Witnessing 101 [Paperback]

Tim Baker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2003

Teens talk to their friends about sports, fashion, and relationships. But how do they talk to their friends about their most important relationship-with Jesus Christ? Witnessing 101 is a fast-paced and informative guide that can help youth do just that. Beginning with the true gospel message, this book takes teens from the basics of evangelism to the specifics of witnessing to friends at school, in their communities, and even on the Internet. This book offers teens practical advice on what to say-and what not to say-when sharing Christ. It is a must-have resource for Christian youth and youth leaders.

Topics include:

• what isn't the Gospel
• how to be a friend first
• how to write your testimony
• bad witnessing strategies
• keeping your passion alive, and more!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tim Baker is a best selling, award winning author who has written or contributed to numerous youthworker and student books, including three Gold Medallion finalists. His student books include Witnessing 101, Extreme Faith, Why So Many Gods? and Walkdawalk. He’s a 13-year youth ministry veteran, and the Student Ministries pastor at Hope Fellowship in Longview Texas. He and his wife Jacqui have three children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Okay. Here's the scene.

You and your best friend just got in line to buy concert tickets. You mom dropped you off, and you've got to get them and get back to the mall entrance in less than an hour. Looking at the line, this will not be easy. You and your friend begin to pass the time by talking about Stacey, the new girl you saw in the hall yesterday. You think she rocks. Your friend does too. You begin talking about how you both want to ask her out.
And then it happened.

"Deeeewwwdddd!" Steve walks up. Steve is annoying. You know Steve from church. At church, you tolerate him. Away from church, Steve has the plague.

"Are you guys buying tickets to this concert too? Man, that is awesome. It's gonna be krunked out! Hey, let's get seats together."

Did I mention that Steve is annoying? Steve gets started, and he just won't stop.

"I've been down with Creed since back in the day. Did I tell you that Scott Stapp and I have the same vision for reaching people for Jesus? Yeah, we're a lot alike. You know what I like to do? I like to take one of their songs, play it over and over for someone I've just met in the park and then ask them if they died tonight, do they know they'd go to heaven."
You and your friend give each other the Steve-is-a-freak look. Just as the two of you begin to burst out laughing, Steve pulls a portable CD player out of his pocket, gives you a check-this-out look and heads a few people back.

You watch as he puts headphones on a total stranger and starts the CD. After a few minutes, Steve yanks the headphones off the stranger, opens his Bible, and begins his spiel. The scene is unbelievable. Before long, Steve's project, after trying every other polite tactic, just flat ignores him. Without missing a beat, Steve moves on to the next person.

"Not cool," your friend says.

"What a freak," you respond.

 

Okay. So maybe you've never actually been in that situation. Never been present when a believing friend laid out his or her faith in the hopes of rescuing someone. Do you know a Steve? Ever been a Steve?
Ever tried to tell someone what you believe about Jesus and been laughed at? Ever tried and got the whole thing totally messed up? Ever felt like you ought to tell someone about Christ, but were too scared, didn't know what to say, or were totally not sure about how to go about it?
Look. You are not alone. The truth is that loads of believers want to tell others about Christ but are too scared. Many try, but don't know what to say. So, if you're scared or unsure, you are not in a crowd by yourself.
When you look at what Jesus said to do with Him, His reality, and His truth, you can't ignore that you've got to say something about Him to unbelieving friends. So, what do you say? How do you live? And, how do you even know that what you've said or how you've lived has made a difference?

There's no easy answers. And, anyone who tells you that there's a simple formula for saving your friends probably doesn't know your friends.
As you try to share what you believe about Jesus, what isn't cool? It isn't cool to be a Steve. And, it is cool to be yourself. If God has done something wonderful in you, then it's totally cool to be yourself, tell others what He's done in you in a way that's both comfortable (that fits you) and compelling (that helps the other person understand Jesus and the change He's made in you).

Witnessing 101 will help you be both comfortable and compelling. Look, we won't load you down with unimportant, useless stuff that might confuse you. You're not going to get a silly system that will help you put notches in your Bible. Instead, you'll find simple stuff you can use as you try to live out what you believe around your unbelieving friends.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849944163
• ISBN-13: 978-0849944161
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,121,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tim Baker is the author of numerous books, including Leave a Footprint - Change the World, Broken, and The Way I See It and the Award-winning Extreme Faith. He's the Managing Editor of The Journal of Student Ministries, and a regular columnist for Youthwalk Magazine. Tim lives in Longview, Texas, with his wife, Jacqui, and their three kids. Find out more about Tim at www.timbaker.cc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teaches Long-haul Evangelism With a Modern Voice, April 27, 2004

By 

A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "What should ... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Witnessing 101 (Paperback)

"Witnessing 101" by Tim Baker is refreshing. Many churches, he says, tell us that witnessing is more of a speech told at people. Tim Baker says it is more about a long-haul relationship in which a person intentionally share their faith, and in doing so, is more honest, loving and accurate.

