TOPIC:“Witnessing - The Penetration of the Challenge”
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:Acts 1:1-8
“And you shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8)
After spending most of my life in evangelism, some in the pastoral ministry, I am convinced that personal evangelism is not only the most scriptural method of evangelism, but it is the greatest way of reaching the world for Christ. It is my firm conviction that personal evangelism should be used above all other methods in winning people to Christ. The Church of today needs once again to recapture this revolutionary concept of evangelism.
This is what Henry Clay Trumbull, one of God's early pioneer soul-winners, wrote about after years of experience in this eternal work. He declared: “From nearly half a century of such practices as I have had opportunity to do day by day, I can say that I have spoken with thousands upon thousands on the subject of their spiritual welfare.” He goes on to state: “I find that reaching one person at a time is the best way of reaching all the world in time.” Truer words were never spoken!
These next five messages will not make you a soul winner. There is only one way to learn how to witness for Christ and that is to do it. It's time for hosts of redeemed Christians, in all walks of life, to speak out for their Lord and Savior. We must begin to snatch up every available opportunity to share the message of God's forgiving love and redeeming grace.
It is my earnest prayer that this message and the ones to follow will help you to communicate your Christian faith more effectively. Not only that, but that it will awaken within you a renewed excitement and enthusiasm for witnessing. Let's begin by answering several questions regarding this important ministry.
I.
Consider the first question: WHAT IS IT? Evangelism is something that must be explained. The Word Congress on Evangelism of 1966 in Berlin declared: “Evangelism is the proclamation of the Gospel of the crucified and risen Christ, the only Redeemer of men, according to the Scripture, with the purpose of persuading condemned and lost sinners to put their trust in God by receiving and accepting Christ as Savior.” Such a definition is theologically correct, but for the average lay person in the Church it is much too long and lengthy, let alone difficult to understand. At this point I am reminded of the words of D. T. Niles of India who defined evangelism in these words: “Evangelism is one beggar telling another where to get bread.” How true! One is taken up with the words of Christ who said: “I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on . . .