Sharing the Gospel: Your Friends

In your life, you may have friends, or have had friends in the past that don't

believe the same things that you do. In essence, you are a follower of Jesus, and they are not. How do we approach these kinds of relationships? How do we gracefully share the Gospel with our friends who may not want to receive Jesus?

As Christ-followers, we know the saving power of Jesus. If you are new in your faith, you know how Jesus swept in and rescued you from the sinful patterns of your life. If you were raised in the church, and accepted Christ at a young age, then you can look around in this world see all that Jesus has protected you from. If we are growing in our spiritual maturity and awareness, we begin to develop strong feelings and desires that all people know and follow Christ. What a powerful thing it can be to share the good news of Jesus Christ to your friends.

Be an example of the love that God offers us. It is important to show humility in love, because that is how God loves us. The Apostle Paul puts it best when he writes, "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners...for since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God" (Romans 5:8,10-11, NLT). Because Jesus showed his love for us in humility, we have been restored and are friends with the one true God. This is a powerful verse, and it goes to prove that one of the best ways to show others who Jesus is, is to show them the truth in love and action.

Another great way to share Jesus with your friends is through your testimony. Share your story with your friends and connect the dots back to Jesus. People love to hear about stories of change, and redemption in the lives of other people. Don't feel discouraged if you feel like you have a boring testimony; there is no such thing! If you are a believer, God has surely worked in your life to bring you to this point. Your testimony is powerful and can allow you to personally show others how Jesus has been there for you.

When it is time to share the Gospel message to your friends, sometimes you have to push past the awkward. It can feel preachy or insincere to talk about Jesus to someone who is resistant. We have a fear of "pushing our religion" onto someone else. Know this fact: that is a lie from Satan himself. Our spiritual enemy wants to place any kind of thought in our heads to prevent us from talking about Jesus in any capacity. When those thoughts appear in your mind, immediately pray to rebuke the enemy, and ask the Holy Spirit to invade your heart and mind, and give you boldness to proclaim Jesus! Push past the awkward thoughts and do what the Holy Spirit prompts you to do.

One final thought to wrap up this post. Keep in mind that Jesus has the saving power, we don't. There is nothing we can do to save someone else; we can simply point them in the right direction. Don't be discouraged if your friends are resistant to hearing the name of Jesus. Surely, you are planting a seed in their mind, and one day Jesus may reveal himself to them in a powerful and un-ignorable way. Trust that God will use you as a messenger, and that he will do the rest!

Be bold in sharing your faith!

Comment below what has worked for you in sharing the Gospel with others!