A Capsule Lesson on Witnessing

1 Peter 3:15 provides an ideal pattern for witnessing:

“. . . sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

1. Sanctify or hallow God within your heart. This reminds us that a good witness comes from a right heart relationship with God.
2. Be ready. The opportunities to bear witness are according to God’s schedule, not ours. They can come at any time, anywhere, in any situation.
3. Give an answer. You can’t answer something that has not been asked. Ideally, witnessing comes as a response to a question or problem that God wants to answer.
4. The hope that is in us: we witness based on a reasonable hope, “the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1b). That hope cannot be our wishful thinking, but must be based on the promises of God in Scripture. It is an inside hope, not an outside chance.
5. The attitude of the witness must be with meekness and fear. This refers to a dual approach—humility toward the person to whom we tell the Good News, and reverence toward the God of whom we tell.