How to Witness

Responsibility is to go out there and be obedient and preach the gospel and not try to get into all kinds of rational arguments about we are commanded to go out there right now and do it and were responsible to do it because it isn't a matter of theological knowledge. It is first and foremost a matter of seeing her in our witness begins at that to be witnesses for Christ. The question is how do you know if you're really carrying out the great commission if you're witnessing the right way.

Do you need special training to give the gospel and why evangelize when God chooses whom is going to save bring those questions to today's broadcast. It's an informal Q&A session with members of John's church is part of our current study spiritual boot camp now with a couple of introductory remarks before the questions start. Here's John. We talked about some very important things in terms of the Christian life.

We talked about prayer and the importance of prayer.

The study of the word of God and we talked about how important it is that we experience real fellowship and that kind of thing works within the family of God.

But there's one other thing we need to talk about and that's witnessing to those who are outside the family got now indirectly if those other things are right were going to have an impact on other people, but we need to talk a little bit about the direct approach of communicating the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Other people just a couple verses to get us thinking along that line.

In John 15 Jesus says this verse 26 when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the father, even the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father, he shall testify of me and the first thing you learn from that verses of the Holy Spirit's in the business of witnessing the Holy Spirit has come to testify of the truth concerning Christ and then it says in the next verse, verse 27, and ye also shall bear witness, ye also shall bear witness and he says to the disciples because you been with me from the beginning.

The Holy Spirit then was sent in the world and into our hearts, to bear witness to Christ, and he therefore bears witness through us doesn't and we who have been with Christ are witnesses firsthand, firsthand, to who he is and what he can do in a life and the ministry of witnessing is committed to us X18 says you shall be witnesses when the spirit of God is come upon you right so we are all called in to communicate the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to talk about what that means and how to do that effectively, as we share together in our session today. So who wants to start with a question which I guess do you have to be specially trained to witness or can just anyone do it. I would say in answer that question that it's good if you have some training, but anyone who knows Jesus Christ can do it. That's the condition.

Let me give you an illustration when I was a assistant pastor some years ago in a church where my father was a pastor that one day the secretary came running in the church door and she says there is a fight on the parking lot there's a fight in the parking lot was kind of boring day so I figured I got watch it right so I went out the door and here was a guy laying in the dirt is about 50 feet from where I came out the door. The church in this fellow was kicking just pummeling his body fact or two of them doing it and I realize this is very serious so I came out the door and I thought what I do some about this so I said hey you guys break this up. Nothing. I mean, they didn't even respond to me and I thought well maybe they didn't hear me so I will eyes a yellow little louder break it up and nothing so I started toward them and as I got there I heard him say, kill, kill, and I realize this is not a fight. This is a murder and there I am saying break it up break it up and on their pay no attention to me. Well, I finally walked out there and date they saw me. By that time the guy was a bloodied man a mess. You couldn't even distinguish his face and and he had been kicked literally senseless and and so this big guy turned toward me. I mean he was really big turnout is about 6 foot five, 250 pounds.

He was a professional dockworker and played rugby great big guy and you know I'm I'm not real small and I've always said I'd pick a fight with anybody smaller than me. You said a recent illness, you know coming on so I was kind of paralyzed for a minute.

See, because that he turned toward me is what you want and I said you better break it.

Only the Skala and he pulled back his fist and not my instinctive reaction was to back upright and I backed up and he kept coming after me and I figured I just keep moving because it was growing both of them away from the sky and they kept moving. I can't believe I got right back to the church door and I stepped in the door. I figured you that I can come in the church gets me to call please him right in the door and that my dad came out he'd been studying and he says what's going on here and this got to shut my dad so that kind of irritated me so I I called to call the police. Well, they panicked and the other guy had picked up this guy that was just senseless and smashed his head on the wall and then dropped behind a bush and they ran for a getaway car. So I ran out to get the license and I'm running down the street you know the pencil right now lies in the police got there and I give them all the information I could give them the guy was alive but he said I don't want to press charges. I don't want to see him again. I don't want to testify, don't want to do anything.

