YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS!--Jesus Is the Answer!
--By Maria
Maria #165 DO 2791 3/92
1. Dear teens (and this includes you JETTs!), and anyone who witnesses!: Please remember that if people are sheepy and if they're the Lord's children, then when you share the truth with them in your witnessing, no matter how you say it, the Lord is going to bless it and the Holy Spirit is going to punch through! After all, you're not the ones who are doing the work! It's the Holy Spirit! Remember the little story we printed in the HOPE Mag about the man who stammered and stuttered and got red in the face whenever he had to talk to people? He made a big mess out of his witness in front of the group of Indian people, but still, when he asked who wanted to receive the Lord, everybody raised their hand! (See HOPE #29, pg.20, "God Hath Chosen the Foolish Things.")
2. If you're in the right spirit and are sincere and trying to do your best, then the Lord will bless your witness! The Holy Spirit will work regardless of how messed up or twisted around or confusing your words are, or how badly you do. So you don't have to be afraid of making a mess of things, because whatever you say to try to share the truth of the Word, the Lord's going to bless it. His Word is not going to return unto Him void (Isa.55:11).
3. You don't have to answer all their Biblical questions and their confusion and their doubts about things. If they ask you a question you don't know the answer to, just tell them that's something you're not sure about yet and you're still learning. "The Bible is a big book and it takes a lifetime of study to learn all the neat things in the Word. But one thing I do know, I sure know that the Lord answers prayer and He's my Best Friend and He really works!"
4. You don't have to feel bad if you don't know all the answers! Look at me!--I've heard all of these things and I'm supposed to know it, but I just forget it almost as quick as I hear it! I don't know where some of the scriptures are and I don't know the references, but I'm sure I could be a reasonably good witness anyway.
5. You don't have to be hung up if you don't know where this or that verse is, or what the answer is to this or that question. Just talk about something you do know! You sure know that the Lord works in your life and He answers prayer and He's your Best Friend! Give them some scriptures you do know! You probably know the answers to most important questions if you just know the verses in the Memory Book. You could answer people's questions about Salvation, the Holy Spirit, discipleship, the Endtime, etc., just by sharing the Memory Book verses. And if you don't happen to have all those verses memorized, you can just use your book and show the verses to them right there under the different categories. That makes it simple!
6. Don't worry if you don't know the answers to all the difficult questions that people ask, that they've been sort of propagandized with by the Enemy or scoffers who try to cast doubt on the Bible: "Why did God let that happen in the Bible? How come He was so cruel that He killed this guy or that guy for doing something?" Just say, "Well, I don't know all the answers to those questions, but one thing I do know--I know the Answer Man! I know God sure works in my life and I know He can work in yours! And if you'll just accept Him, then you'll get the answers to your questions in His good time if you really need them."
7. Of course, the question may come up: "Then why do we have to polish up our witness? Why do we have to continue to learn more scriptures and learn the scriptural answers to people's questions if it's not necessary and the Holy Spirit will take care of it anyway?" Well, one reason is that you have to learn the Word to grow, and a related point is that you need to learn because you need to have the confidence to go out there and be able to answer most questions; otherwise you may feel insecure in your witness.
8. So your knowledge of the Word and being good witnesses is more for your own good, so that you can become secure and confident that you know your job, that you can do it. It's almost more important for that reason than it is for the people you're witnessing to! It's to give you the confidence to go out there and want to witness, and so you will witness. You could get very embarrassed and discouraged after a while if you couldn't answer people's questions. You know the Lord has the answer but perhaps you don't know where to find it, how to give it and what to say to them. Discouragement and fear of failure are almost the biggest factors in preventing people from witnessing.
9. Of course, it does help people when you can say, "Look, I can show you this answer to your question right here in the Bible." But I don't think your ability to do that is the key factor that will decide whether or not they'll get saved. If the person you're witnessing to is really receptive and open to the Lord and is seeking the Lord, I don't think it matters whether you have a great knowledge of the scriptures or not, just so you can help him to pray the Salvation prayer. The Lord will bless that, and your lack of knowledge is not going to spoil your witness or cause you to be unfruitful. Even John 3:16 can win a soul!
10. Of course, if you're not able to answer someone's questions, it may mean that perhaps you aren't going to win that soul right then and there. Maybe he's going to go on a while until he gets some of his questions answered elsewhere before he gets saved. But just because you don't know some scriptures or you don't know the answers to all his questions doesn't mean he's not going to get saved. Maybe he's not going to get saved right then, but the Lord's not going to allow that to keep him from getting saved eventually if you're doing your best.
11. So knowing the answers to complicated questions is almost more for the sake of the witnesser than for the one being witnessed to, because it gives the witnesser confidence and conviction. Dad says that in order to sell a product you have to be sold on it yourself, and if you're really sold on the Word, people can feel that when you talk to them. You can flip from page to page in your Bible because you know it's the truth and you believe it. People are turned on when they see you really know your product and that you are sold on it. They figure, "Well, if you're so sold on it, and you look like a pretty nice person, then there must be something to it!" So they're very interested, if only for that reason.
12. But even if you don't know all the answers to people's difficult questions, I don't think it's going to keep people from getting your product. I think with you witnessers who are just starting out and aren't so adept at giving people answers and don't quite know what to say, your sincerity and your enthusiasm can overcome all of that. You're sold on the product even though you don't exactly know all the intricacies of it yet.
13. If you have the conviction that your product's great, even though you don't know all about it and don't know all the answers, then that will overcome any lack of knowledge or lack of eloquence! I don't think anybody's going to go away deciding they'll never receive the Lord just because you didn't know the answers to some of their questions! You can give them your own testimony; you can tell them what the Lord's done in your life!
14. The blind man that Jesus healed was a perfect example of that. When the Scribes and Pharisees came up to him and asked him about his healing, he said he didn't know too much about the details, but this one thing he knew, once he was blind but now he could see! (John 9:25). He didn't know too much about anything other than that, but that was enough for him! You can talk about your personal testimony and all the Lord has done for you, and how happy you are serving Him. (For more ideas on how to answer personal questions about your beliefs, practices and lifestyle, see "Wise Witnessing Replies.")
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family