Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous,but the labourers are few." - Matthew 9:37. There are many lost souls seeking answers to the question, "Why am I here; what is my purpose?" Your witness to them may help them to understand that the answer is the Lord Jesus Christ. And that greater understanding can be found in His Word - The Bible.

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:…" - John 15:16. I believe that The Lord wants to use each of us who are willing to be used by Him. We must, therefore, be prepared for serving Him. I have found that preparation for such service requires several things: obedience to the Holy Spirit, a good understanding of the Gospel, frequent prayer, a shift in priorities that puts the Lord first, to name a few.

In the last days, God says, "I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh." - Acts 2:17. I believe that as this takes place, more and more people who do not know the Lord will be eager to find Him. The Lord may call upon your witnessing during these times to help lead them into the kingdom.

"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness." - Romans 12:6-8

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Matthew 6:19. I believe that one such treasure is the experience of being in heaven and someone comes up to you and says, "I'm here because of what you did or what you said to me when we were down there!" I cannot imagine any amount of money, gold, jewelry, etc. that could be as precious as that.

We must be careful not to become legalistic in our effort to win the lost. There is no competition anywhere! We are not obligated to the church or its leadership to win souls. We do whatever the Lord leads us to do out of our love for Him. We are to encourage each other and rejoice with the angels when a soul is won, regardless of whom God chooses to use.

I believe that we all have a gift to witness and testify. We know this because when something exciting happens to us, most of us can talk about it, even to strangers. When something bad happens to us, most of us can talk about it if we choose to do so. Your salvation is something wonderful that has happened to you. In the same way, be eager and bold to tell what the Lord has done for you -- even to strangers. In Romans 1:16 Paul says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

Please recognize that Jesus said in John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." We cannot force acceptance of salvation upon anyone. God must draw him. God has not called us to be successful, but faithful. Just keep trying and remember this; if you have a glass filled with dirty water and continue pouring clean water into it, all the dirty water will soon be gone.

Not every one you witness to will be lead to the Lord by you. Your witness may only be the "planting of a seed." or the "watering of a seed", planted by someone else. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."

Being flexible and patient is a true gift. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:19, "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you."

How do we begin? First, we must talk. Then, we must listen. We are listening for a place where we can put the Lord in the conversation. Often, it is during a greeting. Many of you may have been greeted by someone saying, "Hello, how are you?" Your response may have been, "I'm blessed." Now if the person greeting you says, "I am also blessed", you both agree on the blessing. However, if that person is of a different faith, he may be confessing his blessing from a different god than you are. In that case, I wouldn't want him thinking that I am in alignment with his god. My response to such a greeting may go something like this; "I'm doing well because the Lord has blessed me!" When most people hear the name, "The Lord", it generally refers to The Lord Jesus Christ. Now, there can be no question about which God I am referring to.

If someone lights up a cigarette and says, "I wish I could quit these things. I have tried everything I know and nothing works." I would respond with, "Have you tried Jesus. He made you and the plants the cigarette is made of. Since that is true, He can separate the two of you if you really want him to."

Agree on those things you can agree on. This invites friendliness and acceptance by the person you are witnessing to. If you don't agree on an issue keep your opinion to yourself and change the subject you are discussing. If you are pressed for an answer, answer in a way that glorifies God. For example, if you are pressed to answer why you oppose abortions, you may say something like, "I believe that God wanted the babies to be born or He could have prevented the conception. But I know that He is too wise to make a mistake and I don't have enough wisdom to figure Him out. I am thankful, however, that He allowed you and me to be born and to get this far in life."

If someone says, "I'm so tired of my job. I really should try to find another. What do you think?" I may say, "When I begin to feel like that (agreement), I go to Jesus for His advice. He is the one who put me on my job in the first place. He may have plans for my being there that I don't even know about. I also realize that since being there, I have been eating and paying my rent and I thank Him for just having a job. So if I were you, I think I would ask the Lord what He would have me do. Then wait for His answer. He will make it clear what you should do."

If you compliment someone, you will almost always get his or her agreement. If you say to someone, "That is a nice new car you have." The response will normally be, "Yes (agreement), I like it. It rides well and I was tired of my old one." Or, they may just say, "Thank you". In either case, you now have the opportunity to say, "I can see that Jesus has blessed you. He must be pleased that you are happy with your blessing."

Be nice to everyone and smile even though there are days where smiling may be a real challenge. A smile will put a person at ease with you. There are lost people all around you in the work place. When everyone is angry because of a management decision and you are showing no anger, people will want to know what is the matter with you. This very often will result in someone coming to you and asking, "What do you think about all of this?" Here is an opportunity to respond with, "I'm not worried about this because I plan to pray about it for everyone's benefit." You have just opened the door for that person to come back to you if they are curious about your faith or if they have a problem and want you to pray for them.

