Treasures
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Few words ever spoken have had a more far-reaching impact on the world than Jesus’ last message to His disciples before He ascended into heaven. For three and a half years they had watched and listened as Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, proclaimed the kingdom of heaven, and lived and preached the truth and love of God. Then, the Bible tells us, Jesus spent forty more days with His followers after He rose from the dead, further preparing them to carry on what He had begun (Acts 1:3).
Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus gave them what has come to be known as the Great Commission: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News”—the message of God’s love and salvation in Jesus—“to everyone, everywhere” (Mark 16:15).
In response, “they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs” (Mark 16:20). With His resurrection, His disciples were commissioned to go everywhere and teach everyone that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and the gospel message He taught could set all men free (John 8:31–32).
Jesus calls His followers of today to likewise share the good news of the gospel with others, and to be a part of His kingdom work of transforming lives through His message. He continues to work through His followers today to reach a lost and lonely world. You don’t have to have a special calling to proclaim the gospel—we are all called to be a part of God’s salvation mission to the world.
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:14–15).
If you feel inadequate for the task, He has promised in His Word, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14), and, “Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22).
Every Christian’s duty
Once we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become part of His salvation mission to the world. Every person needs the opportunity to learn about Jesus and receive God’s love for the world, and we are one of the principal means by which He has chosen to make Himself known. God wants to save the whole world (John 3:16), but in order to do so, He needs us to tell others about His love and truth, and to share His message of salvation.
As the apostle Paul wrote, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:13–14).
Jesus told His followers, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21), and He also calls His followers of today to share His message and love with those who are seeking for truth, meaning, and purpose.
The Bible in shoe leather
American evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1837–1899) once said, “The preaching that this world needs most is the sermons in shoes that are walking with Jesus Christ.” People need to hear the gospel and have it explained, but they also need to see an example of someone living it. The words are essential, but to be most effective, our witness must go beyond words to be a living example of a transformed life.
Our job is to share the message. Only the Holy Spirit can work in people’s hearts to help them decide to receive Jesus and His gift of eternal salvation. However, to understand God’s love and His power to transform lives, and to believe that it can happen to them, many people need to see how He has worked in other people’s lives.
Throughout history, Christians’ example of caring for the poor and sick and their acts of kindness and compassion have been a powerful witness that led people to Christ. When those sharing the gospel show true concern, kindness, and understanding, and are compassionate and caring, it is a witness to people of the transforming love of God and His love for them.
As born-again Christians, we are called to have love and compassion for everyone—young or old, rich or poor, friend or foe—“everyone, everywhere.” We are called to not judge people by their appearance or personality (John 7:24). The Bible teaches that the Lord looks at the heart of people, not their outward appearance, and so should we (1 Samuel 16:7). And as we freely share God’s message with people, His Spirit will lead us to those who are seeking for truth, who are in need of God’s love and are receptive to the gospel.
How to get started
How you start your witness will vary depending on how well you know the person, the immediate circumstances, whether you’ve talked with him or her about the Lord or spiritual matters before, and so on. Many of the people you will witness to are most likely known to you, either immediate family and friends, work colleagues, fellow students, neighbors, or other acquaintances. You can start by asking the Lord to guide you as to how to share a witness with them to bring them one step closer to faith.
Bringing your conversation around to spiritual topics or the bigger questions of life can sometimes be a challenge, but often something the other person says in the course of the conversation can be used as a springboard to guide the conversation. Or you can introduce deeper topics into the conversation by asking questions, such as, “What do you think the purpose of life is?” “How do you think the world came into existence?” “Have you ever wondered what happens to us after we die?”
Another means of introducing the gospel is recounting your personal experience of salvation. This can be one of the most persuasive arguments you can give—your transformed life. The apostle Paul was a tremendous witness, and when he was brought before governors or magistrates or hostile audiences, he took the opportunity to share the truth with them—and he started with his own personal testimony: “This is what happened to me” (Acts 22:3–21; Philippians 1:12–14).
For some people, this is the most compelling witness. You could use all the finest rhetoric and offer strong arguments for the existence of God and His work in the world, and still they wouldn’t listen. But when you tell them your own personal experience of coming to Christ and how He transformed your life and gave you peace, hope, and answers to your deepest questions, you have their attention. You can tell others your story of how His love has transformed your own life, and as they witness your joy and peace, this can draw them to want to know more about God.
