Witnessing to the lost is a blessing in disguise. It brings glory to God and saves one more lost soul. Sharing the gospel is not about the way that I feel after leading someone to Christ, but it is something that is expected of me by God. Not only is it commanded by God in the Scriptures, it is a Christian’s responsibility.
What Happened
As my responsibility, I witnessed to three people in order to win them to Christ. The first two opportunities I had was when I went to a youth detention center. The first person was an 18 year old gentleman whom was bigger than I. I was a little afraid at first and was intimidated by his size. He was someone, I must admit, I would normally not talk to(unless I knew him well). But the Holy Spirit led me to this particular hurting person.
“But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
As I approached this young man, he looked sad. After introducing myself, he told me his story of how he ended up in the detention center. A life full of heartache tormented his soul. But, as I begin to share the gospel message, you could see his heart opened to all that Christ did and who He is. He did not hesitate wanting to receive Christ as his personal Savior. After a simple prayer was said; he accepted Christ as Lord of His life. You could see a dynamic change on his face, which I will never forget.
The second person I had an opportunity to witness to was a young lady who was fourteen years old. She mostly shared her concern about her family. But, I was more concerned for her soul. Somehow, I ended up proclaiming the gospel to her and invited her to receive Christ. She accepted the offer and received Christ that day.
The third person was my friend’s teenage daughter. I can still remember before she was born. I had gone to visit my friend, who is not a Christian, in hopes to turn her to God. I did not get a chance to lead her to Christ; instead I got to plant seeds. While I was there, God had turned my focus from my friend, to her daughter. It seemed so easy to share the gospel to this young girl. Spending a week with my friend and her daughter was a blessing for me to get to know them better. I told the precious young girl who Jesus is and what He did for all of us. She was eager to accept Christ and did just that. I had the opportunity again to see her “born again.”
What Difficulties I Faced
Fear is definitely the biggest challenge when it comes to sharing the gospel. Fear keeps us from sharing the gospel. It will hinder and destroy our witness. It is always important to remember where fear comes from, to confess it before God, and trust the Holy Spirit to help us.
“For God does not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7).”
I don’t remember what all I said or how I exactly led each person to Christ. We can be fearful, that we don’t say the right things. Every time I have led someone to Christ or done what God had wanted me to do, He gave me everything I needed to say and a sense of peace about what I was doing. Even though, fear is still a challenge for us, I press on towards the goal of Christ.
What I Would Have Done Differently
There is one thing I know that I would not do again. I told the first person I had shared the gospel with that after receiving Christ into their hearts, things would be better. I emphasized this too much. I longed for this person to be happy, instead of sad. I let my emotions get in the way of the truth. For when we are Christians, we are not exempt from trials and tribulations. Nor, are we exempt from evil. In fact, we endure many hardships, usually so God can teach us something to make us more like Christ. Christians’ are persecuted for their faith every day.
Conclusion
Following the evangelist Philip’s example teaches Christians’ that God will lead us to people whom we can share the gospel with. Philip was lead to meet an influential traveler who had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning to his native land. When Philip came upon him, he was “reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit said to Philip to go over and walk along beside the carriage with him. Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man replied, “How can I when there is no one to instruct me?’ … So Philip began with this same Scripture and then used many others to tell him the Good News about Jesus” (Acts 8: 28-31 35). Philip’s example of how he communicated the gospel is a model for Christians’ to follow. Philip allowed God to lead him to someone who was ready to receive Christ. Philip listened to the man’s needs and interests and showed him how Christ could fulfill them. The man received Christ, was baptized, and went home a changed man.