New magazine series explores witnessing

This month’s issue of Forward in Christ magazine (FIC) is featuring a new series on witnessing. “Ambassadors: Help them see Jesus” will offer tips and strategies to help readers as they proclaim the gospel message to others.

“When we come to faith, we discover the love of God; he has forgiven us and given us heaven. We want to tell others about what we have, but we sometimes don’t know how to do it,” says Rev. John Braun, FIC executive editor. “We created the ‘Ambassadors’ series to provide some practical strategies for opportunities when we feel awkward telling others about Jesus. It will show how to give a simple witness about Jesus and his love.”

Authors for this 12-part series often will share personal stories as they discuss topics such as examining every unique situation, abandoning Christian jargon, avoiding arguing, and dealing with intimidators and know-it-alls. Articles will also look at the importance of praying, studying the Word, and knowing your limitations.

This series is just one part of FIC’s direction to help its readers with outreach. “We are sent to make disciples of all nations, including our relatives, friends, and neighbors. In the past months FIC has focused on the gospel, the one tool God has given us to extend his kingdom. The gospel is the power of God to salvation,” says Braun. “We have also explored the ministry of Jesus and found lessons for our evangelism efforts in his ministry.”

This emphasis directly connects with the synod’s goal to reach one million souls with the gospel message by this Christmas Eve. The Christmas Eve service theme, “A Light in the Darkness,” highlights that Jesus is the light at a time when studies suggest that many are experiencing depression and anxiety. “Our goal is simply to help our readers to speak the gospel to those still in darkness,” says Braun.

Forward in Christ also wants to highlight readers’ efforts to share Jesus. “We want our readers to share their stories about the successful witness opportunities and the failures,” says Braun. “Every opportunity to speak about Jesus is different, but we can learn from each other.” Readers can submit their stories directly to FIC by e-mailing [email protected], with the subject line: “How I shared Jesus.” Forward in Christ plans to print these stories in upcoming issues.

Read the first article in the series. Subscribe to Forward in Christ to continue reading this series and other inspirational and informational articles.