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Talking to your friends about Jesus doesn’t have to be complicated. Being creative in the way you talk about Jesus with your friends is great, but sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.

Why not pray together?

All of us have moments when we need help. Problems and stress creep into our lives. Study can become overwhelming, health issues come up, relationships become challenging. These are defining moments in our lives that we need to reach out beyond ourselves and ask for help.

If you have a friend who is going through tough times you might think the answer is to spend time with them, listen and help. And yes, you should absolutely do that. But on top of that, you should offer to pray with them. Notice the word ‘with’. In these moments it’s tempting to say “I’m praying for you” and pray for them in your own time (or even forget to). It’s far more powerful to pray with them, right there in the moment. It’s one thing to care for and help carry your friend’s burden. It’s another thing to lead them personally to the only One who can handle all of our burdens.

Think of it like this. Imagine meeting a man in the desert who was dying of thirst. You know of a nearby oasis so you walk an entire kilometre to get there, fill a cup with water and walk it back to him. This helps him a lot, so you do the same thing the next day, and then again the next, and so on. Carrying that cup of water to that man every day is certainly helping - but the best thing to do is lead the man directly to the oasis itself.

Lead your friend to the very Jesus who will lift their burdens by offering to pray with them, not just for them.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).

Jesus will remove your heavy burden of guilt and hopelessness and give you true rest in Him.

Praying with someone transfers the burden of solving their problems from you to Jesus. It also invites them into a spiritual journey with Jesus by giving him the opportunity to address their needs in a personal way. People are more open to prayer and spiritual conversations than you think. Often they just need to be shown the way.

A common coaching technique that is used to help people take on new skills is:

Watch me do it.
Let’s do it together.
I’ll watch you do it.
You do it alone.

Adapt this technique when praying with your friend. The first time, offer to pray right there, in the moment, so they can see what it looks like and hear the language you use. They’ll pick up a lot just from watching.

Next time, rather than just offering to pray yourself, you can invite them to pray also, saying something like, ‘I’ll start, but why don’t you say something as well,’ encouraging them that it’s powerful when they articulate their concerns. Give them lots of encouragement.

When you feel like they’re on the journey take the next step and encourage them to pray on their own and emphasise that it doesn’t have to be just when you’re around, they can do it anytime they like.

Check in with them from time to time, and if they are praying, ask them if they’ve noticed God working in their life. Chances are he is, and you can help them explore that.

So, don’t hold back - next time a friend shares a struggle with you, that’s your open door to offer to pray with them, right there and then.

You’ve had the opportunity to share Jesus with a friend. What now?

Perhaps you’ve been on a journey towards Jesus with a friend. You talked about God, explained the Gospel, and they decided to give their life to Jesus. Awesome! The best thing to do now is lead them through a prayer. You don’t need an altar call or a pastor, any Christian can do this. Try a prayer like this (get them to repeat the sentences after you):

“Dear God. I know you love me. I’m sorry for my sin and that I have gone my own way. Thank you for your son Jesus who died on the cross for my sins and rose again. Today I turn from my sin and trust in Jesus alone. Amen.”

From this point, they need community, so invite them to church and stay connected with them. God placed you in their life to lead them to Jesus; now He wants you to help them grow deeper in Him too.

(Romans 10:9)
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

But what if they decide not to follow Jesus?

First, don’t think that you’ve failed. They are on a journey, and everyone’s journey is different. Second, here are some suggestions of things to avoid. Don’t put pressure on them to change their mind. Don’t overload them with Bible verses and podcasts every second day. Don’t sign them up to get a phone call from your church without their permission. But also, don’t avoid them completely; the Holy Spirit may still be working on their heart. Instead, what should you do?

Pray for them.

The Holy Spirit is in the business of changing hearts. Commit to praying for them every day for a couple of months. Ask God to work in their lives, speak to them in the quiet moments, and bring the words you spoke to them to their memory.

Invite them to church.

If your friend has shown some interest in Jesus but isn’t ready to fully commit, being around a Christian community can be helpful. Sometimes people have heard bad things about church, so introducing them to a healthy church community that will love and accept them will speak volumes to them. It will also allow them to hear more about Jesus and the Gospel.

Remain connected with them.

Most people need time before they are convinced to follow Jesus. They will have questions and concerns. Stay in their life and make yourself available as they consider this decision. Keep praying for them as you love and support them. Remember, the Holy Spirit is still at work, so don’t give up and don’t be disheartened.

Commit to the journey with your friend whether they choose Jesus or not. Pray for them and stay connected with them.