When someone gets promoted, tell them how happy you are that the Lord has found favor with them. Don't let them think that the management did it or that they did it themselves. Most people will just congratulate them and perhaps offer to party with them. But when you share this with them, they will know that you are different.

When someone gets passed over for a promotion or transfer, offer encouragement. I might go to them and say, "I think that management missed out by not promoting you (Agreement). I have watched you work and you are good at what you do. I urge you to continue doing the best you can where you are and I believe the Lord will promote you or move you as soon as He finds a place worthy of you." What this does is provide a new level of hope to a perhaps depressed person. It also may be an opportunity to win this person at a later time because you were a light to them during a dark time.

Suppose you are taking a bus to work because your car is in the shop. Normally there are others waiting for the same bus you are. All who are waiting have idle time, which presents opportunity to witness. You may begin the conversation by saying how nice the weather is if that is the case. You may mention that your car is in the shop and the other person may have the same problem or they may not even own a car. You can put the Lord in that conversation by saying, "It amazes me that even though we don't have cars, the Lord still provides a way for us to get to work." If that person knows something about the Lord, even if he is not saved, he may ask, "What church do you go to?" Of course, we are going to tell him all about our church. This conversation can continue even after the bus arrives and you are on your way. Listen for the opportunity to plant a seed or to water one that has already been planted. If you both are getting off the bus at the same place, you may have an opportunity to win him.

When you are in a restaurant, your waiter or waitress is an opportunity to witness. They have to come to you; that is their job. You may begin a conversation by asking how long they have worked here. When they tell you, ask whether they are going to make a career out of this job. Most of them will say, "No, No! This is just temporary." You may say, "I agree because I believe the Lord has something else for you." The person may say, "Really?" And my reply would be, "I believe that if you were to just ask Him to provide a different opportunity for you and then believe that He will, you will see how the Lord works." Now if this person knows the Lord you have just established agreement with him. If he doesn't, he may still be encouraged to pray because you, most likely being a stranger, believe enough to tell him this. This is a seed you either planted or watered

Hospitals provide many opportunities for witnessing. Not because there are sick people there, but because there are lonely people there. Lonely people are almost always willing to be visited and talked to. They will even begin the conversation if they are not in any dire pain. When someone wants to talk to me, we are eventually going to be talking about Jesus. I have led many people to the Lord at hospitals while visiting someone else.

Airports are filled with waiting people. I always carry my bible with me on a trip. I have it out in the open in full view. I have been asked if I am a preacher. I simply say, "No -- I am just someone who loves the Lord". When people see you with a bible they will either avoid you or say something like, "I see you have the good book. What church do you go to?" Whenever you can get a conversation going about the Lord in an airport setting, talk loud so that others can hear. You'll be surprised when someone comes up to you later and says, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation back there." They will often start a new conversation with you perhaps presenting a new opportunity.

I keep a steady stack of little cards that have scripture and spiritual messages on them. Some people call them tracts. I purchase these from a Christian bookstore for .10 each. I place them at public phones. My wife puts them in the bills she sends out. I leave them for waitresses or waiters along with a tip. I put them on grocery shelves while shopping. If someone throws one away then the janitor gets blessed. If you do this, pray that the Holy Spirit will put the person needing that card where they can find it.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. - Romans 10:9-10. This scripture speaks loudest to me about salvation. It is clear and simple and is the basis for what we are doing.

To illustrate the difference between "leading" and "pushing", find a piece of string and place it on a table in front of you. Place your finger on one end of the string and pull it around the table. Go between objects on the table such as a salt or pepper shaker. Notice that wherever your finger goes, the string follows. This is "leading". Now, lay the string straight. Take your finger and place it on one end of the string and push it. Try to get it to go the same route it went when you were leading it. I believe you can now see the difference between "leading" and "pushing". We are to Lead people to the Lord.

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." - Psalm 32:8. The Lord will give you what to say when witnessing. Everything I have said is merely examples and models. You may say something that is not mentioned in this paper and it will be more effective for a specific person than anything we may think of.

You may quote a short scripture such as Matthew 10:30 which says, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Then you may follow up with something like, "God says your hairs are numbered, not counted. That means that when you look at your hairbrush in the morning, all you see is unattached hair. But God sees numbers 18, 121, 239, 58, etc. And that is for your head only!" Most people will respond with, "Wow!"

When you listen to the person you are witnessing to and sense that he is in agreement with the Gospel and believes in the Lord Jesus and His cross, its time to close. Recognize that you are a salesman selling the Gospel. All salesmen run into objections and other reasons why they can't make the sale. You also will run into objections. We will cover some examples shortly.

