Sharing Our Faith

As a seminary student, I was required to take a class on personal evangelism (in simple terms, a class on how to share Jesus with others). Before the end of the semester, we were required to make a certain number of personal visits with people in the community.

Some people will say that a seminary student shouldn’t have to take a class to be taught how to share Jesus with others; it should come naturally for someone called to serve God.

But for busy students who are trying to complete their academic work, maintain a family life, and work full- or part-time in a secular or church position, it is often difficult to focus on personal evangelism. Yes, I know seminary students should be about “God’s work,” but it’s still difficult to find time to focus on sharing Jesus with others.

That last statement probably isn’t limited to busy seminary students. More than likely, most of us need a little push to reach outside our comfort zones, to share our faith with others, and to lead others to a personal relationship with Jesus.

As Christ followers, we must find ways to encourage our boys and girls to share their faith in God with others. How do we do that? What are some things we need to teach our children about sharing Jesus with others? 

First of all, we must teach our children to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit as they share their faith with others. The Holy Spirit will guide, direct, convict, etc., as they share their faith. There is really nothing more important for boys and girls to remember than to trust the Holy Spirit’s leadership as they share their faith with others.

Secondly, girls and boys must develop a love for people who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly teaches that people who die without a personal relationship with Jesus spend their eternity separated from God. Rather than ignoring, shunning, or feeling sorry for people who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, we must teach our children to love and care for them. It’s out of love that we want others to know Jesus and to be known by Him.

Finally, we must teach our children to pray before, during, and after sharing their faith with others. Our task as Christians is to open doors for people to meet Jesus personally. Our job is to prepare their hearts to accept the good news of Jesus. We can’t force belief. We can’t force acceptance. But we can pray. We can pray for people to be open to hearing the gospel. We can pray that they will listen to what we share. And we can pray that they accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

No matter our age, it’s not always easy sharing our faith with others. Children (and adults) struggle with witnessing. Hopefully, by focusing on these 3 areas, we will be more intentional in sharing our faith in Jesus with others and teaching our children that they too can share their faith with their family and friends.