How do I witness

[Letsgofishing]

Ok so i'm getting my lunch, and I have this really cheesy shirt on which says "Godco, save a lot of money and get eternal life insurance" and a guy called Patrick, a friend, says " i don't like your shirt" I respond "why, does it offend you?" (in a friendly manner) and he says "yes, I’m an atheist", "well you shouldn't" I replied. and he says " why not" Here I have him in the perfect position to spread the gospel, to spread Gods Kingdom on earth, to start to save a soul. And what do I do “Um…it’s a deep subject and its lunch, let’s talk about it later.” I froze up, here God gives me a chance to witness, and obviously I am more than able to do it, but still I freeze up. And that was the last time we talked about a subject. And its bugging me, my soul moans of what I could of done on that day. I don’t want this to happen again so could you lend me some tips, advice, Scripture, anything so that I can succeed next time. And spread his kingdom.

 

[Letsgofishing]

sorry for the delay

 

[Rudy]

Hi Letsgofishing,1 Peter 3:15 says, "Always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you..."When you have a reason -- a purpose -- it is much easier to "persuade" people to believe as you do...First, I would advise you to read some good books about why you believe what you do. The best place to start is with books that deal with the Bible's reliability. Once you know why you believe what you do, apart from just "because the Bible says so," it will be easier to reach people. (It will also help you when people say, "The Bible has these contradictions, is unreliable, etc." because you'll have the answers.)Another thing I would do is pray and ask God for the courage to try again. Don't quite trying. God wants you to find the answer. If you don't know the answer to a question that your friend asks, the best thing to respond is, "I don't know, but I'll find out!" And then do find out -- research it! You might also try coming from their point of view; turn the coin around and ask them questions about their faith, and then compare it to yours. Also, the best witnessing tool out there, is YOU; be a good, godly example to your friend. As the saying goes, "You may be the only Jesus the world ever sees." 1Timothy 4:12 "...be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."If I can think of anything more, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I'll pray for you and your friend.

 

[Latter-day Saint]

Excellent reply, Rudy.I think that it is sometimes the most difficult to share our beliefs in Christ with the people that we associate with every day. I spent two years as a missionary in Japan talking to strangers about Jesus Christ and found it rather easy, but now in everyday associations with friends and coworkers around me it is sometimes very difficult to share what I know of Jesus Christ with others.I think that one of the most important things to remember is having the right motive when we approach our friends. We need to share the good news with them becuase we love them. Love can be a powerful motivator for good works, and can overcome any fear we may have:1st John 4:18: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear"Another thing that helps is to not overthink the situation. I know that I tend to try too hard when the opportunity to share the good word arises. Instead of just continuing a friendly conversation, I get worried that the conversation will get awkward, and as a result sometimes it does. I think it is important that we just be ourself. Don't try too hard to say the "right answers," just tell your friend what you know and what is in your heart.I know that I still have a long way to go in sharing the good word with others, but I hope to get better and better at it through practice.

 

[Nyoka]

The main thing in witnessing is to trust God. Let the Holy Spirit lead you and give you what to say. The Holy Spirit may give you words to speak or He may just want you to be a friend to the person . The Holy Spirit may use your life as a witness to the person rather than get you to speak words. God knows what will work best for each person we meet so we MUST trust Him and Him only for our leading in witnessing.

 

[ForYou]

Maybe you were afraid,maybe this witnessing kind of threw you off track!The best advice I could possibly give it show him your love and compassion,tell him about God and let God pour words in your mouth. Like Nyoka said he may just want you as a friend. This person may reject your words the first time don't let that get you down! Again Amen Nyoka I loved your last sentence