The Fundamental Principles of Witnessing

Yesterday, our outreach’s Year-End Thanksgiving message centered on the importance of witnessing shared by Ptr. Allan Lopez. Here are the lessons and my notes:

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Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king’s household.”

2 Kings 7:9 ESV

We should not keep the gospel to ourselves

If we truly experienced the gospel we will not keep it to ourselves (2 Kings 7:9). Not to share the good news is to incur God’s judgment. If we have been truly saved from the wrath of God, and we see it as good news, what shall we do?

Indeed, there is no better news than the gospel. The gospel is urgent. We must proclaim it now.

We are responsible to witness because we do not know who will respond.

Despite Jonah’s reluctance to proclaim God’s message, people believed (Jonah 3:5). Everyone must hear the gospel. Even if we do not know who will respond, we should not stop preaching the gospel. We must be like Paul who took courage to stay in Corinth because though he did not know who will respond, certainly, God knows (Acts 18:10).

There is no better news worth hearing than the gospel, so we must preach it regardless of men’s response.

We witness on the basis of Christ’s Authority

We are not to witness alone. God is with us when we witness. Not only that He assures us with His presence but we are to witness boldly because we have an order from the Risen LORD. His authority is our basis (Mt 28:18-20). We witness not based on man’s whims but on Christ’s cosmic rule and triumphant authority.

We are compelled to witness because of Christ’s command

Christ left us with a clear command. Testifying to the gospel of God’s grace should never stop, and Paul considered his life worth nothing to Him if he is not to testify to the gospel (Acts 20:24). It is not optional, but it is a command to those who call Jesus as LORD.

We have a great duty to witness

We may not be one of the eyewitnesses, but we are witnesses by faith. We have a great duty. We are the true witnesses of Jehovah! We must always be ready to testify. We are commanded to tell everyone of God’s salvation. The church’s business is to be fishers of men (Luke 5:10).

And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
Acts 10:42 ESV

The gospel is too good to be kept and too glorious not to be proclaimed.

This is the truth: that we are guilty sinners, law-breakers, haters of God, hell-deserving, and under God’s wrath —that God sent His Son to live perfectly under the law that we cannot fulfill, to die a criminal’s death on the cross to pay the sins of His people by His precious blood, and suffered under the wrath of God —that Christ rose again as a proof that God accepted His sacrifice on behalf of His people —that everyone who repents and comes to Christ by faith alone will be clothed with the righteousness of God in Christ and be accepted into God’s family —that the once sinful rebels will be given hearts to love God and obey His command all their lives while patiently waiting for the glorious return of their Redeemer.

This is the message that we must testify and proclaim to the world. Will you testify?

To God be the glory!