Sharing Your Faith With Friends
Help! My friends have questions I don't know the answers to.
First of all, don't panic. It's not your job to convert your friends. God will take care of that. One of the things God wants is for you to share how God has worked in your life. One of the most effective ways is how you live your life, but it's just as important to remember to share God's word with others.
The Bible talks about Jesus healing a blind man. After the blind man was healed he was questioned by people about Jesus. He didn't know anything about Jesus' background or had even studied the Bible, but when the blind man was questioned, all he said was, Look, all I know is that I was once blind and now I see. I'm paraphrasing of course. See what a powerful testimony that was by just sharing what you already know?
Perhaps you are not physically blind, but we all were once blind spiritually. Share with your friends how you've seen Jesus work in your families life or in your life. Be honest, be real, and share with them what you already know. Below are some examples:
Methods of Sharing
What is the right way?
There are no magic formulas, no one right way or right process. However, Jesus commands us to share our faith…someway, somehow with those we are in contact with both online and in-person. Jesus used many approaches to bring the conversation to the point of decision.
Each person you share with has a unique communication and learning style. The better you can understand each person’s style, the better you can use different methods below that will make more sense to them. The bottom line is to share your story and God’s story of salvation.
First of all, don't panic. It's not your job to convert your friends. God will take care of that. One of the things God wants is for you to share how God has worked in your life. One of the most effective ways is how you live your life, but it's just as important to remember to share God's word with others.
The Bible talks about Jesus healing a blind man. After the blind man was healed he was questioned by people about Jesus. He didn't know anything about Jesus' background or had even studied the Bible, but when the blind man was questioned, all he said was, Look, all I know is that I was once blind and now I see. I'm paraphrasing of course. See what a powerful testimony that was by just sharing what you already know?
Perhaps you are not physically blind, but we all were once blind spiritually. Share with your friends how you've seen Jesus work in your families life or in your life. Be honest, be real, and share with them what you already know. Below are some examples:
Methods of Sharing
What is the right way?
There are no magic formulas, no one right way or right process. However, Jesus commands us to share our faith…someway, somehow with those we are in contact with both online and in-person. Jesus used many approaches to bring the conversation to the point of decision.
Each person you share with has a unique communication and learning style. The better you can understand each person’s style, the better you can use different methods below that will make more sense to them. The bottom line is to share your story and God’s story of salvation.
What God’s message is not:
1.Not a “come feel good about God” message. We do not need Jesus to give us a boost to feel better, and then put him aside until next time.
2.Not a “name it, claim it” message. Don’t send that message to this world. It just isn’t true. It is hard. Scripture clearly says that we will be persecuted for His name’s sake.
3.Not “just say a prayer and you’re saved” message. It costs your life to follow Christ. It isn’t life insurance for heaven after retirement. It is a commitment to follow Christ where and when he calls you.
What God’s message is:
1.God is Holy; He hates sin (not the sinner) and must judge it.
2.Man is sinful and has broken his relationship with God.
3.Jesus came to bring us back to a personal relationship with God by paying the penalty of our sin through His death on the cross.
4.We have to personally understand what Jesus did, repent of our sins (i.e., stop doing what we know is wrong and turn from it), surrender our lives to Jesus, and believe with all our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God.
1.Not a “come feel good about God” message. We do not need Jesus to give us a boost to feel better, and then put him aside until next time.
2.Not a “name it, claim it” message. Don’t send that message to this world. It just isn’t true. It is hard. Scripture clearly says that we will be persecuted for His name’s sake.
3.Not “just say a prayer and you’re saved” message. It costs your life to follow Christ. It isn’t life insurance for heaven after retirement. It is a commitment to follow Christ where and when he calls you.
What God’s message is:
1.God is Holy; He hates sin (not the sinner) and must judge it.
2.Man is sinful and has broken his relationship with God.
3.Jesus came to bring us back to a personal relationship with God by paying the penalty of our sin through His death on the cross.
4.We have to personally understand what Jesus did, repent of our sins (i.e., stop doing what we know is wrong and turn from it), surrender our lives to Jesus, and believe with all our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God.
Things to remember when sharing your faith
Romans 10:14-15
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Jesus commands us to share our faith…someway, somehow with those we are in contact with including both online and in-person. He also promises to be with us through His presence and power. Acts 1:8 says ‘But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’.
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Jesus commands us to share our faith…someway, somehow with those we are in contact with including both online and in-person. He also promises to be with us through His presence and power. Acts 1:8 says ‘But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’.
Things to remember
Each Day:
- Prepare so you are ready (have your personal testimony in a 3-5 minute format, practice sharing it with someone you know)
- Pray each day that God will bring those in your path that need to hear the life-changing story of God’s compassion through his son Jesus Christ. Pray for encouragement and focus on intentional actions to share.
- Speak with people and be honest and kind as you share your testimony and God’s testimony of salvation. No one likes to be talked down to or ‘sold’. We aren’t selling, we are sharing our personal experience of how Jesus has changed our life and given us purpose and peace. Be the true and caring Christian they may have never seen before….not judgmental, not condemning.
- Listen carefully and often. The world is so busy most people are never ‘truly heard’. If you listen intently to their questions/concerns and respectfully try and answer it will buy you much credibility. All people yearn for this, so provide it.
- Live your life in such a way that draws people to God’s message. To live one way and speak another will cause people to ‘tune’ you out immediately. We will make mistakes, but mistakes that are repented of are different than living with a desire to make them. Building credibility takes time and one poor decision will cause you to lose it.
Resources
5 Clicks.com - “5 Clicks to Sharing your Faith” will help you learn how to communicate your own testimony of what God has done in your life, in a clear and effective manner.
Capturing Your Testimony This document provides the steps to capture your testimony and provides scripture to use when presenting the Gospel. Brought to you by Real Encounter.
Sharing The Faith - The place where you can learn how to witness in any given situation, find practical advice and ideas on how to transition a conversation or situation from the secular to spiritual world, and sign up to share your faith on a weekly basis and be provided the inspiration, tools and support to hold you accountable.
Dare 2 Share - Have friends who are atheists? Agnostics? Into Wicca? Or New Age? Which of these belief systems have you encountered before? Did you talk to them about what they believe? Were you able to share the gospel with them? Fourteen predominate worldviews are explored, providing insights on how to be effective in sharing your faith with others.
Internet Evalgelism Day - Great site that provides resources to help people who are trying to find faith, sharing your faith, relating to different cultural and world-view perspectives, and examples of ineffective evangelism.
Crosswalk.com - Examples of how to share your faith at work and at school
FAITH Evangelism - FAITH evangelism uses the letters F, A, I , T, H and scripture references to explain the Gospel
The Roman Road - Use 5 verses from the book of Romans to share the plan of salvation
Way of the Master - Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron provide great resources on how to share your faith in a very different format. Make sure to watch the video ‘Hell’s Best Kept Secret’.
Assemblies of God Girls Ministry - For Girls ONLY!
Assemblies of God Boys Ministry - Royal Rangers for Boys ONLY!