Permit me to give you, briefly, 8 reasons God desires all believers to share their faith.
First, as you witness, you bring glory to God. Jesus says in John 15:8, "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."
Second, the love of Christ compels us to share our faith. In Paul's words, "The love of Christ constrains us." If you have experienced the love of the Lord Jesus, you will also want to introduce him to others.
Third, sharing your faith is a direct command from Jesus Christ. He says, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." And, "You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last."
Fourth, people without Christ are lost. Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The Word of God declares emphatically, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Fifth, God wants you to witness because of the benefits He offers to those who receive Christ. When you introduce others to Christ, they become children of God; their bodies become temples of God; all their sins are forgiven - past, present and future! They begin to experience the peace and love of God; they receive God's direction and purpose for their lives; they experience the power of God to change their lives; and they have assurance of eternal life.
Sixth, God wants you to witness because of the benefits to those who witness. Witnessing stimulates your spiritual growth. Witnessing leads you to pray and to study God's Word and encourages you to depend on Christ. As you witness in the power of the Holy Spirit, you sow love and joy and peace. According to the law for sowing and reaping, you always harvest what you sow and even more. For example, if you sow love, you will harvest love. If you sow joy, you will reap joy. If you sow peace, you will reap peace. And always, the harvest is greater than the seed sown.
Seventh, God wants you to witness to experience the tremendous privilege and honor of representing Jesus to the world. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, "We are Christ's ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you. We beg you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, receive the love he offers you - be reconciled to God."
Most people consider it a high honor to serve as an ambassador for the head of their country - the president or king - but as a believer in Christ, you are an ambassador for the King of kings and the Lord of lords!
Eighth, God wants you to witness because the Holy Spirit has been given to provide the power for you to do so. Jesus says, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." To fail to witness for Christ is to deny the Holy Spirit His right to empower and to use you to introduce others to our Savior.
Adapted from the Transferable Concept: How You Can Introduce Others To Christ, by Dr. Bill Bright, co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. © Cru. All rights reserved.
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