The Roman Road: Romans 5:8; 3:23; 3:10; 6:23; 10:13; 10:9. Related scriptures: John 1:12, 3:16, 5:24; Revelation 3:20 (these and other references are found in the back of the Gideons' Personal Workers Testament.

A few years ago I served on a jury in a high profile case. It involved a local attorney and his girlfriend who were accused of sexually molesting two young children. There was no physical evidence, just spoken testimony. As with so many court cases, the outcome of the case hinged on which witnesses the jury believed. We were probably prejudiced toward the children, and against the attorney, who had a reputation as a heavy drinker and a womanizer. In any event, all of us decided the testimony of the children was more credible, and we voted to convict both of the adults of sodomy and various other counts.

Almost without exception, people who come to Christ are influenced most by the witness or testimony of other Christians. Usually, it's not just one witness, but many. People who profess to know about such things claim that, on average, it takes twenty-eight separate contacts about Christ and Christianity before someone is saved. To use the Biblical analogy, one person plants, another waters, but God gives the increase. Carrying the idea a bit further, someone else may simply help prepare the soil, since a seed won't flourish in hard, beaten-down ground.

The idea of bringing someone to Christ seems to frighten most Christians to death. Fear, indeed, is the main hindrance to witnessing. Many churches, including ours, give courses designed to overcome such "terror of testifying," but in the end the solution hinges on two things: knowledge and experience. We need knowledge, not only about our faith, but of how best to share it with others. Experience comes from witnessing, but it also comes in the day to day course of serving Christ.

People who are soul winners, like my Brother Jimmie Rogers, firmly believe that all Christians should be soul winners. It's difficult to argue with that, but in point of fact very few of us ever do win someone else to Christ. Just because we don't have a particular gift of evangelism, though, doesn't mean we shouldn't be witnesses. The Lord provides a multitude of opportunities to tell the world about Christ and about our faith, or to show others what we believe by the things we do and how we do them. If we have jobs, we are witnesses every day, good or bad, to those we work with and to any customers we serve. At home, unless we live alone and never have guests, we are witnesses to our family, friends, and acquaintances. When we shop, eat out, travel, or just go somewhere to have fun, we're witnesses. The kind of witnesses we are depends on how our daily walk reflects our relationship with Christ. Unless we're liars, we can't be witnesses to what we haven't seen, heard, or experienced ourselves.

Being a witness, though, isn't just a matter of the kind of life we live in front of others, as important as that is. We should be prepared to share our faith whenever and wherever the occasion arises. We should never engage in fruitless arguments about religion; Christianity is not about religion, but about a person, Jesus Christ. If someone has an open ear to hear what Christ has done for you, though, always be ready to tell them. Be sure you understand what you believe, and be ready to answer questions, but remember first of all that our conversation should lift up Christ.

We can't assume that because we aren't involved in a formal visitation ministry that there won't be opportunities to lead someone to Christ. Whether it's someone in our family, a friend, or a perfect stranger, the Lord may place in our path a person who is ready to come to Christ if only – if only someone is there to show the way. Even if the occasion never arises, you should always be prepared for it. There are three basic steps to leading someone to the Lord, though each can be broken down further:

Help them see their need, to realize that they, like all of us, are sinners, and that without Christ, they are bound for eternal death in Hell.
Show them that the solution to all of life's problems, and the path to salvation, lies only in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Lead them into a prayer of repenting of their sins and acceptance of the forgiveness and salvation that Christ has already prepared.

This is simplistic, and there are a myriad of books and plans that give different techniques and approaches, but remember these steps if you remember nothing else. Be prepared, though, to use Scripture to illustrate and enforce what you say. The "Roman Road," given above, is one of the most common set of passages, but there are many others. Oh, and – never leave home without your sword.

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JESUS IS the Bridge Ministries

Beneath His Wings Devotionals - Vol. 1