Share Him

Memory Text:

“‘The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned’” (Isaiah 50:4, NKJV).

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Have you ever received good news so wonderful that you could not keep it to yourself?

A passed board exam. A healed loved one. A long-awaited answer to prayer. An engagement. A child born. A door opened. A blessing received.

Some things are just not meant to stay hidden.

The same is true with the gospel. When Christ becomes precious to the soul, the heart looks for ways to speak of Him. Witnessing is not merely a church program. It is not just a department. It is not only an event.

It is the natural overflow of a heart that has seen Jesus.

In this lesson, we will look at why we share Him: because the heart overflows, because love draws, and because the lost must matter to us.

Witnessing Is a Natural Overflow

When a cup is filled beyond its capacity, the next natural phenomenon is overflow.

Not inwardly.

Outwardly.

No one has to command the water to spill. No one has to push it out. When the cup is full, it overflows by nature.

So it is with the Christian life.

Salvation doesn’t stop with a single believer. Yes, Jesus would have died even if you were the only one who went astray. That is how personal His love is. But once the love of Jesus fills the heart, we begin to desire that others experience the same love.

As water gushes out of the cup, so is the love of Jesus from the heart of His disciple.

Matthew 12:34 KJV
“…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

Notice that Jesus does not say, “Out of the abundance of the mouth the heart speaks.”

No.

The heart comes first.

This is important because many Christians think the main problem with witnessing is technique. We think we need the perfect method, the perfect outline, the perfect Bible study, the perfect answer to every difficult question.

Those things have their place. We should learn. We should study. We should prepare.

But the deeper question is this: What fills the heart?

If the heart is filled with anger, the mouth will speak anger.
If the heart is filled with argument, the mouth will speak argument.
But if the heart is filled with Christ, the mouth will speak Christ.

This is why Isaiah 50:4 is so beautiful. The Servant of the Lord is given “the tongue of the learned,” but before He speaks, His ear is awakened “morning by morning.”

Before there is a word in season, there is an ear awakened by God.

Before we speak for God, we must first learn to listen to God. Before we share Christ with others, we must first behold Christ for ourselves.

Witnessing becomes heavy when the heart is empty. But when the heart is filled, witnessing becomes overflow.

This does not mean it will always be easy. Some of us are shy. Some of us are afraid. Some of us do not know where to begin. But even then, the principle remains: the closer we come to Jesus, the more naturally we will want others to come to Him too.

Think of the Samaritan woman in John 4. She did not have a complete theology degree. She did not have all the answers. But after meeting Jesus, she went back to her city and said:

John 4:29 NKJV
“Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

That was her witness.

Simple. Honest. Personal.

Come and see.

That is where witnessing often begins. Not with pressure. Not with performance. Not with pretending to know everything.

Just this: “Come and see what Jesus has done for me.”

The Force of Love

Love doesn’t force.

But love is a strong force.

See the difference?

There is a kind of religious witnessing that tries to move people by fear alone. It pressures. It threatens. It corners people. It uses the nearness of the end, the terrors of judgment, and the fear of being lost as the main motive for surrender.

Now, to be clear, the Bible does contain warnings. The judgment is real. The coming of Christ is real. The danger of rejecting God is real. We should not remove the solemn truths of Scripture.

But warning is not the same as manipulation.

Ellen White said,

“The shortness of time is urged as an incentive for us to seek righteousness and to make Christ our friend. This is not the great motive. It savors of selfishness. Is it necessary that the terrors of the day of God be held before us to compel us through fear to right action? This ought not to be. Jesus is attractive.”¹

That last line is everything.

Jesus is attractive.

We should never force anyone through scare tactics. Resorting to such tactics shows that we really haven’t seen the force of love yet. We haven’t realized that we don’t need to force love if we have the force of love.

Fear may awaken a person temporarily, but only love can win the heart. Fear may make someone ask, “How do I avoid punishment?” But love makes someone ask, “How can I know Him more?”

There is a difference.

One centers self-preservation.
The other centers Christ.

One says, “I do not want to be lost.”
The other says, “I do not want to be away from Jesus.”

Of course, God can use fear to wake us up. Sometimes we need to be startled by reality. But fear should not be the place where we stay. The goal of the gospel is not merely to make people afraid of hell, but to make them fall in love with Christ.

Ellen White writes again:

“The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he does not resist he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins, which have caused the sufferings of God’s dear Son.”²

Catch that?

The force of love is enough—or should be enough—to draw someone to the foot of the cross.

If the cross cannot draw people, what makes us think manipulation can? If the love of Christ is not enough to move the heart, what makes us think religious pressure will do better?

