3. tell your mates: use your words

Everyone loves a story! Stories are a great way to share our faith. Jesus told loads of stories when talking to people about God, and if you know Jesus you have an amazing story to tell!

---

you do have a story...

If you're a Christian then you will have a relationship with God. That's awesome in itself! Just think, you know and love the creator of the world. That's a story there, and one worth telling...

---

but my story is boring...

But we know what you're thinking. Some of us have grown up in Christian families and never had an amazing life changing encounter with God - like Paul in the Bible. That's cool. God is of course miraculous and amazing, and if you've seen God move powerfully in your life then let people know!

However, God is also sometimes quite normal too. He speaks to us as we're sipping a cup of tea, listening to our iPods or just getting out of bed in the morning. He reveals himself through the pages of the Bible, through a still small voice, or just in the words and encouragements of friends. And if you came to know Jesus in a less dramatic way than being blinded on the road to Damascus by Jesus himself (like Paul in the Bible), then great, your story is still amazing, interesting and a pointer to God's love and glory... so tell it!

So, don't worry, tell your mates your story and experiences of God. Obviously don't freak them out and pressurise them to believe everything you believe, but tell them what a relationship with Jesus means and looks like to you.

---

tips in telling your story...

Ok, you probably know all this stuff, but just in case, have a scan below for some tips in telling your friends about Jesus. Remember, they are your mates and you love them, so it's both important you tell them about your faith, but also essential that you respect them, honour them and never make them feel bad because they don't believe what you do...

---

ask God to help you...

The first thing to do is to ask God to help you. When people ask you what you believe (or you know they will), make sure you involve God and let him help you. Praying that you'd be able to communicate clearly and in ways that are relevant to people is always good, but also let God speak to you about the people you are talking to. You never know, he may give you something specific to say to them.

---

know what you believe...

We're all always learning more about God, but as you talk to people about Jesus, make sure you know the basics and you're comfortable talking about your experiences. The best place to start would be reading about Jesus, so spend some time with one of the gospels (at the beginning of the New Testament in the Bible) and just get to know a bit about what Jesus is like!

---

be honest

Just tell it as it is... don't make stuff up! Sometimes we absolutely love following Jesus, but sometimes it's hard. At times we doubt, but at other times we see God move in amazing ways. Your mates will prefer to hear what being a follower of Jesus is really like rather than some ideal glossy perspective that doesn't always match reality. At the end of the day, following Jesus isn't always easy, but we know it's worth it!

---

everyone is different

We're all totally different. Some of your mates might be really interested, some might not. Some might raise difficult questions whereas others might just want to know what a relationship with Jesus 'feels' like. Either way respect the person you're chatting to and let them set the agenda of the conversation!

---

don't be ashamed...

Jesus is great. Some people might not get why you believe in God, but that's ok. Make sure you don't come across as if you know everything and are better than everyone else (you aren't), but also don't be ashamed about what you believe either...

---

let people ask questions...

If you're a Christian then let people ask you about your experiences and beliefs. You might not be able to answer all the questions, but that's cool, just say you are not sure, and if possible, let them know that you'll try and find out answers for them. You can always ask your youth leader or someone who's a bit older for a bit of advice if you don't know how to answer questions.

There's loads more advice we could give, but really, we don't know too much more than you as we're all learning how to do this as we go. So, just give it a whirl, make sure you honour your mates and what they believe, and learn from your mistakes!

---

back to top...
back to 'tell your mates'...