How to Talk about Jesus with Young People

Jesus gave us clear instructions in Matthew 28 when He left to take His rightful place next to His dad again:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Sometimes we can make Jesus’ words of the great commission into a thing we relegate to the one ‘Gospel Sunday’ a month or even to the one ‘mission’ event a year. Even more often we find ourselves delegating this command to the ‘paid people’. Yet Jesus’ words are to all of us and sound more like an everyday instruction.

So how could we share our faith in our everyday and how could we do it with young people?

Here are some practical tips that have helped me and that I try to use in my work + life:

Don’t be afraid. Believe the words of Jesus. He does not only give us a job but also tells me that we are not alone. He says that He is with us ALWAYS. On top of that He says that He leaves His Holy Spirit with us, actually in us. We’ve got God living in us. What could stand in our way now? In Colossians 1:26-27 Paul says it like this: “Christ in you, the hope of glory”.

Have confidence in ‘your message’. The main point is to remember that it is not really your message. It’s the message of Jesus Christ, coming to earth to die for our sin and to get the victory over sin, death, the world and the devil. The message of ‘your faith’ is the message of faith for a few billion people on this planet throughout time and space. There is pretty much nothing bigger. If there has ever been a message that you can trust and that is worth sharing, this is it!

Don’t over-spiritualise but use every opportunity. This one has two parts to it. We all know these Holy Joe’s who will bring every cake recipe back to the way we are made up of different parts and how the finished cake reflects our union with Christ or so. Don’t. If that’s how you talk about everything, fine, but if not then please don’t try to box the gospel into weird packages. That’s the first part. Just be yourself and build relationships through everyday stuff. Those relationships will lead to good conversations along the way. Secondly though, don’t miss God-given opportunity. If you stand there with a young person and the biggest thunderstorm either one of you has ever seen breaks. If the young person then responds by saying “Wow, that makes you think there is something more.”… don’t walk way. Use that moment. That leads to point 4.

Use questions. The best faith sharers I know are not necessarily the ones that can explain the most complex theology. It’s also not necessarily that they have the highest education or the biggest book collection. It is mostly the people that listen well and ask deep questions. When they get an answer they ask another questions and so on. Questions are what make people think. Once they think it’s hard to escape the logic, experiences, feelings and big questions that lead straight to Jesus.