What Does It Mean To Be a Witness for Christ?

As believers in Christ, we are all called to witness and share about God’s greatness to those around us. But what does it mean to be a witness for Christ, why is it important, and how do we go about witnessing to others about this good news?

Can you think of the first time you heard the gospel? Who told you? How did they tell you? Did they first share Christ with you through their words or did you first notice Christ working in them through their actions? Just think, if that person never stood before you as a witness for Christ, you may not have ever heard of this wonderful news of the gospel and been brought into a relationship with God! So, we can see how important this calling is to all who are disciples of Christ!

Note: If you aren’t already a follower of Jesus, first head over to read these couple of posts to hear more of what the gospel is and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus:
What is the Gospel?
What is a Disciple?

What is a Witness?

What do you think of when you hear the word “witness?” Most people probably think of someone in a courtroom. The witness is someone that has seen something take place and is there to tell of all that they saw, heard, and experienced. Likewise, as Christians, we are called to be witnesses for Christ who present a testimony about the truth that we have experienced and heard.

The Role of a Witness All Throughout Scripture

In Acts 1:8, Jesus calls his disciples witnesses and calls them to go to the ends of the earth with this good news by the power of the Spirit:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

But this isn’t just a New Testament thing that started with Christ sending out his disciples, it is something that we can see throughout the entire lens of scripture! From the beginning, we can see God’s plan to use His people to be His witnesses to the other nations around them. He calls a people to Himself to know Him, to be set apart, and to tell of what they’ve experienced to all the nations around them. They were to be His representatives to the world!

We can see this early on with Abraham when God promises to make him a great nation that will be a blessing to all the nations (Genesis 12). We see it all throughout the story of the Old Testament. And I love how we begin to see this take place in the book of Exodus. God has just rescued the Israelites from slavery and is calling them out as His people to worship Him and to proclaim all that they have experienced. Let’s look at this passage:

“The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” Exodus 19:3b-6

They are to reflect on all God has done for them, cling closely to Him by obeying His Word, and to be His treasured possession. This isn’t just for their own sake, but to be a Kingdom of Priests with the role of being set apart for Him in order to declare His praises to a lost world. And this theme continues all throughout the Old Testament with priests, prophets, judges, etc doing just that. We get a clear picture of this again in Isaiah 43:10-12:

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.”

Throughout all of scripture we can see God’s people called to be witnesses in order to declare this true and faithful God that we know and have experienced. This declaring is not only in word but in deed. Our lives should testify to the story we are a part of as God’s children: we are set apart, redeemed, sanctified, and live in light of this because of WHOSE we are. 1 Peter 2:9-10 brings this calling from all scripture together so beautifully:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10

You can see here that it is God who does the calling and drawing His people near and then they are to go and declare this great God they have come to know and trust. So, it is God who causes those who are told the good news to believe, not the person who is the witness. The role of the witness is simply to share all that they have seen, heard, and experienced. God does the changing of hearts. It is also worth noting that ALL who know Him are to proclaim Him, not just a certain, talented or chosen few.

For more details on what it means to be a witness for Christ throughout all of scripture, check out this helpful resource from The Bible Project.

Why Do We Witness for Christ?

Well, if the above section didn’t convince you, let’s have a look at some other passages to help us understand and back up why we are called to be witnesses and the importance of witnessing for every believer.

Jesus’ Example:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19

Jesus’ Command:

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Called to Be Ambassadors for Christ Who Proclaim His Greatness:

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10

Participating With God in Proclaiming the Good News:

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:13-15

Witnessing is Part of Being a Disciple of Jesus:

“And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

Witnessing as a Response to What Christ Has Done For You:

“for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20

Witnessing Because We Love and Care For Others:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” 1 John 1:1-4

“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8

What Do We Proclaim As Witnesses of Christ?

It’s not enough to just understand that we are to proclaim Christ as His witnesses to the ends of the earth, but we must know the story we are a part of in order to proclaim it rightly and truthfully.

We must proclaim God’s Word.

We don’t just share our own thoughts and opinions, but everything we share must be rooted in the Word of God. It is through hearing the Word of God that people are saved!

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

We Proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.

I love how Paul explains the entirety of the gospel in so many parts of scripture. These can be great places to look and examine what to share.

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:1-10

There are so many great verses to share in this section, but for the sake of space, here are a few others that are helpful to look up: Romans 3:21-26, Romans 5:1-11, Romans 6:20-23, Galatians 1-2, Ephesians 1:3-14.

Ultimately, we share the good news of the gospel that we see in God’s Word. We share that God is God and there is no other, we share the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness and into His wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). This is indeed the best news, so why wouldn’t we want to declare it to all the earth?!

