(Matt. 28:18-20)
v18: And
Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth. v19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. v20:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
From
the above reading; we have been given a task and commandment to fulfill. Every
Christian has been commissioned to be a fisher-of-men- which is a long and
exciting adventure/ occupation for the Christian. We can be effective fishermen
and disciple these converts if we follow the bible’s formula.
We
will prepare ourselves for the task in three (3) parts:
Part 1: Preparation
Stage
How can we witness in the power of the Holy Spirit?
Be sure you are a Christian and your lifestyle
is in accordance with Christianity. (Jn. 1:12; 1Jn. 5:11-12)
Have no unconfessed sin in your life (Isa.
59:1-2)
Be filled with the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22;
Acts 1:8)
Be prepared to share your faith in Christ with
others i.e have the burden for sinners
Memory
verse: Romans 1:16a- “ For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth;”
Part 2: Witnessing
Stage
What should be our message and why/ how do we present it
to others?
Who is a witness? 1Jn. 1:1-3; Lk 1:1-3.
Why Witness? Matt 28:19-20.
What are the qualities of an effective
witness?
The
effective witness should be a: teacher; not tribal; denies his personality;
faithful; lives exemplary Christian life before all and at all times.
What is the sole message in witnessing?
The
main message, no matter the form it takes, should tell people about the
Hopelessness of man, Christ’s death giving salvation and His resurrection has
brought us hope.
Methods of Evangelism.
You
can witness about Christ through i. Personal Testimonies ii.
Revivals/ crusades iv. Audio-visuals iii. Christian Literature/
Tracts iv.
Dawn broadcasts v. Home Cells viii.
Sports, etc. However, The Holy Spirit can give you various ways to witness
depending on the situation.
Tools to help share the faith.
One
of the most powerful tools to help share the faith are Tracts. Eg. Four
spiritual laws, Bridge for Life, New life for you, etc. The benefits of tracts
are that they keep the presentation focused, it saves time, you can give to the
person to read if there is no time and you can reach a lot of people at a time-
at the market, at the mall, at the office, at public meetings, in vehicles, etc.
Hindrances to effective witnessing.
i. Unconfessed
Sin in our lives ii.Fear iii.procrastination iv.Lazyness
v.non-commitment
to matt.28:19-20
Please note.
·
Witnessing
is a life-long occupation of the Christian. To learn or know how to witness,
start now!
·
Make
a list of people you target and pray and fast for them (if necessary)
·
Go
in love although it is a command. Keep your temper.
·
Talk
about Jesus and Him only (Acts 4:12; 1Corin. 2:1-2)
·
Expect
Results. Keep the faith.
·
Don’t
assume the person is a Christian. Be mindful of Churchianity instead of
Christianity.
·
Be
sincere, If you don’t have answers to a question.
·
As
strategy, take advantage of every situation to witness. At the mall, market,
gatherings, etc.
·
If
one won’t accept Jesus Christ, don’t impose, let it be willing. But ask why?
·
Keep
other conversations secondary.
·
Don’t
preach about your church and its doctrines but Christ and Him only.
If
your witnessing has made one accept Christ, what should you do to help him grow
from the baby struggle? Follow-up (Discipleship)
Part 3: Discipleship
(through follow-up) stage
The greatest miracle in a man’s life is the conversion of his soul from
darkness to light, that is, the fruit of witnessing. Now the child is born, how
do we ensure he is fed on the right food at the right time? How can he grow
into a full grown man to stand on his feet to be able to help in the birth and
upbringing of others in God’s kingdom?
What is follow-up? Acts 15:36; 1Thess. 3:2.
Why follow-up on converts? Eph. 4:14-15;
1Thess. 3:5.
What is involved in follow-up? To strengthen
and encourage the “infant” in Christ to grow into maturity.
When should follow-up begin? In the shortest
possible time else Satan will take away the “seed”. Remember always that the
convert is fragile at this initial stage of conversion.
What should be taught at follow-ups?
·
Assurance of salvation to give confidence to
the ‘new born’ in Christ that he is a
child of God.
·
How to deal with sin
·
The Holy Spirit
·
Spiritual/ Christian warfare
·
How to pray
·
How to study the Bible
·
Fasting
·
How to witness. All the above topics have been
shared with you in the encouragement messages.
During follow-ups, encourage the convert to fellowship with a
bible believing church for him to be further strengthened (Heb. 10:25);
Challenge your converts to identify their gifts and be confident in the faith;
form prayer group/ cell groups and the need for him/ her to take the bible as a
final authority in all matters of the Christian faith.
Please note
that successful evangelism is not the making of converts but the making of
disciples through follow-ups. See col. 1:28.
Testimonies
Jonah: Did not think it wise to go to Nineveh and witness because
the people were unrepentant. After he had carried out the task (after the whale
encounter), the people repented. If he hadn’t gone, what would have happened to
the salvation of the people? You are like Jonah in this world, go and witness
in Nineveh.
Ezek
33: We are watchmen who
need to sound the trumpet of the impending danger else the people’s blood will
be demanded from us. How terrible that will be if you can’t give an answer.
Yours:
Tell your testimony on your life before and after receiving Jesus as your
personal saviour
Memory verse: Mark 4:1-20- Parable
of the sower.
God bless
you as you dedicate yourself to rescue the perishing. Amen!
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