WITNESSING TIPS & TECHNIQUES
By: Lori Mestas
In witnessing, I have discovered a way to locate someone spiritually by a series of questions I will begin to ask them, as the Holy Spirit leads me. Although this is not necessarily a technique, I have found that it works virtually every time, generally leading to an opportunity to pray for someone. As I take people through this thought process, I am always relying and leaning on the Holy Spirit to go in the direction He would have me to go, not leaning on my own understanding or what I think would be the next question to ask. Again, I always remind myself that I am simply a vessel for God and He knows better than I do what this person needs to hear.
APPROACH
Generally speaking the approach I use is as follows:
1) Over 90% of the time, I feel impressed to approach someone and say,
“Hi. I just want to let you know that God loves you.” Depending on
their response I will ask my next question. If they say, “Thank you,” which
most of them do, I will go to my next question…
2) “Do you know Him?” Many say “yes.” (I don’t stop here!)
3) “Do you know Him personally?”*
Most say “no.” Then I say, “Well, you can.” They say “how?” And you go from there.
*If someone does respond “yes” to question #3, “Knowing Him personally,”
I ask the next question:
4) “Do you hear His voice?” Most say “no.” **
Then I say, “Well, you can.” They say “how?” And you go from there.
**If they say “yes” to question #4, “Hearing His voice,” or they respond
by saying, “I talk to Him every day.”
I ask the next question:
5) “Well, that’s great! Then you must know Him and know you’re going
to heaven, right?” Most say, “I hope so.” Then I say, “Well, you can
know so.” And you go from there.
If someone responds “yes” to question #5, “Do you know you’re going to heaven?”
I ask the next question:
6) “How do you know you’re going?”
Most say, “Because I’m a good person.” I respond by saying:
7) “I’m sure you are. But, have you ever made a mistake?”
Everyone says, “Yes.” (Here I often go into the law breaking questions, ‘Have you ever lied, stolen, used God’s name in vain?, etc.) Then I explain the Gospel to them and what the Bible says about our good works. I also explain that if we could have made it on our own merit, Jesus would have died in vain. I go on and explain to them that it is only by putting your trust in Jesus and receiving Him as Lord that you can be saved or go to heaven. And of course…you go from there.
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The above outlined approach is just one way to sort through where a person is at and in turn discover their true belief system. From here it is very easy to lead them into salvation, because in most cases it is the first time they have really understood the Gospel. No matter what approach the Holy Spirit leads me to take, after praying with them, I will generally finish my conversation in the following way. I will say, “Let’s say that I just introduced you to Jesus in a new way today.” They all agree. “But how do you get to know someone better?” They usually respond, or I’ll help them by saying, “by spending time with him.” “And there are a few ways you can spend time with Jesus”:
1) PRAYER. Talk to God every day and listen to what He has to say to you.
2) You will get to know His voice better as you SPEND TIME IN THE WORD OF GOD; THE BIBLE. Jesus said, my name is called the Word of God. The Bible is very powerful and will speak to you and direct you in your life.
3) To understand the decision you made and to grow in your walk with God, you want to GO TO A CHURCH WHERE THE WORD OF GOD IS TAUGHT so that you can learn how to win in life.
4) I invite them to our church and life group.
5) I give them any materials I might have: a tract, “Winning Decision” book, a tape, etc.
6) I will also try to obtain their phone number and make sure to give them the service times, Church’s phone number, and my number if the spirit leads.
Overall, in regards to witnessing, based on my own experience, what I have just shared is what I’ve seen has worked for me and where I’ve gotten the most results. However, a word of caution, God will never be put in a box! Just when I think I know where I’m going in a conversation, He may change my direction completely! He wants us to trust in Him at all times and rely completely and totally on the Holy Spirit! Without Him, we can do nothing of ourselves. Thank God!
A Word of Encouragement!
If you’ve ever thought that saying “God loves you” to someone might seem a bit trite or perhaps a cute little Christian cliché, think again. You have no idea how many times people have said things to me like: “I really needed to hear that.” or “that really made my day,” or “I’ve been really going through some things. Thank you for saying that.” God always honors His Word, and when you’re obedient to Him, you will never be put to shame. Today there are several people who are members of our church, involved in Life Group, training for leadership, and even Life Servants who are here because one day I said to them, “God loves you.”
And remember…The more you do something, the better you get at it! Practice makes “Excellence”!
The most awesome thing I’ve learned about witnessing is that God created us all uniquely and with different personalities.