There’s no denying it. Starting a conversation about Jesus can be super awkward. It can come across as forced and ungenuine. Your friend might get defensive, and you might not know how to respond to hard questions. It can feel easier to avoid the topic completely.

How can you start conversations about Jesus in an easy and natural way?

God has woven ideas, stories, and analogies into our culture that point towards Jesus. They are reflections and refractions of God and our relationship with Him. In fact, you’ve probably already talked about Jesus many times, you just didn’t realize it.

There are many kinds of stories that do this, we will briefly explore 3 of them here.

GOOD vs EVIL

Stories about good vs. evil have been around since humanity first started telling stories. Star Wars and Lord of The Rings, for example, present a world where there is a clear distinction between the forces of good and the forces of evil. The evil side is powerful, and often the hero is seduced by the power of evil, but ultimately the good side wins.

HERO STORIES

Stories about heroes are very popular. Often the hero is a normal person who is given certain abilities to fight on behalf of the helpless. Their lives are marked with self-sacrifice and service.

REDEMPTION STORIES

Redemption stories connect with us on a deep level. These are stories where the protagonist will be heading down a dark and evil path. Things continue getting worse for them until they hit rock bottom, have a realization, turn their life around, and find redemption.

These narrative concepts connect with us because they are true, and they are true because they are ultimately about Jesus. Think about it. Jesus defines good and evil. Jesus is the ultimate self-sacrificial hero, and all of humanity needs redemption.

As God’s children, we are to live by this command: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

But how does this help you talk about Jesus?

When you’re having conversations about these topics, ask open-ended questions to explore them at a deeper level.

• “Do you think good and evil exist or is it just in our minds?”
• “Do you think our world needs a hero or do we have the ability to save ourselves?”
• “Do you think forgiveness needs to be earned or can it be given freely?”

This list of questions is obviously not exhaustive; it’s just to get you thinking. Always start by asking what they think about it, then share your thoughts and make sure it’s a conversation, not a sermon.

There are trending cultural conversations happening around you all the time. Be aware of these stories in the movies or streaming on TV. Consider how they reflect Jesus and use them as starting points for great conversations.

What stories do you know that could lead into a conversation about Jesus?

Bec invited Jesus into her life at the age of 18, and He changed her world.

When I first came to know Him (Jesus), I was so insecure and so low. I didn’t trust anyone. I had no confidence in myself at all. He kind of met me there. He gave me everything I needed in that season and as the years have gone on life just presents its own challenges. In every season He’s always met me there. — Bec

Early into her relationship with Jesus, Bec experienced the tragedy of losing her best friend to cancer. It weighed heavily on her heart that she had let her pride get in the way of talking about Jesus— not wanting to look weird.

I gifted her a Bible for Easter the year she was in the hospital, but that’s as close as I ever got to sharing my faith. I was meant to visit her on a Monday, and the Sunday night I got a phone call saying she’d passed away. I was devastated because I felt like I’d just missed all my opportunities to share with her everything that I knew and felt. It sent me into a real downward spiral. I had just passed up her opportunity to meet Jesus. She wasn’t here anymore for me to share it, so I battled with it for a while… I was just so mad at myself and mad at God even that I hadn’t stepped into that. — Bec

The pain of this loss is a reminder to make the most of every opportunity to talk to people about Jesus.

I would say to people struggling with their pride, that it’s so easy to get caught up in what this world offers us. The culture we live in now is so set on looking cool, but we’re only here for a short amount of time, and opportunities like that change someone's life here on earth and then eternity as well. I’d just say suck it up. Honestly, it’s not worth it. The way you feel afterwards knowing that you’ve missed an opportunity to share with someone about Jesus, it’s just not worth it. — Bec

Fast forward 5 years, and Bec is one of the most joyful people you’ll ever meet. Her God-given strength?

I can make a mean cheese board! — Bec

People are drawn to her warmth, which is in good use at the early childcare center she works at. Bec has the opportunity to chat with many different people every day.

I try and meet people on the level that they’re at. I never want to be that person that pushes their faith so much onto someone that it makes them want to walk the other way. I want to share my faith openly but in a way that draws people in. Some people, their hearts are hard towards it, but that’s okay because mine once was too. But God works in mysterious ways, and who knows what a little seed being planted does. I’ve taken people to church before who have asked to come and they’ve left and been like, “Mmm didn’t like that” and it’s all cool. Everyone has their time. — Bec

Her number one tip for sharing about Jesus with others?

Love people — no, scratch that. Number one is to love God. When you love God you automatically love people. — Bec