus, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus didn’t just see people, he felt compassion for them. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. Do we have this sense of compassion for those who are lost? When you see lost people, how do you view them?

One of the unfortunate by-products of the so-called “culture war” is that some Christians have begun to view non-Christians as the enemy. Non-Christians are not the enemy, they are victims of the enemy. Our true enemy is Satan, not lost people. He is holding them captive. It is easy for us to look at sinners, not with compassion, but with condemnation, or criticism, or callousness, or coldness. Douglas Stewart argues the single greatest reason we fail to witness is that we do not possess the compassion of Christ.[2]

3. The Eyes of a Faithful Witness

In John 4:35 we read of Jesus saying to his twelve disciples (and through them to us), “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” Why the need for the command to “lift up our eyes?” Because we tend to have our eyes up ourselves, on our needs, on our problems.

Each day we need to “lift up our eyes” and ask God to help us see the people around us who need to know Christ. Oscar Thompson popularized the concept of concentric circles of evangelism.[3] Who in your circles of influence do you need to begin praying for and seek an opportunity to share with? Those circles include family members, relatives, friends, co-workers, classmates, neighbors, acquaintances, and “Person X” (the person we have not yet met but will meet one day through God’s divine appointment).

4. The Feet of a Faithful Witness

A faithful witness takes advantage of witnessing opportunities. As Paul exhorts in Colossians 4:5, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the time.” The word translated “time” there is the Greek word “kairos,” meaning “moment of opportunity.” Do not wait for “perfect” opportunities to witness; take advantage of any opportunity God gives you.

5. The Mouth of a Faithful Witness

We cannot be a “silent witness.” Evangelism is not “mere presence.” Some people today declare, “Well, I’m just going to witness with my life. I’m going to let my life do the talking.” Some even misquote St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.” Scholars of St. Francis assert he never said those words, but even if he had said them he would be wrong. Affirming “preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary” is like saying “feed the hungry at all times; use food if necessary.”

Your life is not the gospel. The good news of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ must be shared verbally. Evangelism is more than mere presence. We might re-cast the mistakenly attributed quote of St. Francis of Assisi: “Share the gospel at all times, and use words, because they are necessary.”

We must verbalize the gospel message. In Romans 10:14-15, 17, we read: “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’ . . . So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

In verse 14, Paul asks a series of questions . . .

How can they call on the one they have not believed in? They can’t!

How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? They can’t!

How can they hear without someone preaching to them? They can’t!

How can they preach unless they are sent? They can’t!

Conclusion? The greatest thing we can do is be a messenger of the good news, of the gospel to a lost and dying world. As Romans 10:15 describes it, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Are you sharing the gospel? We live in a day where we have an embarrassment of riches in terms of evangelistic tools and methods. And the sheer volume of options can lead us to the “paralysis of analysis.” We aren’t sure which is the best method to use, so we end up using none of them! Leighton Ford notes D.L. Moody’s classic reply to a critic who disapproved of his methods. “I don’t like them too much, myself,” he admitted, “what methods do you use?” When the critic replied that he used none, Moody retorted, “Well, I think I like the way I do it better than the way you don’t!”[4]

Too many people get sidetracked in debates over methodology. They get caught up in the “paralysis of analysis.” They spend their entire Christian life searching for the perfect method of evangelism, while never using any of the multitude of good methods available to them!

Jesus used three different methods when healing blind men.[5] On one occasion he merely spoke a word (Mark 10:52), another time he used touch (Matthew 9:29), and on another occasion he placed mud on a blind man’s eyes (John 9:6). Can you imagine what might have transpired had these men happened to meet together to discuss their experiences? “Isn’t it wonderful how Jesus heals by simply speaking?” one would say. “You are wrong,” the second man would protest, “He uses touch.” The third man would interject, “You are both wrong! He doesn’t use words, or touch—he uses mud to heal!” Their argument could have led them to form three new denominations: the Touchites, the Speakites and the Mudites. I tell people, “If you don’t like a particular method of witnessing, don’t waste precious time and energy criticizing it—use one you feel comfortable with and get on with the task!”
Do you want to be a more faithful witness? Reflect on these 5 different aspects: the head of a faithful witness, the heart of a faithful witness, the eyes of a faithful witness, the feet of a faithful witness, and the mouth of a faithful witness. Let’s embrace our Lord’s call to become “fishers of people.”

[1] John Stott, Our Guilty Silence, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1967, 22.

[2] Douglas Stewart, “Evangelism,” The Expository Times 67 (July 1956), 312.

[3] W. Oscar Thompson: Concentric Circles of Concern, Nashville: Broadman, 1981.

[4] Leighton Ford, The Christian Persuader, New York: Harper & Row, 1966, 68

[5] Leighton Ford, The Christian Persuader, New York: Harper & Row, 1966, 125.