The Best Way to Witness

Many of us struggle with sharing our faith. It’s scary, sometimes awkward, and always heavy with the weight of eternal consequences. We know every conversation about spiritual matters leads to a decision of some sort, and we don’t want to mess it up. 

The burden to do it “just right” is sometimes paralyzing. And what does “just right” look like, anyway? Is it filled with Scripture verses and fire and brimstone? Should it follow a formula or a plan? Must it always contain four points and a prayer? 

A story from Acts 3 and 4 gives us a glimpse of what sharing our faith can look like. Let me set the scene: Peter and John were going to the temple to pray. On the way, they met a lame man begging for money. Because the apostles were spiritually sensitive, they recognized the man needed much more than money — he needed to be healed, physically and spiritually. 

“Silver and gold I do not have,” Peter said, “but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 

Needless to say, this miraculous healing created quite a stir. The lame man began enthusiastically praising God, causing people to gather. Peter, sensitive to the Holy Spirit, recognized the perfect opportunity for a spiritual conversation. 

Let’s look at how he handled this God-given chance to share his faith. 

1. He opened the conversation by talking about the man’s miraculous healing. 

Each of us, if we’re believers in Christ, has received a miraculous healing. Greater than the lame man’s physical healing, we’ve been healed spiritually. Our souls are no longer dying. Instead of being crippled by our sinful natures, we are free to walk in the power and strength of the Lord. We should begin here when we share our faith with others. 

2. He gave Jesus the glory for the transformation. 

“Why do you look so intently at us,” Peter said, “as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? . . . (Jesus’) name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong.” Unless they knew us before we came to faith in Christ, most don’t realize what our lives were like before Christ. 

Because we like to spotlight the good parts and minimize the bad, we’re tempted to keep quiet about the less-savory aspects of our past. By doing so, we steal God’s glory. Instead, using appropriate discretion, we should share what our lives were like before Christ, giving God all the glory for the transformation only he could accomplish. This is what Peter did when he said, “Don’t look at us – God did this miracle.” 

3. He didn’t ignore the elephant in the room – sin. 

We tend to shy away from talking about sin. Telling someone they don’t measure up to God’s standards is awkward and scary. We fear they’ll reject us. Maybe call us self-righteous, confrontational, or judgmental. But if we don’t help people realize they’re lost, how will they understand they need a Savior? 

If you encountered a person walking down the road engulfed in flames, would you say, “Oh my, you need new clothes. These look awful. Let me take you shopping and see what we can do”? No. You’d scream, “FIRE!” and do everything you could to save them. So it is with those with whom we interact every day. Their lives (spiritual and physical) are in grave danger, and we must care enough to sound the alarm. 

Peter did this to the crowd at the temple. “You denied the Holy One . . . and killed the Prince of life . . . yet now, brothers, I know you did it in ignorance.” 

4. He pointed them to God. 

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out . . . and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus” (Acts 3:19-20). 

If we’re true believers, we know that transformation can only come through Jesus. No amount of self-help, force of will, or self-control can make us good enough to go to heaven. Our good deeds, the Bible says, are “filthy rags.” We need Christ’s righteousness for eternal life, and we need Christ living inside us to live a fruitful, productive, peace-filled, guilt-free life here on earth. "If anyone is in Christ,” 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 

And so we must connect the dots until they lead our dear ones to the cross. 

The next time an opportunity arises, take a deep breath, ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words, and tell someone about Jesus. Tell them about the miracle he’s done in your life. Describe how sin prevented you from having a relationship with God, but that Jesus paid the penalty for your sin on the cross. Encourage them to repent and turn to God for the life transformation they desperately need. 

What’s the best way to witness? Tell others what Jesus did for you. When the proof of God’s miraculous power is standing right in front of them, it’ll be mighty hard to argue. 

“And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it” (Acts. 4:13).

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