And as we go forth in those personalities and in the freedom we have in Christ, witnessing is a lot of fun!
As for me, I guess you could say I’ve always been pretty bold when it comes to talking to people, strangers, etc. But the one thing I began to notice was that I wasn’t always obeying the “nudging” of the Holy Spirit when it came to witnessing. I would do it a lot. But there were times when that “nudge” would come and it didn’t seem to make sense, or the timing wasn’t right, or fear came a little too strong. Whatever the case may be, I would talk myself out of it and go on. Well, even though I would go on physically, inside I became very despondent. I knew I didn’t obey God and I hated the fact that I was disobedient. It got to the point where I hated it so much that I couldn’t take it anymore. So finally, I said to God, “Wherever you want me to go, whoever you want me to talk to, whatever you want me to say, I will do it.”
Well, that’s when things changed for me. Before I knew it, the “nudge” was coming more and more, and I was obeying more and more. I felt like I was a Holy Ghost antenna, ready to make a connection whenever He wanted. The thing is, I didn’t look for people to talk to, I didn’t search out opportunities, I would just go about my daily business and obey when He said “Go.” Sometimes I would plan to go to Jewel for a quick grocery shopping spree and I’d end up telling 5-8 people that God loved them and be ministering to them in the aisles. I didn’t seem to matter where I went, the “nudge always went with me.” And the more I obeyed, the more I knew that it wasn’t me; that I was a vessel for God and that if I would trust Him, He would give me the words to say. This took a lot of the pressure off and kept fear at bay.
I’ve had so many wonderful learning experiences having made the decision to “just do it!” Some of the things I’ve learned are:
1) When He says “GO,” He means “GO, NOW!”
When I’ve hesitated at all, I have missed the opportunity; sometimes it’s just a matter of seconds. I once heard the saying, “Obedience is not obedience at all unless it’s instant obedience.” That seems to fit really well in this context. One day around 6:30 a.m. I was walking around my neighborhood and praying as I usually do. This particular day I happened to notice some people sitting on their patio, in their pajamas, having their morning coffee. I didn’t think much of it, but as I passed them by, I felt that “nudge” to go talk to them. So I thought, “Wait a minute! It’s 6:30 in the morning, they’re in their pajamas, I’d have to walk their hill obviously trespassing to meet them, and they most likely do not want to be disturbed.” So obviously, I dismissed it. But as I walked back towards my home I couldn’t get that gnawing feeling to leave. My joy was gone, I felt “icky” and I knew I had disobeyed God. Well, when I got back around to my house I thought, “I’ve got to go back!” So, I cut through some neighbors’ yards hoping that the people would still be out there, but when I got to their street, they were gone. It was not even 5 minutes from the time I had seen them to the time they were gone. Then as I returned back home, I heard God say, “People are dying and going to hell every second.” As if to say, don’t let one second pass you by; “Go means Now.”
2) REASONING makes me retreat; OBEDIENCE makes me move forward.
3) Not to have my own AGENDA.
If you’re going to make a decision to obey God in this arena, you have to be willing to stop what you’re doing at any moment, change your course of direction, put something on hold if need be, and trust God to take care of your schedule. I have found that whether it is convenient or inconvenient, God is aware of my needs and He’ll take care of them. When I realize that my life is no longer my own, I also realize that my priority is not my life, but others.
4) Be willing to do the WILDEST THINGS!
If it means, getting out of your car at a traffic signal to tell someone God loves them, or to approach four teenage boys at a gas pump, tell them you’re an ambassador for Christ, and by the end of the conversation, have them all holding hands with you, bowing their heads and praying to receive Jesus out in the open at a public gas station. Whatever the case may be, it is not for us to figure out God’s approach. What I seem to find is, the more “risks” I’m willing to take, the more people appreciate it, because it is so much more real to them. It’s not the “norm.” It arouses peoples’ curiosity and they are willing to listen.
5) Not everyone who says they are a Christian are.
Not everyone who says they are going to heaven is. Not everyone who says they know Jesus does. PROBE FURTHER. What I have found in witnessing is that people’s concept of “knowing Jesus, going to heaven, and being a Christian,” is generally based on a religious belief system. I.E. “You go to heaven because you are a good person.” When you start to preach the good news, the true Gospel, most people, at least 90% that I’ve talked to, have never heard it. Therefore, never assume that the answers you are getting are accurate. Probe deeper.
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