For those of us who don’t have the spiritual gift of evangelism, the word witness can stir up some unpleasant memories or paralyzing anxieties. In fact, I’ve sometimes felt like a complete failure when I tried to follow methods that were designed to make witnessing easier.

Jim Henderson, author of Evangelism Without Additives: What if Sharing Your Faith Meant Just Being Yourself? has made the subject less threatening for me by suggesting another way of thinking about the subject. Instead of using someone else’s words or story, he suggests “just being yourself.”

In courtrooms, second-hand testimony is not allowed because anything other than a first-hand account is unreliable. The same is true spiritually. The authentic story of the work Christ has done in our lives is the best testimony we have. We don’t need to doctor it or dramatize it. When we tell the truth about Christ’s power to save us and keep us from sin, our testimony will be credible.

If the thought of taking classes or memorizing plans has kept you from witnessing, try a different approach: be yourself! Like the blind man Jesus healed, simply say, “Though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25).  — Julie Ackerman Link