He was literally scared to death, and so they went ahead and got those guys. They found the because they went to their apartment found bloodied shoes and all that kind of stuff and they called me to court, never forget as long as I live would have my watch court. I walked in there. You know it and I put my hand up and and they said you swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth and I said I do and the attorney walked up to me said this Rev. MacArthur you tell us what you saw what you heard what he felt that was exactly what he asked me, and on those terms. I became instantly a witness. What I saw and what I heard and what I felt made me a viable witness right when I was there. And ever since that event. I've always thought of first John 11 where John says the things that we have seen with our eyes and heard with our ears and handled with our hands, declare we unto you concerning the word of life. So what is witness somebody who's seen and heard and felt the power of Jesus Christ.

So in answer to your question, who can be a witness anybody who's been with Christ and that's what we saw in John 15 didn't wake you show witness of me because you have been with me from the beginning. So when you know Jesus Christ. And when you have seen him and heard him and touched it in your life, you become one who can speak concerning Jesus Christ right coming, you may not know all the doctrines of the Bible, and you may not know every in and out of theology and you may not have all the little systems and all little gimmicks and all little methods and booklets and angles. But if you have walked with Jesus Christ you got some say and you can be a first-hand living testimony to the power Jesus Christ may take some that is far more important to know a formula far more important than knowing a formula you know I knew a preacher who got in front of his church one time and said I just want you to know that I've been the pastor of this church.

I think it was 10 years and he said, today I came to know Jesus Christ as my Savior and from then on he became, for the first time in his life a witness to the power Jesus Christ. Before that he knew the facts and the methods he did know Christ. He did know Christ and that personal power wasn't there in the energy. The spirit got so who can be a witness. Everybody was a Christian, everybody who knows Jesus Christ. And I think were mandated and we didn't Jesus say to the disciples go into all the world and preach the gospel right make disciples of everyone and all of us are mandated to go out and communicate the Christ that we have seen and heard and felt. I mean it's it's it's obviously a terrible thing to defer from that by me not to do that to not tell the world what we have known of Jesus Christ is to withhold from them the greatest thing I'll ever hear right so everyone of us as Christians are witness now imitates amount even if you don't say anything if people know your Christian witness, you may not be a very good one, but you are one because they're reading the meaning of Christ in your life and the value of Christ in your life by your life if you say anything they Christ is not valuable.

Christ can be that meaningful. If you're Christian you can hide it for years. It can't really be that big of a deal are also some secret society only for the initiated. So we are witnesses of me doesn't say we like you to be them.

He says you are. Just be sure you're an effective one, and only a Christian can really be an effective witness. Having said that, let me say this, the gospel is so powerful that even in the mouth of that preacher I mentioned who wasn't a Christian.

The gospel itself could transcend his lack of experience.

But in order to be a truly effective witness after no Jesus Christ.

And that's really all of us to at least a start of another question. Variety different definitions concerning witnessing the Bible actually define witnessing.

While I think we've Artie got into that little bit and witnessing would be defined as this, a person communicating testimony about something they have experience running when you have a court case they don't want secondhand witnesses right they want what is it what's the term they use eyewitnesses right I mean they want somebody who's there and what information passed down through several sources give you perspective that will help all right.

The world is like the jury Christ is on trial before the world right when the world is trying to decide about Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is the lawyer for the defense.

The Holy Spirit has taken up Christ's case in the world and his task is to convince the world that Christ is who he says he is in the Holy Spirit calls into the courtroom. Witnesses assess so we become witnesses for the defense of Jesus Christ before the watching world is a great concept is and were called into the courtroom is at work and as we live in the world. We exist in the courtroom and Jesus Christ is on trial unless the seriousness of our witnessing role.

I mean this is a serious thing right. If you, for example, were called into the into the Superior Court of the state court or the Supreme Court of the United States of America and somebody said, will you defend Jesus Christ. Would you of course you if you were on trial. Actually, there I mean, I've often thought if I was only there when he was before Caiaphas I would've said some things if I was there when he was before Annas. I would've said some things I would let those guys get away with false judgments on Christ.

