That is what it means to be a witness for Christ. The Bible says: This is a trustworthy saying and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus came to save sinners. That was His mission.

From beginning to end, Jesus was a soul-winner—the greatest soul-winner the earth has ever known. To the first group He called to follow Him, He gave this challenge: Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of people (Mark 1:17).

To the last group who followed Him at His ascension, He gave this command: Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19).

Above all, Jesus was a soul-winner. That is why He came—to save sinners. That is why He lived, why He died—and rose again—and why He sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples—to make them effective soul-winners.

And He said to His disciples: As the Father has sent me, I am sending you (John 20:21), and then He breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). For what purpose? You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses (Acts 1:8). That is the mission—the ministry of every Christian: to share the Good News with others.

Paul said: This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

Then Paul spoke of the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you (Col. 1:8 LB), and added:

“So everywhere we go, we talk to everyone about Christ, because that’s our work, and we can only do it because of Christ’s mighty energy within us.“ (Col. 1:28-29 LB)

The Bible says that the first Christians every day, in the temple and from house to house, never stopped teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 5:42). The Word of God spread, and the number of disciples increased greatly (Acts 6:7).

You see, a fulfilled life is based on two key principles: (1) Your faith. (2) Your ministry. 1° What you believe. 2° What you say and do as a result.

You are saved to help save others.

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Rom. 10:10)

If you believe in Jesus Christ, you will want to talk about Him to others. That is witnessing. Your faith is what you believe. Your ministry is what you say and do in response. Hasn’t Jesus Christ done something so wonderful for you that you simply cannot keep it to yourself?

In Bible times, people were so grateful for what the Lord had done for them that they ran everywhere to tell others who would listen.

Have you ever thought that the word “Christian” means “Christ-like”?

Since He came to save sinners and to seek the lost, then, to be Christian—to be like Him—we must be soul-winners. If Christ lives in us, He will want to do through us exactly what He did during His earthly ministry.

Yet, hundreds of thousands of Christians have never known the joy of letting Christ win a soul through them. There are even preachers and priests who have never consciously won a soul.

Jesus took His message to sinners—in the marketplaces, on street corners, on hillsides, by the sea, among the unsaved.

He was criticized and accused: This man welcomes sinners and eats with them (Luke 15:2). He mingled with all kinds of people, witnessing, convincing, and winning them. He wasn’t holier-than-thou, aloof, or super-spiritual. Jesus wasn’t a spiritual snob. He walked with sinners. They were His reason for being here.

It is the same for every Christian today. To be like Christ is to win souls. His purpose is our purpose. His mission is ours. His plan is ours. He came to save sinners. Our purpose as Christians is to be like Him. We are on earth for the same reason He came.

He said: I came into the world to testify to the truth (John 18:37).

That is why we are in this world—to testify of the Gospel to those who do not yet know Christ as their Savior and Lord.

He commanded: Go out into the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house may be full (Luke 14:23).

All His disciples did exactly that. After His ascension, His first disciples acted just like Him. They all witnessed actively and personally. Everyone who believed became a witness. They were busy in the markets, on the streets, in homes, around community wells—talking, discussing, witnessing, persuading, preaching, winning souls, urging the unsaved to believe the Gospel—just as Jesus had done (Acts 5:42).

In fact, they were so much like Christ that mocking critics labeled them “Christians” (Acts 11:26). They were called fanatics because they were Christlike in their testimony (Acts 8:4).

Jesus was moved with compassion (Matt. 9:36) when He saw the crowds without faith or hope. When we are like Christ, we feel the same compassion (2 Cor. 5:14). We absolutely cannot remain silent about what Christ has done for us. So, as Paul said:

“Everywhere we go, we talk about Christ to everyone who listens, because that’s our job.” (Col. 1:28-29 LB)

Every day, talk to someone about Christ. Don’t let a single day pass without sharing His Good News. My book Soul Winners will help you. It is a timeless book on this crucial subject. (We call it A Classic on Biblical Christianity.)
Get a few copies for your pastor, church members, missionaries, or other believers. Many souls may find salvation because you shared this book with someone else.

Dr. Harry Denman, World Secretary of Evangelism for the United Methodist Church for 25 years, said: “Unless Christians catch the vision of personal evangelism, the world will be lost.”
Billy Graham said:

“The most urgent need in the world today is for the Gospel to be shared one-on-one—not just by professional clergy, but by ordinary believers.“

When Paul described authentic Christians, he emphasized that as soon as someone receives Christ into their life, a ministry is entrusted to them:

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.“ (2 Cor. 5:17-18 PV)

Anyone in Christ is a new creature, and God gives them the ministry of reconciliation. Every Christian individually has the ministry of reconciling people to God through Christ. All become soul-winners—regardless of ethnicity, skin color, nationality, or gender.

Whoever believes, speaks. Whoever receives, shares. To become a Christian is to become a witness, an evangelist, a missionary, a representative of God. That’s deep Christianity!

That’s why I tell you to speak of God every day to someone. This is the ministry closest to God’s heart. That’s why Christ died and shed His blood. It’s the last thing Jesus told us to do. If the Holy Spirit empowers us, it is for this reason—which is the goal of the entire Christian life.

“When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.” (Ezekiel 3:18)

The greatest joy for any Christian is to share with others the Good News of Jesus Christ. It would be terribly selfish to know Christ, to understand what He did to save the lost, to receive Him and enjoy His peace—and not tell others. We will not be silent. We will share the Good News.

That is what it means to witness for Christ.

Christianity has lasted twenty centuries because it was spread by ordinary believers. It was the love of Christ (2 Cor. 5:14) that compelled them to speak to others about His salvation. Tens of thousands were persecuted, tortured, and even martyred for their testimony. It has been said:

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

When others paid the ultimate price to bring us the Gospel, we cannot keep it to ourselves. We must share it with others. That is the essence of Christianity in action.

You don’t need a Bible degree or to be an eloquent speaker. Just talk about Jesus like you would about any friend. All you need to know is John 3:16 and a few verses from Romans.

Here are five very simple facts that will help you lead anyone to a decision for Christ…

This text is an excerpt from the book “The Fulfilled Life” written by T. L. Osborn.

We invite you to read the next article: “How to Pray and Get Answers.”

EVERY DAY. EVERY DAY. EVERY DAY. EVERY DAY.