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When I share Christ, I always try to keep four things in mind:

I share using non-church lingo. Many of the kids at my school didn't grow up going to church every Sunday. They may not know the Sunday school stories about Jonah living in a big fish, Daniel surviving the night in a lion's den, or even Jesus Christ sacrificing himself for the world's sin. These stories, and even the Ten Commandments that I try to follow, have to be explained at very basic levels. The same is true about the words I use when I speak. I need to always explain what I mean by words and phrases like salvation, sin, blood of Jesus and grace.

I share God's truth with love and respect. I worry sometimes that I might offend people if I tell them the truth found in the Bible. But I also know that I shouldn't hold back sharing what's true about Jesus and everyone's need for him. So what I've learned to do is this: First of all, I listen carefully as non-Christians explain their beliefs or their problems with Christianity. I've had friends tell me they believe all the world's religions will lead to peace and some kind of heaven. I've also had a conversation with a Muslim who said something like, "Christianity is OK for you, but I grew up differently and so I have different beliefs." When I encounter situations like these, I just make sure I show respect for what people believe. After they've had a chance to talk, I try to explain why Jesus is God's Son and why he is unique from all other religious leaders. Now, I will be the first to admit it's hard to find that right balance between respect and truth. But Jesus was able to show great love for others and yet still speak the truth. I need to try hard to follow his example.

I share with my friends. One night I was hanging out at my best friend's house. We'd been good friends for a while, but I had never told her what I believed. I didn't know what she believed either. We usually just talked about school stuff, like homework and who was dating whom or who'd just broken up. She knew I was a Christian, but for some reason we'd never had a serious conversation about Christ. That night, God reminded me I needed to be more open with her about my faith. So I told her about my relationship with God and invited her to youth group that next week. Later that week, I decided to share with other friends at school. This was a real turning point for me. I now realize that if I really care about my friends, I'll want to pass on the most important thing to me—my relationship with Jesus.

I share with joy. At my church, many people get excited about sharing Christ. When someone accepts Christ during a church service, the congregation claps for that person and shouts happy cheers. I'd often join in, but always half-heartedly. It always felt like my joy was kind of fake. So I began praying that God would help me share with real joy—not the fake kind I was tired of pretending to have. As I prayed, God began to change me. I began to see that sharing Christ really is a great thing and something to be excited about. I also discovered that Christian joy isn't just about sharing Christ. It's connected to everything I do. Now I go through my day with joy even if homework is piling up, school activities run late and friendships aren't always perfect. It's not like I don't ever get sad or down or bored. But I've discovered that God's joy is really bigger than my feelings. And as I experience that deep inner joy, I believe others can see it in me. It's this genuine joy that often creates opportunities for me to share Christ with others.

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