PERSONAL WITNESSING STRATEGY
Session 1
This series of studies on personal witnessing strategy is largely taken from the book, “Out of the Bleachers and onto the Field”, by Michael E. Gibson.
Gibson starts off by describing a cold night of watching baseball with his son at Candlestick park. Gibson’s five year old son was sitting in his father’s lap, comfortably wrapped in a warm blanket. The little boy had lost interest in the game down on the field and was instead loudly announcing the balls and strikes by watching the scoreboard.
This is a picture of the comfortable Christian. Comfortable in the warm blanket of Christ’s forgiveness. Safe sitting in the lap of God the Father. Because of the Holy Spirit’s teaching, the Christian knows the score and the count: Satan has lost, Christ has won forgiveness of sins, life and peace for sinners.
But what about those who aren’t resting in the lap of the Father? There’s only so much time before this game is over. We can’t afford to be spectators. There’s to many people at stake here. It’s time for us Christians to get out of the bleachers and onto the field. We do this by what we call, “Witnessing”.
What do you think of when you hear the word “witnessing”?
What things prevent us from telling others about Jesus?
I pray that Jesus will help us overcome all the things that prevent us from declaring Him to our friends. I pray that through our study Jesus will lead us to a written, personal witnessing plan. I pray that Jesus will give us many opportunities to speak of His love so that those we know may also know, trust, love and rejoice in Him.
JESUS’ STORY BECOMES OUR STORY
Galatians 4:4-7
Jesus became part of our losing team (the human race) so that we might win forgiveness and eternal life through Him. When we came to trust in Jesus as the person who reunited us with God, Jesus’ story became our story. From then on His life became entwined with our lives. Our every day opens a new chapter in His interaction with us.
We have been adopted into the Family of God, and the inheritance of heaven is ours. But there are others who need to experience this joy too. So, as we became members of God’s family, we also became representatives, witnesses and ambassadors for Christ.
Matthew 28:18-20
1 Peter 2:9-10
2 Corinthians 5:20-21
WITNESSING IS STORY TELLING
First Peter
“What an awesome story it is: You and I interacting with the God of all creation. It is a story of his faithfulness in the midst of our faithlessness, nothing more, nothing less!” (Gibson 17)
In the Bible we have numerous examples of people who just have to speak out after they’ve experienced God’s gracious working in their lives.
Luke 2:16-20 -The shepherds
Mark 1:40-45 -The leper
Mark
Acts
Acts 21:39, 22:3-21 -Paul
Acts 26 -Paul
These people all told what Jesus had done for them. They couldn’t help it. The shepherds weren’t instructed to do this. The leper was instructed not to! Peter and John wouldn’t dare do anything else. Paul repeatedly told his personal story of how Jesus has changed his life.
Why tell these stories? Well, they’re amazing stories of God interaction with humans! They speak of God’s love for sinners, and the forgiveness and healing He gives them through His Son.
Your story speaks of the same love, forgiveness and healing. Just as Jesus touched the life of Paul, He’s touched your life too.
“But my story isn’t as exciting as Paul’s”, you might say. That’s okay. Most people don’t come to faith in Christ through a blinding light and God speaking to them with an audible voice from heaven! Countless thousands have been gently born into the
“I came to know Jesus as my Savior and Lord in December 1956 when I was baptized as an infant. There is never a time in my life when I didn’t know Jesus to be my Savior. Oh, there were rough times along the way. I did a pretty good job trying to run away from him. But every time I turned around, there stood my heavenly Father with his arms outstretched, welcoming me back and affirming that my inheritance was still intact. You see, my story is a great example of God’s perfect faithfulness in the midst of my inconsistency. It is God taking me just as I am but not letting me stay that way.” (Gibson 23)
WHY MY STORY?
The following bullets are reasons why your personal story is an important tool when sharing Jesus with others. Evaluate each bullet as you read through them. Ask yourself, “Why does this matter?”
¨ Your story provides a contemporary context for the story of Jesus’ work of salvation.
¨ We communicate best when we’re speaking about what we know.
¨ Your story may not be movie material, but it’s real, and people can relate to real.
¨ Your friends trust you. They care about what you’ve been through. They’ll listen to what you have to say when it isn’t contrived.
¨ God has called YOU to share your faith with the people HE puts you in contact with (Acts
“I think that my simple story, with its details that make it particularly mine, of the Lord’s faithfulness in the life of a normal, everyday sinner is powerful. Why? Because most of the people I know are in the same boat. They can relate to a story like mine.
They can understand a story like yours.
So, what’s your story?” (Gibson 23)
GETTING ONTO THE FIELD
Take some time to work through the following questions. These will help you to be ready to share your story of Jesus’ interaction in your life – with others. It will be helpful to get a notebook to use as your personal witnessing journal.
- When were you born into God’s Family through the waters of Baptism? Where? By whom? Who else was there? Write down the date of your Baptism into Christ and celebrate it in some special way each year. (Galatians 3:26-29)
- Read Luke 15:11-32. Think about your history and compare it to the people of the parable. Who do you relate to most closely? How have you handled the amazing inheritance given you by your Heavenly Father?
- A co-worker of yours does not attend a church. His wife does. She encourages him to come with her, but he’s unsure what to expect and hasn’t as of yet. One day he sits down by you in the break room and asks, “My wife want me to go to church with her, but I’m not sure if I want to or not. You go to church, right? Why? What does it do for you?” How would you answer?
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