Welcome to the human-friendly guide on how to talk to your friends about Jesus.
Let me start by asking you a question…
Do you like to be preached at? Neither do your friends, so don’t do it.
The best way to tell your friends about Jesus is to be yourself – sound good?
Your friends are your friends because they accept you for who you are, quirks and all. People appreciate your honesty and vulnerability.
We all have crappy days when nothing works, sometimes life throws you a real spinner, people see how you react.
Just be real.
People respect your faith, your trust, your hope. They can see you don’t react to things like everybody else. You are shining your light.
When they are going through a rough time, be there for your friends.
Don’t preach at them, be there for them, listen, offer to help. They’ll appreciate that.
You don’t have to be a theologian to open up conversations to your friends about Jesus.
Just talking about your weekend can be a great conversation starter.
If God is the most important person in your life then Jesus will come up naturally in your conversation.
Your personal testimony matters; your story counts. Nobody can argue with your experience; it’s real, it’s raw, it’s relateable.
“You don’t have to be a theologian to talk to your friends about Christ.” [Tweet this]
Jesus is Greater Than Religion
I read a great book by Jefferson Bethke called Jesus is Greater Than Religion – it changed the way I witness to my friends and family.
One of the chapters talks about shifting the conversation from religion to Jesus.
Your unsaved friends will always want to talk about religion which, from my own experience never gets you anywhere.
You end up in a debate about things which really have no relevance to your Christian life; crusades, homosexuality, abortion, evolution and so on…
I noticed a massive change in the flow of my conversations when I shifted the focus away from religion and onto Jesus.
“Jesus hated religious people“, I say. “I have no interest in religion but I love to talk about who Jesus is and what He said, what He did.”
Get the starting point right and you’ll get much further.
You might say something that’ll stick with them and get them thinking.
The majority of people think Christians are the most judgmental, uptight people on the planet.
I thought Christianity is about grace and redemption, not rules and regulations – how did get to the point where the image of Christianity is the exact opposite of what it actually is?!
Don’t be obnoxious, don’t be a know-it-all.
Instead be human, be genuine, be gracious, be forgiving.
In other words, show the love of Jesus (guys this doesn’t have to include hugging, don’t worry : )
“People don’t care what you know until they know you care. – Theodore Roosevelt” [Tweet this]
Be a Light
By definition a light shines. That’s just what it does.
Witnessing is not an activity to complete, rather, it’s a lifestyle, a way of being; it’s who you are.
Live the purpose driven life.
Here’s how I have great conversations with people about Jesus everyday:
- Get out of the church – have friends out there where people live.
- Cultivate relationships. Be a good friend.
- Learn to ask good questions. Learn the art of listening.
- Look for God’s work in people.
Take the Pressure Off
This post wouldn’t be complete without this next point. It helped me a lot and I hope it helps you.
Just think back to your own journey for a second, for most of us our conversion was a gradual one.
You can probably identify the people God brought into your life at the right time who were instrumental in your coming to Christ.
What I’m trying to say here is that our journey to faith was exactly that: a journey.
The way I think about it is this: let’s say surrendering to God’s will is 10 and 0 is someone who is far from God, has no interest in God and claims He doesn’t even exist.
Too often we think we have to get someone from ‘0’ to ’10’ and then we feel like we’ve failed.
If I can get my friend from a ‘3’ to a ‘5’ then I’ve done my job.
See how this takes the pressure off?
Yes of course the ultimate goal is to bring someone to faith in Christ and I will play my part in that however I can.
Then, when I have done my best I trust God to do the rest.
Your Turn
How many times this week have you brought Jesus up in conversation?
Have you got any pointers that will help you do this more often? Maybe you have your own tips to share, please leave a comment below.
Learning how to be an effective witness is a great thing. I recommend these three resources to further your learning. Click on any book to check out what other people have to say.