I never ask a person if they want to accept Jesus because its too easy for them to say "No", or "I have to think about it", or "Maybe next time". Asking them is the same as taking them to an open door they have never been to before and asking them to walk through when they don't know what is on the other side. By telling them that you want to have a prayer with them, you are leading them through the door.

When I am ready to close and lead the person to the Lord, I may say, "Fred, I must be going now, but before I leave, I want to tell you something. The world as we know it may end before tomorrow morning. It would make me so happy to get to heaven and find that you are there also. I want to have a prayer with you before I leave that will invite Jesus into your heart. He will provide the way to heaven for you." Immediately, I extend both my hand towards them and they will place their hands in mine, accepting my lead. I will then tell them to repeat after me. "Lord Jesus. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. I invite you into my heart. Cleanse me of all unrighteousness. Make me a new creation. From this day forward, I call you my Lord and I submit to serving you. Thank you for saving me."

Next, while still holding onto the person's hands, I immediately begin to pray for him, alone. I may pray, "Father, I now lift my new brother (sister) in Christ up to you. I ask that you accept him (her) as your new child. He (She) has confessed to believing in your Son Jesus and I thank you for your promise of salvation for him (her). I pray that you will direct him (her) to a good bible believing church and provide for continued discipleship to him (her) no matter where you may choose to place him (her). I thank you for arranging this opportunity for the both of us, in Jesus' name."

After we have finished with our praying and thanking God, I will normally hug my new brother or sister in Christ and encourage them to begin reading a bible on a daily basis. I will explain the different versions of the bibles and that the King James Version is the most widely accepted although it is harder to read than some others. My personal choice is the NIV with the King James as backup. I will normally suggest reading the book of John first, followed by Psalms and Proverbs. Upon completing these, begin with Matthew and read to the end - Revelation. I will also let them know that there is a devil out there that is angry about what we have just done. I don't want to give the impression that because one is a Christian, he is void of problems. On the contrary, there may be more problems than he has had in the past. But, he now has a big brother whose name is Jesus that he can call upon.

As I mentioned during the introduction, you are going to face rejections. Most of them can be handled with patience, but there are some that are very difficult to overcome. You may be witnessing to a woman, for example, who after listening to you says, "I loved my husband very much and God took him from me." I would never say, "I know how you must feel", or "That happens to many people so you are not alone", or anything along that line. You don't know how she feels and she doesn't care about other people. In this situation I might ask her how many years they were married. Then I would probably ask her to share the happiness of that marriage with me. If she tells me of all the happy years they shared, I can introduce the Lord into the conversation. I may say, "It sounds like God gave you so much happiness in this marriage. What a beautiful blessing that is." Began to show her how God had been in the marriage in an effort to remove any bitterness she may be feeling against Him. If she believes that he is in heaven, explain that you want to talk to her about heaven and how she can get there. Explain how she will see Jesus and if her husband is there, she will see him again along with other relatives who are there. If you can get her to focus and believe in what you are sharing, perhaps she will gain New Hope and concentrate on heaven instead of her loss.

Sometimes people will tell you that they have lived a rotten life for so long that they don't believe God wants to have anything to do with them. You can assure them that God does not feel that way. The scripture that proves this is 1 Timothy 2:1; "I EXHORT therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

Another scripture is 2 Corinthians 5:17; "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." The most important scripture in my opinion is John 3:16; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Whenever I become discouraged because of an objection to my witness, I remember what Jesus said in John 15:18. He said, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." This scripture powers me up again and I go right back out to be available for whomever the Lord sends to me.

When witnessing to groups, look at facial expressions of the group. When the majority seem to be enlightened by what you are saying or sitting on the edge of their seats, its time to close. Make the same invitation as mentioned previously saying that you want to see all of them in heaven. Ask that everyone who believes the Gospel you have shared to stand. Then ask those standing to repeat this prayer after you. Pray the same prayer as you would for an individual. For those who did not stand up, if they are still there it is probably because they were interested in what you had to say. You can consider that you planted a seed or watered a seed in them or they would have left earlier. They may want to talk to you individually after the group session. This may be an opportunity to win such a person just by giving them an extra moment of your time for them personally. On my way home I pray for those who did not accept the invitation, asking the Lord to keep after them even if it means using someone else.

When witnessing, always look for opportunities to encourage. If someone you are speaking to appears negative and depressed, try to encourage them. Try not to get into the specifics unless you know them and believe you can be a good listener. Rather, tell them that God made them special and unique and that He intends for them to be victorious. Tell them that you know they can overcome the problem, especially if they ask Jesus for His help. If you are convincing enough, they may ask to hear more by saying, "Do you really think He cares?" or something like that. This then opens the opportunity for greater witnessing and perhaps winning a soul. The person may just say, "Maybe I will try that." Then perhaps at night, they may pray. If that happens it will have pointed the person in the right direction - to the Lord.

