We know that we are supposed to witness. And many times we can tell that the Holy Spirit wants us to open our mouths and talk to a particular individual about Jesus Christ. But we hem and haw around until we let the opportunity pass. Then we chastise ourselves and say, "Man, I should have said something to him/her about Jesus." And the cycle repeats itself over and over. So, why do we do this?

1. Timidity. You’re in good company here. Moses was very timid (shy, hesitant, shrinking from attention) when God told him to lead the Jews out of Egypt. Look how many times he tried to be excused from the job: Ex 3:11, 13; 4:1, 10, 13. However, all he did was make God angry (Ex 4:14). So, how do we get past the timidity? Prov 28:1 and Acts 4:29-31. Pray for boldness and expect God to give it to you.

2. Fear of Dissociation. Most people would rather have other folks talk nice about them than to have them talk bad about them. As a result, it is easy to fear:

a. Peer Pressure – Jn 12:42-43.
b. Dissociation – Jn 9:21-23, 34.
c. Personal Harm – Jn 12:10-11.

Here’s how Jesus handled that problem: Matt 10:31-39. He said that your friends will respond exactly the way you feared they would. But "fear ye not." "The fear of man bringeth a snare," (Prov 29:25). So, don’t worry about it. If they don’t want your Savior, they aren’t going to want you when they find out you are saved.

3. Indifference. Even though you believe Christians should witness, you get the idea that it doesn’t matter one way or the other whether you do. You don’t attach any great importance to witnessing. To you it is an insignificant part of your Christian life. But Rom 10:13-17 shows you that the lost will not hear without a preacher. And who knows if you aren’t just as needful as Esther was when her actions saved the Jews from annihilation (Est 4:13-16). If this work were so unimportant, the devil would not fight it so hard (2 Cor 4:3-4).

4. Irresponsibility. You get the idea that you can leave the job to somebody else like the preacher. You ease your conscience by convincing yourself that you are not responsible for them. That’s Cain’s philosophy, "Am I my brother’s keeper?" In Acts 8:1-4, notice that Paul was hauling Christians off to jail from EVERY HOUSE. All the Christians were publicly witnessing, both men and women. In 1 Pet 4:10-11, every man that received a gift was to minister the same to others. You have received the gift of Jesus and eternal life; therefore you have a responsibility to minister that gift to others.

5. Reluctance. You are unwilling because you don’t think it’s going to do any good anyway. So, why even bother? Listen, it doesn’t really make any difference whether you see any visible results from telling others about Jesus. Just tell them and leave the results to God. That’s what Ezekiel did (Eze 33:31-33). Anyway, if you keep sowing the word, pretty soon you are bound to see some results (Is 55:10-11).

6. Distraction. It seems like others things always get in the way. We tell ourselves, "As soon as I get this project or chore or job behind me, then I’ll tell someone about Jesus." But the distractions never go away. They are always there to "choke the word," (Mk 4:19). So, why not just start telling people that you meet and people that you know about Jesus while all these other things are going on. You’re in contact with people every day.

One of the best soul winners that I know today is likewise one of the busiest men I know. His business literally takes him all over the United States. However, he uses every contact he makes as an opportunity to tell others about Jesus. Therefore, he wins a lot of people to Jesus. Many of them wind up in good churches. And the Lord has blessed his business to boot. So, get over whatever is holding you back and get busy telling people you know and meet about Jesus Christ.

Hope this helps,

Pastor Welder