HEY MIKE! I need some advice about how to share my faith—without sounding like an idiot. A friend at school has been asking me questions about Jesus, the Bible and what I believe. It’s really cool, but I have to admit, I’m really scared. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I can’t answer a question? Help!
—P.Y., San Diego
The most important first step is just having a relationship with somebody. Obviously you’re already doing this! So here’s what I suggest: Keep it up. What this guy needs most is a 100 percent genuine, honest-to-goodness REAL Christian friend. And as you reach out, consider these tips:
Relax! When it comes to communicating the foundation of our lives—eternal freedom through Jesus Christ—why is it that most of us feel clueless, speechless . . . and totally ineffective? Answer: Sometimes Christians are way too uptight about witnessing. We fear we’ll mess up what God accomplished through the Cross. We obsess over appearances. We treat non-Christians like projects instead of people. We speak an alien language—known by insiders as “Christianese.” The best thing you can do is relax and live what you believe, naturally, honestly, confidently. If you’re not uptight about your faith, he won’t be either.
Be ready with answers—instead of just being polite and keeping quiet. Maybe your friend doesn’t seem too interested in spiritual issues right now, but get this: He’s watching you, especially your faith. And if he comes to you with a question one day, you need to speak up. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).
Have some “backbone.” Matthew 22:37-39 tells us to love others, but that doesn’t mean tolerating their sin. (Of course, it doesn’t mean wagging your finger at them either.) Sometimes the best way to love a nonbeliever is with the word NO—“No thanks, I don’t smoke, drink, chew [insert the appropriate word]”—then letting your backbone do the witnessing for you. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Be patient. You’ve planted some “faith seeds” in your friend’s life. Now it’s time to pray and ask God to let them take root. Will this guy ever commit his life to Christ? Will you be the one to lead him? We just don’t have answers to these questions. The best thing you can do is continue being his friend. 
