Baptist City Blog

How to Be an Effective Witness

Ezekiel 2:3

"And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day."

One of the duties of the Christian is to be a witness for the LORD everywhere they go. The very last command Christ gave before He went to Heaven is found in Acts 1:8 when He says, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." You will notice that the purpose of the Holy Ghost's power is to be a witness for Christ. However, I don't just want to be a witness, I want to be an effective witness. I want to be a witness who gets the results that the Saviour desires. Ezekiel 2 shows us how to be an effective witness. God prepared Ezekiel to go to the nation of Israel, and in His preparation He showed us how we can be an effective witness for Him.

First, it takes initiative to be an effective witness. God said in verse 1, "...Son of man, stand upon thy feet,..." In other words, you can't wait for someone else to motivate you to be a witness for Christ. There are going to be times when you need to motivate yourself. When you don't feel like going, or when you don't want to witness to someone out of fear, it will take initiative to be the effective witness you are supposed to be.

Second, it takes Holy Spirit filling to be an effective witness. In verse 2, the Spirit of God entered Ezekiel so that he could be the witness God needed him to be. Likewise, you must be filled with the Spirit of God if you are going to be an effective witness. Yes, you may get results without being filled with the Spirit, but you will get greater results by being filled with the Spirit.

Third, it takes the Word of God to be an effective witness. God told Ezekiel to say in verse 4, "...Thus saith the Lord GOD." God's Word is what does the work in the hearts of people. When you witness to others about Christ, you must use the Word of God. Whether or not they will listen is not the point. When you speak the Word of God, It will do It's work in their heart without them knowing it.

Fourth, it takes determination to be an effective witness. In verse 5, God warned Ezekiel that the people probably would not listen to him, but he was to still proclaim the Word of God. If you are going to be an effective witness, you are going to have to be determined to continue witnessing when people reject you. Not everybody wants to be saved, and when they reject you, you will have to be determined to continue your witness for Christ.

Fifth, it takes boldness to be an effective witness. God told Ezekiel in verse 6, "...be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words,..." God is teaching us that the effective witness is a bold witness. Boldness will cause you to talk to people to whom you normally would not. Boldness will cause you to look past their stature or status and see their need for the Saviour. You will never be an effective witness without boldness.

Finally, it takes an understanding of your job to be an effective witness. God's command to Ezekiel in verse 7 was, "And thou shalt speak my words unto them,..." To be an effective witness you must realize that your job is to simply tell people how Christ can save them. It is not your job to see them saved, it is your job to give them the Gospel. If you can understand that you are simply to witness to people about Christ, then you will not be discouraged if they reject you.

Determine today to be an effective witness for Christ. There is a world that needs Christ, go and tell them. Follow these steps so you can be the effective witness that Christ needs you to be.