I don’t know about you, but when I think of the word “evangelism” I think about the people who stand out on the street corner on a box yelling at people about Jesus and hell as they walk by. Thank you but no thank you. That’s not my style, and probably not yours either. When we think of us going to evangelize to our friends, people at our school, or even our families in some cases, we automatically get sweaty palms just thinking about it. Why? Lets just be honest, we feel weird talking to them about our faith. Why? Because talking about our faith is deemed as “weird” to people who do not know about Christianity. So how do we evangelize to our friends without being “that weird kid”? Hopefully we can help unpack how to do this and you can share the Gospel with the people you are around on a daily basis.

First off, as followers of Christ, we are expected to share the news about Jesus life and resurrection. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Now, this doesn’t mean as soon as you meet someone new you start to just blurt out facts about Jesus and ask if they were ready to be Christian now, unless you love the sight of people running away from you, I wouldn’t do that. As Christians, we are responsible to share with others about Jesus, eventually, in our relationship with them. There are some great ways in which we can “explain Jesus” to others without just blurting it out like a freshmen asking a girl to a dance. but rather living in a way that will eventually end up with you explaining who Jesus is and the good news that He brings.

Pray for them- The most important thing we can do is pray for them. Pray that God would change their hearts and open their eyes (2 Corinthians 4:4) to the truth of the gospel. Pray that God would convince them of His love for them and their need for salvation through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Pray for wisdom as to how you can minister to them (James 1:5). In addition to praying, we must also live godly Christian lives in front of them, so they can see the change God has made in our own lives (1 Peter 3:1-2). As Saint Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

Live it first- If we are studying the Bible, we know that living a Christ-like life looks different compared to how the rest of the world lives. The next time you study the Bible, try to see how you can apply what you are reading to your life first. Not only will your own life be changed as a result of studying scripture, when it comes time to share what you have learned to others, it will mean way more to you and how it applies to your life and people will see your passion. When your friends see how the Bible has changed your life they will be more inclined to change their life based on the life style you live.

You basically share Jesus through your lifestyle. This form of evangelism focuses on building relationships with one person at a time. Through friendship, opportunities arise to share the gospel.

I will bring you the other two on Friday!

**This article was originally written for our HSM magazine we give out to students and parents. If you want a copy leave a comment below and your email and I’ll see what I can do to send you one!