You Can Witness With Confidence

You Can Witness With Confidence
John R. Petrilli

Several years ago the Luis Palau Evangelistic organization surveyed over 6,000 Christians about their witness for Christ. The results were startling. In response to the question, “Why aren’t you sharing your faith”?, 9% said they were too busy, 12 % admitted their Christian lives weren’t what they should be, 28 % felt they lacked enough information to share, and an overwhelming 51% said they didn’t share their faith because they feared how a listener might react.

Witnessing in the modern church stands in stark contrast to the fearless confidence displayed by the Christians in the New Testament. What did they have that we so desperately lack? The answer … NOTHING! In fact, we have more revelation, more information, more technology, more methodologies, and more opportunities than they ever dreamed of. So why are we failing so miserably where the early church shined? The difference is attitude. Our attitude problem can be summed up in one word … FEAR! But God has addressed the debilitating attitude of fear. His Word provides us with the proper attitude to take in approaching others with the gospel. In Romans 1:1-17 we find four powerful principles that will transform our witnessing fears into witnessing freedom.

WE CAN WITNESS WITH CONFIDENCE BECAUSE OUR MESSAGE OFFERS REAL HOPE TO A WORLD DROWNING IN DESPAIR.

Research shows that you can take away someone’s food, their water, and even their shelter, yet they’ll find a way to survive a crisis. But take away their hope, and it isn’t long before they cave in. World conditions don’t give us much reason to hope things will get any better. Into this spiritual vacuum of despair comes the apostle Paul with the Gospel of Hope.

Paul’s gospel hope was Scripture-based, “The Gospel was promised beforehand through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures.” [Rom. 1:1-2]. People pin their hopes for life beyond the grave on many things. Some believe in reincarnation, while others hope their good deeds will outweigh their bad ones. But relying on flawed human ideas is an exercise in futility. To find REAL hope we have to look to God. As Paul searched the O.T. Scriptures he found that his source of hope was totally reliable. From the Genesis’ promise to bruise Satan’s head right thru to the Bright and Morning Star in Revelation, the Word of God is a book of Hope.

But Paul’s gospel hope was also Son-centered, “The Gospel concerns God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” [Rom. 1:1-3]. When searching for hope it’s not only important to go to the right source but also to go to the right person. The book of Proverbs says that placing one’s confidence (or hope) in an unreliable person is misplaced trust. When it comes to our salvation, only one Person is worthy of our trust. His Name is Jesus Christ, and He alone is our hope of eternal life. Paul’s gospel hope is a spiritual certainty [1:4], “Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God ... by His resurrection from the dead!” When Christ rose from that tomb, God made one huge statement. The resurrection was proof-positive that Jesus Christ was indeed God. Many religious leaders have claimed to be God, but only one has proved it by rising from the dead. Mohammed is dead, Buddha is dead, Confucius is dead, Jim Jones is dead, and David Koresh is dead. Only Jesus is Alive! This is the message of hope that’s unique to Christianity alone. We serve a LIVING Savior, and that’s our reason for hope.

WE CAN WITNESS WITH CONFIDENCE BECAUSE OUR MESSAGE HAS THE CURE FOR A FATALLY DISEASED WORLD.

“I’m not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for SALVATION for all who believe.” [Rom. 1:16]. We’re born with a spiritual disease so deep and so widespread that no medical procedure can possibly cure it. Education can’t teach it away, government can’t legislate it away, and surgery can’t cut it away. Chemotherapy is useless, and psychotherapy can’t touch it. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can heal the insidious and eternally terminal disease of sin.

PEOPLE ARE IN CRITICAL CONDITION SPIRITUALLY. “All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” [Rom. 3:23]. As a biker, one of my greatest fears is getting hit by a car door opening as I pass by a parked vehicle. I actually witnessed a biker get hit by an opening door. She flew off her bike, landed square on the pavement and apparently suffered a severe back injury. I encouraged her to go to the ER immediately. It was critical that she get medical attention immediately. Likewise, there are people all around us who are in critical spiritual condition and in need of emergency treatment.

THE SPIRITUAL NEED AROUND US IS URGENT. “For the wages of sin is death.” [Rom. 6:23a]. One heartbeat is all that separates time from eternity. No one knows what hour death will knock at their door. Our chance to receive forgiveness can only be made before death. Our condition is humanly incurable, and the window of opportunity is unknown. That’s about as urgent as it gets!

WE HAVE THE ONLY CURE AVAILABLE FOR MAN’S CORE PROBLEM. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” [Rom. 6:23b]. No one in their right mind wants to die. We’ve been created to live for eternity, not to die in time. Given the choice between life and death, people will choose life every time. Sin is man’s core problem. It’s a spiritually and physically fatal disease. In the medical world it’s criminal to withhold a cure for a deadly disease. Likewise, in the spiritual realm it’s criminal to withhold the cure for sin. Rather than feeling ashamed of the gospel, we should gladly give it out in large doses to the dying people around us.