Sharing from the Bible
If people are to grow spiritually, it is important to share Bible passages with them. Jesus said that the words He speaks are “spirit and life” (John 6:63), and the apostle Paul said that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). God’s Word is the life-giving seed of faith, and ultimately people’s faith needs to be grounded in God’s Word.
One way to encourage people to read the Bible is to give them a New Testament or a Gospel of John. Some of the people you witness to may already be believers, and your witness will be for the purpose of encouraging them to grow in their faith and to understand biblical teachings and principles, and how to have a closer relationship with the Lord.
In order to effectively share Bible verses or passages with others, it is important to learn about the Bible yourself. The Berean believers in the book of Acts set a good example of this, as they “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:10–11). The more you study and absorb from the Word yourself, the more tools you’ll have to get the job done.
Jesus taught that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). We are called to always be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).If we are faithful to study His Word, His Spirit will bring it to our remembrance when we need it (John 14:26).
Gospel tracts and other Christian publications are also an important way to share a message with people that you don’t have the time or opportunity to witness to in-depth personally. There are many accounts of how a gospel tract has reached people and changed lives. Never underestimate the power of the printed message!
Four steps of personal witnessing
1. Ask questions: It is important to show an interest in the people you witness to and that you care about them and that you consider that what they have to say is important. And unless you ask questions, it will be difficult to understand where they are coming from or how to best relate to them.
You can ask about their background, their work, their family, their religious beliefs, and so on. As you express interest and concern for them personally, you will find that in many cases they will confide in you and express the challenges, burdens, and questions they have.
2. Listen to the answers: Often what people need is someone to listen to them and sympathize, someone to tell their troubles to. To be an effective witness, it’s important to put yourself in their shoes and to empathize with them. As you listen, you can ask the Lord to help you to see them as He does, and to show you how you can best reach them with His love.
While it is natural to be eager to supply answers to people’s problems and questions when those answers are clear to you, it is important to not do so prematurely. Listening—really listening—conveys not only your love, but also the Lord’s love for the person. Listening is a skill that can be cultivated. It begins with a sincere desire to understand others in order to better love and help them.
3. Share the good news: Once people have had a chance to unburden their hearts and you have come to understand their problems and needs, you’re in a position to share the good news of the gospel with them. You can tell them about the Savior who came to earth and died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, so that all who receive Him may become children of God.
Even if they aren’t ready to receive Jesus then and there, you can offer to pray for them and for whatever challenges they are facing. You will find that people who are at different points of their journey to faith appreciate your prayers, and this helps them to understand how much you—and ultimately God—love them and care for them.
4. Leading someone to salvation: Whether people are prepared to pray a salvation prayer with you or pray on their own later, it is important that they understand that God loves them and wants to grant them His free gift of eternal salvation. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). In order to receive this gift, it is important that they understand the following:
We are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. The Bible teaches us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you” (Isaiah 59:2). Every person is separated from God before they come to Christ, because everyone commits wrongs and fails and falls short—what the Bible calls sin. In order to receive God’s gift of salvation, we must first acknowledge that we are sinners in need of a Savior.
Jesus died on the cross for our salvation. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins and made a way for us to be reunited with God. “He himself [Jesus] bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). His death on the cross was an expression of God’s love for every person. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Jesus resurrected from the dead. Not only did Jesus die on the cross for our sins, but He also resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven. “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). The resurrection of Jesus is an important part of our confession of faith for salvation. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9–10).
Salvation is a gift. Salvation cannot be earned through good works, it is the gift of God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not a result of works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). The Bible teaches us that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). God is not willing that any should perish, and Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him” (Revelation 3:20).
There’s no set or official salvation prayer for people to invite Jesus into their lives and hearts and receive Him as their Lord and Savior. They can pray in their own words, or they can pray as they read a written prayer. Following is a sample salvation prayer:
Dear Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of God and that You died on the cross for me so that, through Your sacrifice, I can live forever with You in heaven. I ask that You forgive my sins, and I open the door of my heart and life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me live in a way that glorifies You. Guide my life and help me to study Your Word in the Bible. In Your name I pray. Amen.
Every time a person is born again into the kingdom of God, they become a child of God. “To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Jesus taught that “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).All heaven rejoices over that one lost soul that was found and rescued, more than over ninety-nine who are already safely home (Luke 15:7).
May we each do our part to share the good news of the gospel and help others to receive salvation through faith in Christ.
Published on Anchor November 2025. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.