He deserved better than that. They lied about him, etc. listen. The world is making a judgment in the whole environment.

We exist and is a courtroom in the spirit of God, the lawyer for defense calls us to give our witness and that there are some people who are going make their conclusions about Jesus Christ. Based upon our testimony right so as we begin to understand witnessing. We have to begin to understand that the Holy Spirit is calling us to be a witness for Christ.

Now let's ask this question to what is the element that makes a person willing to be that witness and I gotta be honest with you it right at the beginning its sacrifice their EE there is a price to pay. Because when you name the name of Jesus Christ and step out there's gonna be some flack right when you can't you can't confront a godless Christ.

This world and not expect to get some reaction you know I had occasion to be on a college campus is College of about 25 and 26,000 students and they asked me a commander and that speak on Christianity and culture on the open forum and all several thousand students together and I was to speak on Christianity and culture for my essay right so I could exhaust everything I know about Christianity and culture in about 10 minutes and then I decided since that the predominant number of students didn't know Jesus Christ that I would speak on the deity of Jesus Christ and how to know God through him, and so I went 10 minutes on Christianity culture 40 minutes on the deity of Jesus Christ and I just proclaimed salvation through Jesus Christ could hurt Kendra.

I know the spirit of God controls things because it was really just straight on gospel and there are those times you know when you're preaching you feel like you're just pushing and it's hard and there's resistance and then there are those times when just fly and I felt like I was just soaring and I was this free will and stuff was, and in the power of God was there and I got all done and it was incredible what happened. One guy walked up to me he said I need to know Jesus Christ and and I had the provision, leading them to Christ. Another guy had the privilege of sitting in my office a few days later came to Christ when seminary I got really touched some lives, but the impact of it was they banned all Christians from the campus they close down the free-speech platform they took the Christian book table off the campus and the next time I spoke at a near campus.

The whole group of students from the other campus. The protester came over and ring the podium where I was speaking in shallow the whole time they called our home in the middle the night with obscene phone calls threaten the family threaten my wife and my first reaction was, I gotta quit doing this is creating problems. My second reaction was, I think I made a wave and I think I made a dent in the kingdom of darkness, and I began to realize what Peter said that when your persecuted for righteousness sake the spirit of grace and glory rest on you and it was a tremendous sense of identification. I felt sort of the clause I apostolic you know me, I was knowing what some of those guys went through so I really believe that the when you approach this responsibility of standing before the world, to testify for the for the sake of Jesus Christ, you got to realize that it's a hostile world is a hostile world. And if the gospel is truly preach there going to react. Now I can also say this, that if you just talk about love and nice things and talk about God as a good guy and don't bring in sin and don't confront people with the fact that they live in violation of God. They may not react negatively but that isn't the true gospel users.

You got confront the truth of sin and righteousness in the truth about Jesus Christ.

And when you do that there's a sacrifice to be made so you need to decide in your life whether you're gonna close up your mouth and be as some people say like the Arctic River frozen over the map.

You just gonna clam up and you're gonna say my own personal preservation, reputation, whatever is worth more to me than testifying project to make that decision, or whether you're gonna say hey I don't care really what happens to me.

I'm expendable right. I mean, if I die, Paul says get in the gospel to you.

He says if I am offered on the sacrifice of your faith. I rejoice when if I die get you saved sweet and so that's the kind of sacrifice were talking about our sick about John Peyton went to the New Hebrides Islands at to be a missionary.

They were inhabited by man eating cannibals only know that's that's a tough assignment mean you go to, you know what I would've said I was said, Lord, look, don't send me there they'll eat me in on your waste a good one. I mean I graduated from seminary right at me, send the guy dropped out deletable no leader would've made it anyway right was in the good book, but Peyton went and took his wife, and they dropped them off and he wrote to the shore and they built a little lean to on the shore and how do you reach natives like that there cannibals. They don't speak your language and what you do, you know, put up a sign in the sand. It says VBS start Saturday. Bring your children you will what you do will you pray a lot right and and night after night they stayed that little lean to and prayed and after he been there a couple of months. His wife gave birth to a baby and the baby died a few days later his wife died and Peyton said he buried their bodies and slept on the graves to keep the natives from the digging them up and eating them now is all alone that's that's really coming to the end is not me. That's when the bottom line is drawn you say or do you go Willie state and the miracle of his life as he stayed 35 years and he said at the end of those 35 years.

