When it comes to sharing your faith, both verbally (directly) and through your lifestyle (indirectly), personal preparation involves the first steps in becoming a fruitful witness. As we have discussed in the past four articles, personal preparation consists of being sure of your faith in Christ, confessing your sins, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and being ready to communicate your faith.
The second aspect to communicating your faith consistently and effectively is taking the initiative.
Taking the initiative to share your faith and witness to others can also be broken down into several 'steps' in order to make it a more tangible and practical concept. The first of these steps, which we will cover in this article, is that of prayer.
Taking the Initiative
1. Pray
"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."
(1 John 5:14-15 ESV)
(1 John 5:14-15 ESV)
The vital aspect of prayer, that many of us choose to ignore at times, is that we pray according to God's will from what we see through the Scriptures. If we harmonize our will with God's will, God promises that He will hear us and answer.
Pray for unbelievers. Pray for Christians. Pray for the unbelievers that other Christians have an influence on. Pray for the Kingdom.
Jesus' prayer for the ministry of the Holy Spirit through His disciples:
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those
who will believe in me through their message." (John 17:20)
Just as Christ prayed for the work of His disciples and His kingdom here, we should pray for the Holy Spirit to convict nonbelievers and give them a passion to make much of God.
Trust God's Answers and Timing
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
This passage explains that God's desire is for no one to perish and for everyone to be saved. However, this does not mean that God will accomplish His will and His plans according to our schedules and how we want it to happen. Let us not be constrained by thinking that things are going wrong when things in life happen differently than how we had imagined they would.
If there is one thing that you retain from this article, let it be this:
Prayer is the starting point in bringing a loved one to Christ.
Try making a prayer list or prayer diary. Pray for specific non-Christians and Christians by name. Pray for specific events. Thank God for the your salvation, spiritual growth, and that of other Christians.
When God answers prayer, attempt to record the dates and descriptions of how God has answered - You may be amazed by the visual results that you will have after a while! Use such records as a display of God's faithfulness to encourage and strengthen your faith and the faith of others.
Some paraphrases, citations, concepts, and wording used from the following source:
Bill Bright, Transferable Concepts: How You Can Be a Fruitful Witness (Peachtree City, GA: Campus Crusade for Christ, New Life Resources, 2009).
AJ, I loved this part: "several 'steps' in order to make it a more tangible and practical concept." I think so often when it comes to the Christian life, our spirituality often seems vague and untangible. However, there are many things we can do (spiritual disciplines) to make our convictions and beliefs tangible in our every day lives!
Also, I thought your conclusion was excellent: Everything begins with prayer!