WE HAVE ALL THE POWER WE NEED AT OUR DISPOSAL. “The gospel is the POWER OF God for salvation.” [Rom. 1:16 c]. Have you ever felt God prompting you to share Christ with someone, only to have a sense of incompetence come over you? If so, here’s great news for you. The gospel has built-in power to convict and convert someone. So the Holy Spirit is powerfully at work in their heart even when we feel weak or inadequate. Also, the Holy Spirit replaces our natural intimidation with His divine power. God hasn’t given us a spirit of cringing fear, but one of power, love, and mental soundness. When those fears come upon us, it’s time to rely on the Holy Spirit’s power.

WE CAN WITNESS WITH CONFIDENCE BECAUSE OUR MESSAGE HAS UNIVERSAL APPEAL FOR AN INCREDIBLY DIVERSE WORLD.

“The gospel is the power of God to salvation to ALL who believe.” Rom. 1:16 b

Salvation is available to people of all nationalities, “Through Jesus Christ we have received grace and apostleship among all nations.” [Rom. 1:5]. God’s love embraces all people everywhere. We’ve been appointed by to take the gospel to all nations without exception. Salvation is available to people of all races, “I am obligated to Greeks and to Non-Greeks.” [Rom. 1:14a]. Paul was saying he made no distinction between civilized and uncivilized cultures. He never played the race card when planning his witnessing strategy. He made no distinction whatsoever, and neither should we. Salvation is available to people from all social classes, “I’m obligated to the wise and the unwise.” [Rom. 1:14b]. Paul ministered to both educated and uneducated. Christ didn’t die just for the sins of the smart people. He didn’t shed His blood just for the salvation of the sophisticated. He died for simple, everyday people too. Rich people, poor people, educated people, and totally illiterate people. In God’s eyes we all need the same forgiveness through the same Savior.

WE CAN WITNESS WITH CONFIDENCE BECAUSE OUR MESSAGE SIMPLIFIES THE TERMS OF SALVATION TO A SPIRITUALLY CONFUSED WORLD.

“In the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.” Rom. 1:17

When you start discussing spiritual things with others, it quickly becomes clear that a lot of confusions exists about the nature and means of salvation.

THE GOSPEL REVEALS THAT SALVATION COMES FROM GOD. “In the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed.” [Rom. 1:17a]. Some think that salvation comes from within themselves. Others believe salvation is eventually arrived at thru the process of karma, where they’re repeatedly reborn into different forms until a state of spiritual perfection is attained. Still others think that mother nature is the source of salvation. But the gospel dispels all this confusion, revealing that salvation only comes through a loving, merciful, and gracious God. More specifically, the gospel points to the Son of God as the way of salvation.

THE GOSPEL REVEALS THAT SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT. “The gospel reveals a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.” [Rom. 1:17b]. Almost without exception, non-Christians believe they have to DO something to earn their salvation. But the word “work” can’t be found anywhere in this verse. This is because salvation isn’t something man earns, but something God freely gives. Nothing anyone can ever do will make a bit of difference to God, because it’s all about what He has done for us!

THE GOSPEL REVEALS THAT SALVATION MUST BE RECEIVED BY FAITH. “The righteous shall live by faith.” [Rom. 1:17c]. Simply put, faith is taking God at His word. God says His Son’s death paid our sin penalty in full. Faith simply accepts this as a done deal. That’s a lot less complicated than man-made formulas of salvation. Most people don’t really understand how God saves individuals. The beauty of our message is that it really frees people from the misconceptions they have concerning the way of salvation.

In closing, we’ve seen how it’s possible to overcome the greatest barrier to witnessing, the barrier of fear. We’ve seen that confident witnessing is easily within our reach. We have no real reason for being ashamed of the gospel, only excuses. Jesus doesn’t look favorably on silent Christians when He says: “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him (or her) the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with His holy angels.” If you struggle with fear, ask God to empower you with His courage and strength. If you wrestle with confidence, you can get better prepared by developing and practicing your personal testimony of how you became a Christian. If you’re too busy … well, then … you really are TOO busy. Take some time to invest in God’s priority for your life. Seeking God’s kingdom first certainly includes building that kingdom by winning people to Christ.

We can witness with confidence because our gospel message is: Uplifting in it’s theme of HOPE, Universal in its ability to Save ALL men from sin, POWERFUL in its ability to convince and convert, UNDERSTANDABLE with regard to the terms of salvation, and CLEAR in its revelation about God.