I do not know of one single native on these islands who has not made at least a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and he said I came her the craft cannibals as I leave. I hear the ringing of church bells that incredible but see, that's what can happen if you willing to make the sacrifice. Not everybody to be a John Peyton but everybody can do the thing that God's call to do if they're willing to pay the price. So being a testimony in the world anybody can be a testimony and you have to realize that there's a price to pay for your your Christian you really sold out to Christ you willing to pay that price and it's is not a silly one time deal will from now on I'll do it if you fight that battle along much whether you're willing to speak for Christ. Another question, and John with with all the sacrifice and the commitment that you talk about and witnessing and even the frustration with people that respond isn't, or why wouldn't someone just desire to to pursue God and read his word rather than witness when God promises to bring men to himself anyway.

In other words are so much heartache and love doing it. So much disappointment when the be better just retreat and commune with God and let God take care the saving on his sovereignty will again Rebecca sent we talked about one of our other discussions together. It's not for you to figure out those kind of thing in a casino, got you got a good plan but haven't thing about it and I think I got a better what I like to suggest.

You know it because what you're doing is you're you're doing the thing that man always wants to do and that is to assume his mind is ultimate and if I can't figure out, it certainly can't be reasonable, but the Bible says, here's what you witness. I told you so. I told you to.

That's enough. I'm in the sometimes you got a little child and you say and I want to do this and you get the standard answer why why daddy and you know you can explain why because I don't understand what so you just say because what I told you to end of discussion.

And that's the way we are. We are little children in terms of comparing ourselves with God's infinite mind and so God says to do this and we say hey I took in all the data available why and he says it's not for you to ask.

Get on it, do it and so were commanded. You know, our Lord says, as we mentioned earlier in Matthew 28 going all will make site and that's enough for me. I mean that somebody said to Spurgeon what time he said you know Mr. Spurgeon. You believe in the election doctrine you believe that certain people are elect for salvation.

Why don't you just preach to the elect. He said well if you go around and pull up their shirttail so I can see if they have an E stamped on their back, I will. And the point was, he doesn't know that.

And so what his responsibility is is to present everybody. God will take care of what is part of it is it's our responsibility to preach the gospel to every creature. You know that if you follow that, logic.

Dan, you could say this if if the if people who don't hear the gospel and you hear some some time to persist.

If they don't hear the gospel do not do not loss right because I haven't had an opportunity. The best thing is not ever tell.

But that's contrary to the command to his so the fact that it were told to go preach to every creature means that even the ones who haven't heard our lost so our responsibility is to go out there and be obedient and preach the gospel and not try to get into all kinds of rational arguments about it. Now let me and we talk about another element of this I believe where we are commanded to go out there right now and do it at and were responsible to do it because it isn't a matter of theological knowledge. In other words, I think we all are responsible, so we could say whelming on the train I can't witness I've gotta wait till I get my training. I've gotta be built up enough so that I can answer all these arguments in all these questions so forth.

But I think we are all witnesses, because were commanded to be, and because it isn't a matter of theological knowledge is first and foremost a matter of what we've seen and heard and felt and our witness begins at that point and I may know, I may know very little right. I may only know that Jesus saves me, but that's enough. You know, we have baptismal services in our church all time and you've been there. I mean the power of those testimonies is overwhelming and nobody's in their giving this big discussion of the doctrine of the musical you know the being of God, or distinguishing sublets Arianism in follow-ups Arianism and a Labrador retriever. You know me, nobody's giving paying theological treatises in seminary language what they're doing is saying I used to be a drug addict, or I used to be on their forget the catechumen there one night and he was really resting on his vocabulary was a very polished and I'm sure a few of the older saints were having a little problem with the way he was talking and he said I was the head of the Hells Angels in Houston and he said the last time I was in a church.

