Witnessing is telling others about the forgiveness, love, deliverance, empowering, fruitful life and ministry, etc., that you have found in Jesus.
Jesus' last instructions to His disciples before He ascended to His Father were in relation to witnessing. He commissioned them to make disciples as they went into all the world, and to baptize and teach them. He promised them that when they received the Holy Spirit they would be powerful witnesses of Him. The Lord will confirm your witness, just as He did the witness of His apostles with signs following (Mark 16:20
And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
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; Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,* baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
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What Scripture Says
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,* baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
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"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
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"I tell you the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12
"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.
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"He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you" (John 16:14
He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.
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Counsel
You are a witness. When a person has experienced the forgiveness of his sins, he is then able to witness or give testimony to the salvation that is mentioned in Ephesians 4:11
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
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, but it puts you in the same place as those who were witnesses in the early church. They said, "For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20
We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard."
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). You are able to witness about Jesus, for you have met Him personally.
God's desire is that everyone, worldwide, be reconciled to Him and He has given Christians the "word of reconciliation." That privilege uniquely belongs to all who have believed in Christ (II Corinthians 5:19).
The authority to witness is from Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,* baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
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). The power and boldness to witness is given as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit (Mark 16:17-20
These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.* They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed." When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
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; Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
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). The willingness to witness is a decision each one must make. The message to share is the simple truth that "God loves you. Jesus saves all who come to Him in repentance of sin and who have faith in Him. He gives life (John 10:10
The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
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), equips for living through the Holy Spirit, and He is coming again."
Your own testimony is the best witness you can share. It is not just teaching Bible truths. It is "being" a product of those truths. In other words, don't just say it -- be and do it. Allow the Holy Spirit to produce within you the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, meekness, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, patience and self-control, thereby "becoming" what you are witnessing to.
As You Pray
Pray that God will fill you with the Holy Spirit, equipping you for witnessing. You may have to pray to be released from bondages of fear or feelings of not knowing enough or not being good enough to share Jesus with others. The general direction of prayer should be that you want to be bold and free to share your faith whomever may be open to your witness during your daily life.
Ask God each morning to lead you to someone to whom you can witness. Expect Him to do so. As you read God's Word, ask Him to give you a message that day for someone who needs your witness.
References/Personal Study
The Guilt of Man
Psalms 14:3
But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt.*No one does good, not a single one!
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Romans 5:10
For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.
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James 4:4
You adulterers!* Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
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Colossians 1:21
This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.
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God's Judgement upon the Ungodly
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.
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2 Peter 3:7
And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
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God's Provision for Man
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.
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Hebrews 12:24
You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
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Acts 4:12
There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."
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Forgiveness
Ephesians 4:32
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
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1 John 2:12
I am writing to you who are God's children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.*
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Acts 5:31
Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven.
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Acts 13:38
*"Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.
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Acts 26:18
to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me.'
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Cleansing
Isaiah 1:18
"Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD."Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
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1 John 1:7
But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
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Revelation 7:14
And I said to him, "Sir, you are the one who knows." Then he said to me, "These are the ones who died in* the great tribulation.* They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
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Justification
Acts 13:39
Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do.
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Romans 3:24
Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
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Romans 8:30
And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
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Titus 3:7
Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life."
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By Grace
Ephesians 2:8-9
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
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Titus 2:11
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.
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Titus 3:4-7
But—"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.* He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life."
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The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is a global ministry committed to preparing the nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ through mass media communication. For over 60 years, CBN has proclaimed the Good News to 156 countries and territories, with programs and content translated into 76 languages making it one of the largest television ministries in the world. With its many subsidiary and affiliate organizations, CBN goes beyond the bounds of broadcasting to reach the world with a message of hope of Jesus Christ. Learn more about the impact CBN is making around the world at