There are times when you will witness to a person who will tell you that they were saved once but went back to living the old life again. We call that backsliding. I will try to assure them that God still loves them and that God still has them in His hands. John 10:27 says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish; neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

Often you will meet and talk with people who know the Word and agree with all you have said about the Gospel. I always ask about their church and how does one become saved at their church. Many will tell you that you just have to come to church every Sunday and live a good life. When I hear this, I get around to discussing Romans 10:9, which talks about confessing and believing as the road to salvation. I will ask them if anyone has ever pointed this scripture out to them or prayed with them along these lines. If they say "No", I began to work on them. I tell them that I believe that they love the Lord and emphasize what Romans 10:9 says. Then I will tell them that I want to be sure that we meet in heaven and tell them that I want to have a prayer with them. I will then extend my hands to them and if they join hands with me, we pray the prayer of salvation.

Try to find time to get involved in different activities in the church. This will allow fellow church members to share spiritual things with you and you with them. It will provide a support group for you that will further your spiritual feeding. You may visit hospitals or nursing home with some of the people in your church to pray for those who are sick and in need. You will learn how to pray by praying with others.

"Lord, I thank you for the saving faith and for your promise of eternal life. Make me ever grateful for these blessings and increase my willingness to serve you, especially to witness of your gracious love for all sinners. I pray that you will support me with your power as I witness to others. Too often I have missed opportunities to speak for you. Forgive me where I have failed. Help me to see opportunities for witnessing, and give me the courage to speak up. Increase my concern for lost souls and my desire to witness, and strengthen me according to need. Lord, I often do not know what to say, but you know; I am often weak and afraid, but you are strong. Make your love my love; your words my words; and your strength my strength. Help me to speak the right word at the right time, and with all your children on earth help me to go forth to new victories for you in Jesus' name. Amen."

"Dear Father in heaven, I thank you that you have made me a child of yours and have allowed me to help build your kingdom. Every day I pray, "Thy kingdom come." With all my heart I want your kingdom to come, and I want to do my part that it may come. Show me how I may help to proclaim your name and how I may speak of your glorious majesty and of your wonderful works. Open a way of service for me in my congregation. I surrender altogether to your will. Give me work in which I can serve you best. If it pleases you, move those who are entrusted with the administration of the congregation to ask me to serve, or give me courage to go to my pastor and to offer my services. Do not let me sit back and wait while I should seek opportunities for service. Lord give me the courage to witness for you at home, in my work, on my vacations, or wherever I may be, that people with whom I live and work may know how much I love you. Increase my faith and my love for you, and use my witness for the conversion of unbelievers and for the strengthening of believers. Hear me in the name of Jesus. Amen."

"Lord God, who gives all things, I thank you for all spiritual and earthly blessing that have come to me from your gracious hand. Make me appreciative and useful, and grant that I may always be intent on serving you. Supply my daily needs, and grant that I may receive the gifts of your goodness with thanksgiving. Help me in all things to put you first, to seek your glory, and to love and serve my neighbor as myself. At this time I pray that you would give me a courageous and wise heart that I may witness of your love to people I meet, who may not have much interest in the needs of their own salvation. Give me the right thoughts to think and the right words to speak, and send your Holy Spirit into their hearts that they may listen and believe. I feel altogether inadequate for the task, which is mine to perform, but I know that through you I will be able to do all things. Help me to take courage from the example of the apostles, who trusted in your promise: "For what you are to say will be given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." I depend on you. Lend power and conviction to my halting words, that the people I witness to may find eternal life and joy of salvation in you through Jesus Christ. Amen."

As you begin to experience success working for the Lord, by witnessing, ask Him to allow you to do more. This expands your faith, wisdom, courage and knowledge of the kingdom. You will find that no two circumstances are the same. Each one is unique and different. That is why you will develop your own style of witnessing with the Lord's help and you will be able to reach people that no one else can.

We have covered a large amount of material in this document. Some of you will benefit from this document right away and others may take longer. Read through the material as often as you wish but above all, be yourself at all times. I have shared much of how the Lord has taught me to witness and win souls. His teaching to you may be very different. Just be obedient and willing to let Him work with you as you are.

I pray that this document will help many of you. If only one of you wins one soul for the Lord's kingdom, then this document was well worth the effort. I pray also that the Lord will use you as He has me in sharing the Gospel. With your faith and obedience to your call, we can win many souls for God's kingdom!

This document was generously released by the author, Loren Adams, on July 13th, 1999 to the Public Domain. HTML conversion done by Robert Adam Woeger of Salvation.com. It describes in detail witnessing methods which are based on his life experiences. Please distribute this to as many people as possible.