My First Witnessing Experience

People often expect the founder and president of a large international evangelistic ministry to be specially gifted by God to be outgoing, gregarious, and a natural conversationalist.  However, I am shy and reserved by nature and God has never taken those qualities away.  Maybe they are my “thorn in the flesh”.

Perhaps God knew that if He made witnessing easy for me, I might get the idea that it was my skill and not His working that brought people into His kingdom. This way, I have to be dependent on Him—and that’s the way He wants all of us to be, whether we’re shy or not.

I sure had to depend on Him during my first witnessing experience, because I was scared to death. It was late 1945, and I remember it as though it happened just this morning. (I guess when your adrenalin is pumping and your heart is in your throat, you remember things more clearly.)

Bob was an outstanding young businessman who had just begun attending our church. As I became acquainted with him, I felt that the Lord wanted me to talk with Bob about his salvation ... but I had no idea what I would say.

Maybe I can get Dr. Evans or Dr. Mears to talk to him, I rationalized. They’re good at this kind of thing. I’d probably blow it anyway.

But I couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that for some reason, God wanted me—not Dr. Evans or Dr. Mears—to be the one. But he’s sharp, I argued, and he’ll raise questions I can’t answer. Or he’ll say no and I’ll be embarrassed.

It’s amazing, isn’t it, how logical we can make ourselves sound when we’re trying to justify our disobedience?

These sounded like good arguments at the time. But something kept reminding me of Matthew 4:19: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” I realized it was my responsibility to simply follow the Lord and obey Him. His responsibility is to do the inner work of changing human hearts.

God also brought to mind Mark 16:15,16: “You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. Those who believe and are baptized will be saved. But those who refuse to believe will be condemned” (TLB). The more I rationalized, and the more I argued, the more God’s Holy Spirit reminded me that this command of Jesus Christ is just that—a command. It is not optional. If we love Him, we obey Him.

So, with mouth dry and heart pounding, I spoke with Bob about inviting Jesus Christ into his life. As we sat in his car, half a block down the street from the front of the church, I told him my story and showed him some Scriptures that highlighted man’s need for God and how to receive Christ as one’s personal Savior and Lord.

To my amazement and delight, Bob was as ready as anyone could be—as ripe as an overripe plum—and he prayed with me right there, asking the Lord Jesus to forgive him of his sin and to come into his life.

God had special plans for Bob. Shortly after he became a Christian, Bob resigned his position and entered seminary. He has been a minister for more than thirty-five years now, helping thousands of others to trust Christ and grow in their walk with Him.

No matter how inadequate or nervous you may feel, God will use your witness to His glory when you take the initiative, in love, to share Him with others.

By Bill Bright

©2025 Copyright Bright Media Foundation