Where are My Witnesses? – II

Sharing God’s Word with Lost Souls

Sunday Omori

It is amazing how God can use one Christian believer to transform an entire family, village, town, city or nation. In Jonah 3, God said to Jonah, “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching I did bid thee.” Similarly, Philip went to the city of Samaria to preach Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, performed diverse and notable miracles. The Bible records that Nineveh repented and was free from God’s wrath while there was great joy in Samaria (See Acts 8:5-8). This implies that an entire nation can perish when Christian believers fail to preach the gospel. God does not desire that anyone should perish (2 Peter 3:9) and there is murder charge for any believer who refuses to deliver the message of salvation to those who are bound to perish (Ezekiel 33:7-8). For this purpose Jesus Christ gave a command that every believer should go into all the world to preach the gospel. So, the gospel should reach the academic, business, judicial and any other sphere of people you can think of.

^“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16)

Some children of God have heard the gospel message over and over again and seem to be comfortable withholding it from sinners and unbelievers. Preaching the gospel entails sharing with sinners and unbelievers the message of God’s love expressed in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ while teaching and demonstrating the character, principles and power of God. The Holy Spirit helps the believer to preach the gospel – God’s Word, to unbelievers. God’s Word is His Spirit and life (John 6:63) written, spoken and manifesting as promises, prophecies and principles which when believed and applied brings total transformation to an individual and the society. For example, God has promised salvation to anyone who confesses that Jesus Christ is the Lord and believes that the Holy Spirit raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Also, while on earth, Jesus Christ showed godly principles by living a life of humility, kindness, compassion, discipline, sacrifice, to name but a few.

So as a believer, you share God’s Word by providing for the needy with the resources you are blessed with and demonstrating God’s character, integrity and power in your work place, business and any other space of human interaction. To the poor, the gospel is money, food, shelter and clothing. To the sick and oppressed, the gospel is healing and deliverance. By meeting some of these needs, children of God add meaning to the message of God’s love.

How to Share God’s Word

The Bible declares that any believer who the Holy Spirit empowers shall witness God starting from the family and reaching the uttermost part of the earth. So it is important to target souls that are ripe for harvest and adopt an effective approach to preach the gospel. As the Holy Spirit leads you, you can share God’s Word to an individual as the case of Jesus Christ and the woman of Samaria (See John 4) as well as Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (See Acts 8). You can also preach to a crowd and make the altar call to lead sinners to Christ as the case of Peter on the street of Jerusalem (See Acts 2:41). Let’s also take cognizance of the fact that some unbelievers are drawn to Christ through the lifestyle of some Christian believers.

The social media platforms are avenues a believer can share the message of salvation and godly principles. Gospel tracts, websites, blogs are other platforms the gospel can be preached in different formats. I encourage you to get a copy of my book, “One Taken, One Left” for more details on how to preach the gospel.

Things to Note when Sharing God’s Word

 When sharing God’s Word with lost souls through the one-on-one approach, do not criticize or condemn them – tell them about the love of Christ. Ensure that you create rapport and build a friendly atmosphere by calling the person by name depending on their cultural values, and discussing the person’s interest. Remember to avoid any form of argument and endeavor to listen to the person while asking or entertaining questions. This would make the person feel important and allow further interactions.

You cannot preach the gospel when you have not fully embraced Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). It is only when you follow Christ that unbelievers can follow you to Christ. Jesus Christ is available to embrace you and teach you His ways that can transform your life and make you a change agent. Say this prayer of salvation: Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my Lord and Savior; I believe that You came, died for me and rose again to save me. Conform me to Your likeness. I declare that I am born again. Amen!