How to Share the Good News of Jesus Christ with Your Friends

Many Christian teens feel a passion to share their faith with others, but many are fearful of how their friends, family, and even strangers will react if they try to share their Christian beliefs.

Sharing your beliefs—or witnessing as it is sometimes called—can bring anxiety or visions of people shouting Christian tenets on street corners. While there is no one right way to spread the Gospel, there are seven principles of witnessing that can help you as you prepare to give your Truth for Youth® Bible away and share your faith.

These principles will help ease your anxiety and plant seeds of faith in others:

1. Understand Your Own Faith

Understanding the basics of your Christian faith can go a long way in easing your fears of sharing the gospel. Christian teens that have a clear vision of what they believe find it easier to share their faith with the people around them. Before you start witnessing to others, be sure you know what you believe and why you believe it. Sometimes even writing it down can make it all clearer.

2. Don’t focus on disproving other religions

Some Christian teens think that witnessing is about disproving other people’s faiths and religions. However, that isn’t necessarily true. There are inherent truths in other religions that are also present in the Christian faith. For instance, doing good things for the poor is a part of many religions around the world. Don’t be so focused on proving their beliefs wrong.

Instead, focus on showing how Christianity is right. Show what your faith does for you and talk about why you believe it is the truth. This way you’ll keep people from getting defensive and allow them to actually hear what you have to say. Focus on what distinguishes your Christian faith from every other religion: the unconditional love of Jesus Christ, God’s only son.

3. Know Why You’re Sharing the Gospel

Why do you want to evangelize others? Often Christian teens witness to others because they sometimes have an internal counter of how many people they “convert.” Others feel they are above non-Christians and witness from a point of arrogance.

If your motivations are not coming from a place of love and patience you could end with relying on manipulation to get a result. Know why you are sharing the gospel and don’t feel pressured to get a decision. Remember, John 6:44 says, “People cannot come to me unless the Father who sent me brings them to me.” Just plant a seed, the word of God, and leave the results to the Holy Spirit.

4. Set Limits

Again, planting a seed is an important part of witnessing. Avoid being a Christian teen that has to see a result, because you could become one of those argumentative witnesses that thinks they can simply debate or argue someone into the Kingdom. Instead set goals and limits for your discussion.

It helps to know your audience and to practice conversations. This way you will know how to answer tough questions and be prepared to walk away from a discussion before it becomes a shouting match. You will be amazed at how many of those seeds you plant will flourish over time.

5. Be Prepared for What You May Face

Many non-Christians have a vision of witnessing and evangelism that involves Christians “getting in their face” about faith. Some will avoid any discussion of religion, because they have had a bad experience with this type of forceful Christian. Others will have misconceptions about God’s nature. By practicing your evangelistic techniques you will find that talking to others about the Gospel will come easier over time.

6. Be a good listener with a good attitude

By being a good listener with a good attitude you learn where people are. With sincerity, ask questions that require them to think and to talk about themselves. Get them talking. Ask questions based on what they say. Ask “Why?” Be happy and not over serious. Use humor appropriately.

7. Pray as you go and go as you pray

Acts 6:4 says, “We will devote ourselves to praying and to serving in ways that are related to the word.” Prayer was first, ministry next.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:1 Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to “pray that we spread the Lord’s word rapidly and that it will be honored the way it was among you.” While witnessing, “Go as you pray and pray as you go.” Prayer should precede, accompany, and follow every aspect of your witnessing.

Here’s a simple, effective prayer you can pray:

“Lord, bring me to someone today for the purpose of sharing the truth about your unconditional love for them. Give me the words to say and draw them by your Holy Spirit into a relationship with you. In Jesus Name, Amen.”