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I'm the only Christian in my family.
I pray for them, but I'm afraid they won't go to heaven unless they accept Jesus into their lives. The problem is, my parents forbid me to talk to them about God. If I obey God, who says we should spread the gospel, I will be disobeying my parents. If I obey my parents, I'm disobeying God. Who should I obey, God or my parents?

Your situation isn't an easy one, but I think you can obey both God and your parents. First and foremost, continue to pray for your family. God loves them and wants them to follow him even more than you do. And continue to obey your family. You don't have to talk about God to show your faith to your family. Your Christian lifestyle of love will say more to them than any words could ever do. As St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the gospel! And if necessary use words."

I also grew up in a family that wasn't very enthusiastic about my faith in Jesus Christ. One day during my college years, I was sitting in a chapel service and the speaker stood up to give his message. He didn't start with a scripture, a funny story or even a greeting. He just said, "You are the only Jesus somebody knows." He then said it again, "You are the only Jesus somebody knows." This guy repeated that statement nine times and on the tenth time he pointed right at me and said those same words again. I don't remember another word he said that day. But it was as if God was speaking directly to me. The message was clear: I represented Jesus Christ to a family who did not know him. If they wanted to see what Jesus Christ was doing in the world, they were going to look at me.

You're right. Your family won't go to heaven unless they decide to put their faith in Jesus. But remember, they need to make the decision to follow Jesus on their own. Your responsibility is to simply live as much like Christ as you can.

You are God's representative to your family. Nowhere in the Bible does it say it will be easy. But God does promise to walk with you. Your job is to obey God and obey your family. Take a look at the Ten Commandments. God's will for our lives is spelled out clearly. In commandments one through four, God tells us to love and honor him. The fifth commandment says, "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12).

You've got your work cut out for you, but by loving and obeying your parents, you are obeying God.

How Do I Share My Faith with a Teacher?
My English teacher is a great person. I'd really like to help her become a Christian. I know how to bring people my own age to Christ, but I'm not so sure about adults. Can you help?

I would approach her the same way you talk to people your own age. Most people who become Christians become interested in Christianity through a relationship with another Christian. They are attracted to the faith through that relationship.

Let me tell you about Mr. Peralta, my eighth-grade Spanish teacher. Mr. Peralta was not a Christian when he first started teaching school. He had spent very little time in church. He wasn't anti-Christianity; he simply didn't know much about it.

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