How To Be a Witness For Christ

Our role as a witness is to both tell of the good news with our words, but to also share through our actions. Witnessing is an all of life kind of thing because following Christ encompasses all of life! We are called to follow Him (Matthew 4:19), walk in a manner worthy of the calling He has given us (Colossians 1:10), be representatives of God in His mercy, grace, and forgiveness (1 Peter 2:9-10), and be prepared to tell of the hope we have in Him (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Being a Witness Involves Both Word and Deed

To continue on with our 1 Peter 2 passage, let’s look a little further into the passage and the book of 1 Peter to see how he connects both telling of the good news with words and deeds.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:9-12

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15

There’s a distinction in all of these passages. We share both in word and deed in response to all that God has done for us. It is out of who we are in Christ and whose we are as children of God that we go on to share and act in a way that is pleasing to God. Our good deeds don’t save us, but are our proper response to the saving grace given to us. Then in turn, people see our good deeds and are drawn to this glorious God that we serve!

You Must Draw Near to God For Yourself!

As you seek to share all that you have seen and heard, YOU must first be drawing near to God for yourself. Spend time with God in His Word, in prayer, in fellowship with others, and grow in your relationship with Him. As you do so, you will have first hand experience to witness about your own relationship with God to others! Look at the example of the disciples in this. They spent time with Jesus, learned from Him, and then couldn’t help but share all that they had seen and heard (Acts 4:20).

Being a Witness Involves Prayer and Dependence on the Spirit.

Remember, as a witness it isn’t your job to save people (that’s God’s job!), but to share all that you have experienced. So as you seek to share, do so with a heart of prayer for those you are sharing with and for your words to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Ask God to work through you both in word and deed, and do His work in the hearts of those around you. Pray diligently and depend fully on the work of the Spirit as you faithfully share.

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
1 Corinthians 3:7

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Tools to Help You Share With Others:

While witnessing is definitely an all of life thing as we live our lives with God, there are some wonderful tools to help us to be ready to tell of the hope we have in Christ when times arise. Here are some great resources that I like to use in sharing my faith with others.

• Your personal testimony. Your story is an incredible way to share the hope you have in Christ. It is your first hand story of all that God has done in your life. This can be one of the most powerful tools of sharing Christ with those around you. If shared well in a way that points others to Christ and not to you, it can bring the power of the gospel to light for those who don’t yet know Him. My biggest encouragement for doing this is to include the gospel message clearly (not just your own story) and include a gospel verse. Click here to get a great resource for thinking through how to share your own testimony.
• The Bridge Illustration. This is a great tool for sharing the gospel in visual form. There are many ways to use this, but I like the one-verse bridge illustration because it is simpler than having to remember a ton of different verses to share and is also simpler for those you are sharing with. Now, it takes some adapting to get the whole big picture story of scripture and the gospel in there, but that’s the fun of adapting it in your own words! Click here to get more information about sharing in this way.
• Share as you go. Much of witnessing about Christ comes during day to day conversations and lifestyles. Pray for opportunities to share about Christ both in word and deed and look for opportunities that come up to share about the hope you have in Christ. This may come up in a conversation with a friend about why you live the way you do or may look like standing up for the oppressed when no one else is willing to. It may be boldly sharing the gospel with a friend or taking every opportunity to show His sacrificial love with those around you. Both word and deed are essential as we live as God’s children in the midst of the world around us, declaring His greatness to those who have yet to hear this wonderful news.
• Read the Bible with a friend. Have a friend interested in learning more about Jesus? Why not ask them if they want to read the Bible with you so that they can see for themselves what it has to say and decide what they think about it all? My favorite place to start is by reading the book of John with someone and looking specifically at two questions: Who is Jesus? And what does He want from us?
• Share Christ in community. Welcome your non-believing friends into your lives and community. Overlap your community with your believing friends and non-believing friends and let them see what it looks like to live as a community of disciples transformed by Jesus. If we are truly living as God calls us to in community with one another as believers, our lives should look different and attract others to not only this type of community but to Christ Himself!

I pray that as we seek to live lives that are transformed by the gospel, our natural response would be to share about all that we have seen and heard. We have been saved, redeemed, restored, and made children of God, so let’s go out and declare His greatness to the world around us. May we live in such a way that shows our only hope is Christ and that gives us opportunities to share this great hope we have in Him! And let’s do this with prayer and dependence on God to do the work in the lives of those we love so dearly.

*This resource is meant to be shared! If you found it helpful, please share it with family and friends, use it as you disciple your children or others in your life that you are discipling, and continue passing on a love for being a witness for Christ!*

Check out my other resources in my “Getting Started” series:
Spending Time with God in His Word: How to Get Started
Prayer: A Helpful Tool to Get Started
What is True Biblical Fellowship?
Getting Started with Family Bible Time
Discipling Children: Where Do We Start?