He takes standard ideas on sharing one's faith and presents them in a way that can be understood by junior high school age and above.

With punchy language indicating he is hip to what it means to be a teenager, Baker shows he is current with what today's youth are dealing with in their Monday-Saturday lives. I wish he translate this book into something we 30-somethings can readily understand, as the ideas here are no different that will be found in any solid adult evangelism program.

Baker's goal is to remove the barriers that teens have in sharing the gospel effectively with their friends. He honestly explains how it is easy to irritate others by being a know-it-all, how there is no need to cuss just to be connect with someone, and how tempting it is to follow those friends into parties or cults experiences and wind up in terrible trouble.

One theme Baker keeps returning to is the teen's testimony. He explains that there is no such thing as a boring testimony, and to avoid embellishing it to make it sound more exciting. He provides several exercises for thinking through and outlining what a testimony should and shouldn't say.

A challenge that runs through the text is to ask ourselves what stops us from sharing the Gospel, and how can we get past that. Do we need to know everything about theology? No. Does tolerance mean everyone gets into Heaven, even those who despise Christ? No. Will we be ready for every question the other person has in response? No. Will God help us? Yes.

He gets into a chapter on what the Gospel is, and what it isn't, and the core truths we know of God. He lists several commonly heard lies about God, like "The earth is God," and "There are many paths to God." Similarly, he lists lies about Jesus, Heaven, sin, Satan, salvation and humans. Fans of Josh McDowell or Norman Geisler will connect with these chapters.

When thinking of what to say to whom, he suggests the following questions, followed by why they are important to ask:

* Who (pick someone)

* Are you their friend?

* What do they already know?

* What do you need to say?

* Before, during and after, after, after...

These are based on being a real friend, and considering who they are before trying to tell them what you think.

He discourages dating nonbelievers, and explains why. He makes his point while describing the pitfalls of justifying dating as an opportunity to build trust. The pretense is false and dangerous on many levels, and so Baker cautions accordingly.

Throughout, Baker depends on Scripture. Bible verses are quoted and referenced to for every point, always bringing Christ as the focus. He writes humbly, noting his life and troubles, as well as how his faith developed. He tells the story about he was the kind of person who fell through the cracks, and was easily ignored, thanks to being dyslexic and having ADHD. Someone took the time to love him despite his mistakes, and now he is a youth pastor and author of several award-winning books.

Unlike other books written for the teen market, Baker steers away from dropping cultural references that will be forgotten in five years. This book should have staying power for a few more years than some others.

I fully recommend "Witnessing 101" by Tim Baker. Students can use this in a weekly meeting, or on their own. Not only will they learn what sharing their faith means and how to do it, but they will also gain insight about living a life that's true.

Anthony Trendl

editor, HungarianBookstore.com

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource!, August 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Witnessing 101 (Paperback)

Like many people I have difficulty telling others about my faith. I don't mind that people know I'm a Christian, but I secretly hope they don't ask me questions about what I believe or why.

I'm amazed by this book. It helped me feel more comfortable with sharing my faith. It helped me put together my testimony in a way that makes sense. It helped me know how to start a conversation about God with someone. It even has steps with scriptures you can lead someone through to accept Christ. This book is extremely practical and written in a way that makes sense.

If you're scared about sharing your faith you need to get this creative, practical and well written book. I highly recommend it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great tool kit for the new witnesser, August 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Witnessing 101 (Paperback)

If you are like me, one of the toughest parts of being a Christian was being unable to share with others the joy and peace my faith has brought me. I'm kind of quiet to begin with, and feel like I don't always know the best way to say things. I know I am not alone in feeling this way, but I was surprised to find out that a couple of my more outgoing confident friends even had the same problems.

I need to tell you that "Witnessing 101" has made it a whole lot easier for me to spread the Gospel. Mr. Baker really knows what I was up against, and the book made it easy for me to get over, around and through my roadblocks. I think the best part is where he explains what NOT to say. That has made me a lot more confident, and I think it could help any teen or young adult to follow his suggestions.