4 ways to help your friends consider Jesus
Salvation is ultimately God's work, but there are ways we can help
There are a number of things you can do to help your friends consider Jesus, and think about their relationship with God. However, as Christians we need to recognise that it is God who does the work of calling people to him. While he may use us, it is ultimately his work [Rom 9:16, Eph 1:4]. So we need to realise that any success or failure is not because of our own ability or inability. With that in mind, here are four ways you can help:
1. Pray for your friends
Acknowledging that your friend can only be saved if God calls them, you should definitely be praying [Phil 4:6]. Pray that God will move the hearts of your friends to believe in Jesus and that he will give you and others opportunities to share the Gospel with them. Maybe you could pray with some other Christian friends or people from church on a semi-regular basis?
2. Be Proactive
Be proactive about creating opportunities to talk about Jesus [Matt 28:19-20]. Some ideas include:
(i) Ask them if they have read the Bible and would they like to? If they would, then start off reading through Mark’s gospel.
(ii) You could ask if they have any questions about Christianity? This gives them an opportunity for them to set the agenda and allows you to engage with them on a point that is of interest to them.
iii) You could invite them to an evangelistic event where you know there is going to be a talk aimed at explaining the Gospel to non-Christians. Be prepared to follow them up and not drop the topic after the speaker has done his bit.
3. Be open about Christianity in your conversations
Keep speaking openly about Christian things, just like you would talk about your family or any other interest you have. If your friends realise Jesus is part of your life and you are talking about him regularly, then they will be more open to engaging with you, and less surprised than if you raised the topic out of the blue.
4. Live a godly life
Finally, keep living a godly life that makes it clear you are Christian [Matt 5:16]. In the decisions you make, words you say and things you do, ensure these are consistent with what the Bible has to say about Christian living. When your friends see you being different, hopefully it will have an impact on them.
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