My youngest son enjoys cooking. He tells me that there are two kinds of cooks: those who follow recipes and those who don’t. He’s the latter. And I can enthusiastically report that the food he prepares, like the from-scratch egg ramen he made yesterday, is delicious. Recipe-following cooks aim for consistency and predictability, while non-recipe-followers enjoy the adventure of seeing where things go. Both approaches can work well.
The same is true with the “recipe” for personal ministry: Some believers want a sequential formula, while others prefer to let each opportunity unfold naturally. I’m the latter. Yet, over the years,
I’ve identified what I call the “essential ingredients” for effective personal witnessing: time, trust, testimony, and truth. The order can vary, but if you follow this general “recipe,” you’ll have God-given success.
Time. In Mark 3:14, Jesus called His disciples “that they might be with Him.” Any meaningful relationship involves spending time with the other person. Jesus knew this. There simply is no substitute for time, relationally speaking. So, in our efforts to bring the gospel to others, we’ll need to spend real, focused time with them. Just like Jesus did. This is because time builds…
Trust. The currency of any lasting, meaningful relationship is trust. We need to show ourselves as trustworthy and, in turn, trust the other person. Trust builds trust, and as with time, there’s no substitute for it. Once established, trust gives us the opportunity to share our personal…
Testimony. Your testimony is not just the story of your initial conversion, though it includes that important journey. From the same root as testify, a testimony is shared every time we talk of (testify of!) God’s goodness and faithfulness to us. We must not conceal what God has done for us, but, like the woman at the well in John 4, we should tell those around us the…
Truth. The God of Scripture is not a dusty, outdated deity. He is alive! He is the living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He Himself is the very embodiment of Truth (John 14:6) and His Word is Truth (John 17:17). In our witnessing to others, we should be truthful (thus building trust!) and also share the truth of God in relationally healthy, wise, and yet bold ways. God will open the door for us to do this effectively.Â
So, there you have it: the essential ingredients for personal ministry. How you use this recipe is up to you. You can be sure that God, by His Spirit, will help you be wise and effective as you work to build His Kingdom!
David Asscherick
David is a speaker/director for Light Bearers and ARISE co-founder and instructor. Since his baptism in 1999, David has traveled the globe preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He and his wife Violeta are the happy parents of two boys, Landon and Jabel.
