I used to be completely passive about witnessing to my friends.
I would often shy away from witnessing opportunities and become embarrassed about my personal faith.
“I’m too shy,” I would tell myself. How can I share the gospel?
Thankfully, last spring God began to open my eyes through a combination of different devotionals and sermons.
One day in church, we were singing “Let Your Kingdom Come” by artist Bob Kauflin, and the lyrics really convicted me.
“Give us your strength, O God, and courage to speak
Perform your wondrous deeds through those who are weak.”
I suddenly realized that through my weakness, God’s power could be made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9).
After praying, discussing it with my dad and youth group, and reading articles about witnessing, I began to share Jesus’s love with my friends.
Through my own evangelism experience, I’ve discovered five ways we can witness at school.
1. Pray
Pray for witnessing opportunities. Ask God to make you the salt and light to the world and give you the words to say.
Without God, we can do nothing, but with him, we can do all things. (Philippians 4:13).
Prayer may seem small, but it plays a huge role in our ability to share Christ’s love. We don’t have the ability to incline hearts toward God, but we can pray to the only One who can!
We don’t have the ability to incline hearts toward God, but we can pray to the only One who can! Share on X
2. Stand out
We need to be extra careful of our behavior, because as we witness to the people around us, they will naturally look at the way we act.
In thirty years’ time, hardly anyone will be able to remember the person who fit into the crowd. But people will remember the hardworking student, the girl that dressed modestly and stood for purity, or the guy that never experimented with drugs, or the couple who saved their first kiss for marriage.
In thirty years’ time, hardly anyone will be able to remember the person who fit into the crowd. Share on X
When we allow ourselves to stand out, it sparks conversations that may impact people for eternity. Don’t be afraid to stand out for Jesus.
3. Bring your faith up in conversations
I hate being pushy and aggressive about my beliefs, but often I end up being too passive instead.
A great way that we can share our faith is by bringing it up in conversation. Treating our beliefs like a “normal” thing will invite people to ask us about it later.
“Wow, youth group was so fun last night!”
“I learned so much in yesterday’s Bible study!”
These kinds of statements often spark an interest with others and promote further conversations with people who may not have thought to ask us about our faith otherwise.
4. Show your faith
Last year, during the last month of school, I chose to wear a cross necklace. I did this to remind myself to stand strong for what I believe in. But before I realized what was happening, many of my classmates began to ask me why I was wearing it; often several people a day. This was another launching pad that led to amazing conversations with my fellow classmates.
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15 says.
If we have an answer ready for anyone who asks us why we are wearing a Christian T-shirt, cross necklace, or even a purity ring, it can become an amazing opportunity to share our faith, which could potentially impact their lives for eternity.
5. Share a book
One day, I handed my twin friends a book that had revolutionized my own Christian walk. I didn’t have high expectations; I hardly expected them to be interested.
But a week later, one of them spoke to me about it with excitement. Having read the first chapter, she raved about how “into it” she already was.
“It catches my attention, and it really makes me think deeper!”
I don’t know how much of an impact it’s made in her life, but I do know that if we are faithful with what God has given us, he will do the rest.
Thoughtfully giving our friends a book that impacted us is a great way to do that.
It’s important to remember when we’re witnessing that only God can change hearts, and he will work on his timing, not ours. People may hate us for our faith, but we should expect that.
It’s hard to overcome our fears and be a Light for the Lord, but that’s what doing hard things is all about!
I’ve come a long way in my witnessing journey in the last few months, but I still have a long way to go. I will never be a perfect witness. But someday, I hope to arrive in heaven and hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
