Communicating Naturally in Witnessing

This is the last of a six part Bible Study on 'Connecting Hearts: Sharing Christ Winsomely', a witnessing program by Eagles Communications. This week's study focuses on the practice of communicating naturally in witnessing.

Scriptural references: John 4:1-42 - Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman The following is a summary of all topics for the six training sessions.

• Person: Experiencing God as a Witness
• Perspective: Thinking Rightly About Witnessing
• Passion: Cultivating Enthusiasm in Witnessing
• Process: Connecting Relationally In Witnessing
• Power: Understanding the Holy Spirit in Witnessing
• Practice: Communicating Naturally in Witnessing

Seven Deadly Mistakes in Witnessing

• Aggressive: Confrontation and criticising people, their culture, beliefs, etc
• Academic: Use of Christian jargons and technical terms, such as born again, washed by the blood of Jesus, etc
• Attack: Attacking person's dignity or religion
• Annoy: Irritable over focusing on do's and don'ts of Christianity
• Antagonize: Pushy, wanting to get them converted, similar to closing a business deal
• Avoidance: Not answering life's questions and being insensitive to their needs
• Ambush: Manipulative and insincere in approach

BRIDGE Approach to Witnessing

B - Be genuine
R - Reach across our prejudices
I - Invest Time
D - Dialogue Relevantly
G - Go beyond the surface
E - Expect to be surprised by God

Key Points

• Be spontaneous and genuine, unconstrained by fixed program or pre-arranged plans or campaigns
• Be ready to cross different barriers, including social, religious, and racial
• Spend time with the person without rushing, genuinely interested, and engaging in unhurried conversation
• Use simple language without over-promising or becoming out of sync with ordinary life
• See beyond the surface to the person's need in different situations, for example, the emptiness, the hurt and the loneliness and offer hope
• Overcome prejudices to reach out to even the worst of sinners
• Beyond just reaching out and sharing, understand that witnessing is about sustaining our own lives to serve and do God's will
• Remember sowing and reaping are equally important and we need to sow before we can reap
• Prepare the ground and sow the seed by starting with small acts of kindness, such as praying, caring, sharing, and listening
• Don't underestimate the power of one soul

The biggest hurdle in witnessing today is the lack of time. We must set aside time to touch other people's lives, for this is sacred. Spending time shows a person how important he or she is to us, and that is a very important step to how the person will response to God.

Woman at the Well - To Be Known Is To Be Loved