5 Tips for Witnessing to Non-Christian Friends

If you go to public school or do activities somewhere that is not church-related, chances are that you will have friends whose religious beliefs do not align with yours. These friends might curse frequently in conversation or dress in a way that you find inappropriate, or there might just be an underlying feel of hostility toward all religion or a particular religion.

What do you do if you have friends like this? It can hurt to see people you care about living a life that will lead to destruction. You want to help them, but you also don't want to offend them.

• Be yourself. Don't hide your faith from them; if they don't accept it as part of you, they are not true friends. If you find yourself trying to act 'cool' and hide your true self around them, leave the friendship. Most people are, in fact, very accepting of different religions from their own.
• Stick to your values. This goes along with the first one: don't let them convince you of a different opinion on something, whether big or small, if you know you are in the right. Stick to what you believe.
• Don't force your faith on them. Don't spend every spare minute trying to convince them of the truth of Christianity. While it is important to bear witness to non-Christians in your life, don't be obsessive and constantly try to force them to believe what you believe.
• When the time is right, speak up. If you see an opportunity to discuss what you believe, seize it! Approach the subject with them gently, but with conviction, and try to explain to them simply what it means to be a Christian.
• Let God work! Don't obsess over converting them. The truth is, you can talk as much as you want, but God is the only one who can change hearts. He uses people as his instruments, but you ultimately cannot decide what your friend will believe.

What do you think? Do you have friends like this? Have you ever tried to share the gospel with them, and how did you approach it?