The cross is God’s greatest argument.

At Calvary, we see sin for what it is. We see what our rebellion has cost. We see the suffering of the Son of God. But we also see love beyond comprehension.

There, the sinner is not merely scared. The sinner is drawn.

This should shape the way we witness. We do not hide the truth. We do not soften sin. We do not erase judgment. But we present every truth in the light of the cross.

Prophecy without Christ becomes terror.
Doctrine without Christ becomes information.
Correction without Christ becomes condemnation.
But truth in Christ becomes life.

So share Him.

Not merely charts.
Not merely arguments.
Not merely warnings.
Not merely facts.

Share Him.

Because when Jesus is seen as He truly is, He draws.

Does It Break Your Heart?

Jeremiah 31:15 NLT
This is what the LORD says: “A cry is heard in Ramah—deep anguish and bitter weeping. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted—for her children are gone.”

“What keeps you up at night?”

This is the expression often used when asking what weighs upon one’s heart so deeply that it makes sleeping difficult. It reveals the most important areas of our lives—the things that occupy our thoughts, prayers, burdens, and tears.

One might be kept up at night because of family concerns. Another because of financial pressure. Another because of sickness. Another because of the pressing issues of society. Whatever it is, what keeps us up at night usually reveals what is dear to us.

In Jeremiah 31, we read of a cry.

A cry that doesn’t stop.

A cry that swells out of a broken heart.

Broken because the children are gone.

Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted. It is the language of deep anguish. The picture is not mild concern. It is heartbreak.

Now here is the question:

Do we feel the same for the lost?

Do they keep us up at night?

If not, why not?

That is a painful question. But perhaps it is a necessary one.

A person who has been touched by the gospel becomes synced with the heart of Jesus, and Jesus’ heart beats for the lost. We should, too.

When Jesus saw the multitudes, He was not irritated by them. He was not annoyed by their ignorance. He was not disgusted by their brokenness. The Bible says:

Matthew 9:36 NKJV
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”

There it is.

Weary.

The same word-picture appears in our memory text. Isaiah says the Servant of the Lord knows “how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.”

The weary need a word.

But not just any word.

A word in season.

That means a timely word. A fitting word. A Spirit-shaped word. A word that comes not from religious pride, but from a heart that has listened to God and learned compassion from Christ.

This is why witnessing is not merely about speaking. It is also about seeing.

Do we see the weary?

Do we see the classmate who laughs loudly but is quietly empty?
Do we see the church member who still attends but is slowly drifting?
Do we see the family member who avoids spiritual things because of old wounds?
Do we see the young person who looks fine but is spiritually tired?
Do we see the neighbor, coworker, friend, or stranger as someone Christ died for?

Jesus did.

And when Jesus saw the lost, His heart moved toward them.

Maybe this is where our witnessing must begin. Not with a script. Not with a campaign. Not with a strategy.

But with a prayer:

“Lord, break my heart for the people You love.”

Because when the heart is broken by the things that break the heart of Jesus, witnessing will no longer feel like a burden to carry. It will become a love we cannot contain.

Conclusion

Witnessing is not first a technique. It is an overflow.

When the heart is filled with Christ, the mouth will eventually speak of Christ. When the ear is awakened morning by morning, the tongue learns how to speak a word in season to the weary. When the love of Jesus becomes real to us, we stop relying on force, fear, and pressure. We begin to trust the drawing power of Christ.

Love doesn’t force.

But love is a strong force.

The cross proves it.

So share Him.

Share Him because He is attractive.
Share Him because He is full of love, mercy, and compassion.
Share Him because the weary need a word in season.
Share Him because the lost matter to Jesus.
Share Him because the heart that has been filled with His love cannot help but overflow.

And if we do not yet feel that burden, then let us begin with this prayer:

“Lord, awaken my ear. Fill my heart. Break my heart. Give me a word in season for someone who is weary.”

Because somewhere near us, someone is tired.

Someone is searching.

Someone is drifting.

Someone is waiting to hear of a Savior who is altogether lovely.

Let us share Him.

Discussion Questions

1. What usually keeps you from sharing Christ with others—fear, busyness, lack of confidence, lack of burden, or something else?
2. What is the difference between warning people in love and using fear as a religious scare tactic?
3. Who in your life might be “weary” right now and in need of a word in season?
4. What is one specific way you can share Jesus this week—through prayer, encouragement, testimony, Bible study, invitation, or practical care?

Endnotes

1. Ellen G. White, “A Happy Walk with Jesus,” Review and Herald, August 2, 1881, par. 6.
2. Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ (Oakland, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892), 27.