A well known pastor/teacher said the following:

I’m not responsible for who gets saved, and neither are you.  I refuse that responsibility.  Then who is responsible?  “No man comes to Me,” Jesus said, “except the Father draw him.”  God has that responsibility, not us.*

What then is the Christian’s responsibility?  The Christian’s responsibility is to sow the seed.  The seed is the Word of God.  It is all good seed.  As we sow the seed, we should be asking God to let it fall on good ground.  Good ground is ground that has been prepared by the Holy Spirit.  Seed that falls on good ground brings forth fruit.

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  Matthew 13:23

The question, therefore, is not: how many souls have you won, but have you been sowing seed?

Here are some personal observations concerning sowing seed:

If you do not want to sow seed, then you probably shouldn’t.  If you do not want to sow seed, it will likely be obvious to the recipients of your efforts.

If you are to sow seed, it must be deliberate and intentional but not forced.  Write out your testimony of salvation and begin to share it in conversation as God gives the opportunity.   Ask God for opportunities to sow seed and ask Him to help you recognize the opportunity when it comes.

There will be many opportunities to share the gospel but personally, I would be hesitant to share my testimony verbally with a cashier and a long line of shoppers behind me.  Use instead a gospel tract or  a business type card with a blog address or short message on it.

Witnessing to a police officer who has pulled you over for speeding or reckless driving is probably not a good opportunity.  If you habitually break traffic laws, you should probably remove the Christian bumper stickers from your car. 

Witnessing to someone to whom you owe an unpaid bill is probably not a good idea either.   Paying a tithe while not paying your bills is in my view hypocrisy.

If a person is not interested in spiritual things then respect their wishes.  Respecting their wishes may get you another opportunity to witness later.  Not respecting their wishes will most likely get the door shut on you permanently and possibly anyone else that comes behind you.

Whenever I present My Testimony to someone,  I tell them that I would like to share how God worked in my life to bring me into a relationship with Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Whether I share My Testimony in person,  by letter, or emaiI; I usually say that it contains religious material and if they think they would be offended by it, they should not take it, and/or read it.  However, if sharing by mail, I may ask them to keep it around in the event that one day they should change their mind.  I also try to tell them in person that I will not be offended if they do not care to read it.  

You may be wondering why I would include these things from the preceding paragraph because they almost seem to be discouraging the individual from reading the message.  The reason I try to include these statements is to make the presentation of the gospel manipulation free.  The presentation of the gospel is not a sales call.

If you are traveling, plan ahead.  Take some gospel tracts or your written testimony along to sprinkle along the way.  Personally, I would not pick up a tract left in a public restroom.   Be discreet and don’t litter!

 Giving a generous tip when leaving a tract for a waitress or hotel maids is a good idea.  If a tip is expected, never leave a tract without a tip.

Remember, sowing seed is not about you or your success or failure at sowing.  Sowing seed is about obeying God.  The results belong to Him.

Note: The personal advice above is just that, my personal views.  It is how I do it.  Feel free to disagree as long as it is my opinion and not a biblical command that you are disagreeing with.  Do not accept anyone’s opinion unless you are personally convinced or persuaded of it in your own mind.

*John MacArthur – Hard to Believe (workbook) pg. 160