I want you to know we rode our motorcycles up the front isle and up the middle aisle and we threw a rope around the pastor in the middle of the sermon and we dragged him down the middle aisle down the steps on the street and down the block and he wound up in prison for I think a murder charge was in 1st° and so I was out of prison, but he said I'm here to tell you that during the last few weeks of my time in prison. I came to know Jesus Christ and I'm here now because I want to worship the Lord Jesus Christ that can attest Miami not to have a lot of theology to handle that. I mean that's powerful and people are just sitting out there saying wow can Jesus Christ transform somebody like that we have somebody come in there so you know for years and years I've been a homosexual or whatever Christ is change my life or for years and years I've been just your average good guy without fulfillment and meaning in crisis given me peace and joy stick so that's where the witness begins. You don't need to back off from that you need to realize that we witness because were commanded to and because were fit to we really are fit to a crisis changed our life and it'll get better and will be better able to answer questions later on.

But still, we have the power of a transformed life and that's so very very important. Let's share in order for thank your father for the great privilege of being ambassadors for Jesus Christ and being given the task of calling men to him giving testimony to him. Father, we can understand why you would want to have us be your witnesses who are so frail and feeling and yet we know that by the power of the spirit of God.

You can use. We thank you for that privilege for the glory of Jesus Christ we pray a this is grace to you with John MacArthur.

He's Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary. You just heard an informal Q&A with people from John's home church. It's part of our current study spiritual boot camp. Jon, I think every genuine Christian fuels a duty to the great commission.

It's impossible to be touched and transformed by the gospel, and not sent your own duty to spread the gospel to others. So what you think is the biggest hurdle people have to overcome in this area. It's intimidating what is it that we struggle with that sets us back the most. Is it a lack of information and a lack of courage or laziness. I think the laziness certainly can be in it in an issued but indifference can be an issue but I think him if, for example, you knew that there was some place down the street.

Some store you could go into and they were handing out the thousand dollar bills to anybody who came in, no strings attached. You you be telling everybody hate you go down there and get $1000 bill, just walk in there they'll give it to their giving them away. That's such a positive situation that nobody hesitates to say that but if you have to say to someone. Oh by the way, you're a sinner separated from God headed for eternal judgment. That is the biggest barrier to communicating the gospel because that is in itself very offensive. Right me.

They basically killed Jesus for saying that you hate me because I say your deeds are evil. Even Jesus was confronted with hatred at such a level that they crucified him so the message is extremely offensive. It is the most offensive message that can possibly given you not telling someone you know you're a bad person. You're saying to someone you are under divine judgment headed for eternal hell, conscious punishment for ever.

People just don't believe that about themselves they they don't believe their evil, their pride makes them think they're good and most people don't believe that they have deserved eternal punishment in hell, they don't like the notion that there is a God who would do that to them.

I think that's the big issue we want to help you to be effective in witnessing. So here's a little suggestion that might help you get through that kind of tough barrier at the front and that's this we produced a booklet called who do you think I am exactly attract. Who do you think I am will send 20 free copies of that gospel tract to anyone who asks us for them free of charge. We've distributed more than 2 million of these tracks over the years. Again, it's just a little booklet that gets the gospel to the person who reads its title again.

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Yes friend. This tract is great for extending a witnessing opportunity beyond the initial conversation.

It draws the reader in and it explains the gospel thoroughly and biblically ask for 20 free copies when you contact us today our number here 855 grace and our website TTY.org. This tract by way makes clear that man is sinful.

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Will send you 20 copies of the tract called who do you think I am for free make your request@ourwebsitetty.org or when you call 855 grace and when you get in touch let us know how John's verse by verse. Teaching is ministering to you. Perhaps today's lesson on evangelism has helped you feel more confident about sharing the gospel and of course we'd love to hear if you or someone you know has come to faith in Christ. After listening to Grace to you email your story to letters@tty.org that's our email address letters@tty.org or you can also send your letter to box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 now for John MacArthur on Phil Johnson inviting you back tomorrow when John continues to look at how you can be an effective witness for Christ. Don't miss the next 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you