Good question! I’ll try to answer this in two ways: biblically from 1 Peter 3:15-18 but also with three of my own personal suggestions.
15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
1. Be Christ-centred – “set apart Christ as Lord.” The best ways to be a good witness to friends is to be a Christ-centred Christian so it’s obvious you love the Lord and live for Him.
2. “Be prepared to give an answer.” How do you prepare? Develop a good grasp of the Gospel so you can explain from the Bible about who Jesus is – God’s Son, the Lord, Saviour or Redeemer, etc. – and why He came – to point us to God as The Way (John 14:6), to die for our sins, etc.
3. Be gentle and respectful – “But do this with gentleness and respect.” You get a better reaction with honey than vinegar! You must be courteous and respectful toward our friends in talking about their differing beliefs, not ever insulting them or their religion – that gets you nowhere fast! Show a genuine interest in what they believe but gently point out how Christianity is very different. (Usually the difference revolves around earning one’s way to heaven – good deeds outweighing the bad = DO – or being saved by God’s grace = DONE!)
4. Be an example – “keeping a clear conscience ... good behaviour.” Our faith makes a difference in how we live our lives – it’s not just something we believe inside but it affects how we live.
5. Be ready to be ridiculed – “to suffer for doing good.” Just be aware that some will make fun of you because of being a Christian and that is okay. In fact, in some countries being a bold witness can bring intense persecution. Are you ready to maybe be ridiculed or even rejected for the sake of Christ?
6. Be able to share the Gospel in a nutshell – “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.” The core of Christianity is Jesus Christ! Steer your conversation from merely being a cerebral discussion of comparative religions (about what they believe versus what Christians believe) to talk about the wonderful Person of Christ – you’ve got to get to Jesus and speak about how precious and unique He is!
Three personal suggestions on how to share your faith with your friends:
1. Be a good friend! This sounds so simple but this is how you can have a BIG impact. True friends share what’s really important to them; so, if you’ve been a really good friend s/he will likely be open about hearing about your faith in Christ. And if s/he is not keen about Christianity, still be a good friend!
2. Pray lots for your friend! Ask God to open up opportunities to share Christ with your friends and then look for when He opens those doors for you to talk about Jesus. As well, pray that God will open your friend’s heart to be willing to listen. Maybe even ask God to even give your friend a dream or a vision of Jesus because that really has an impact (something like 75% of Muslims background believers [MBB’s] report having had a dream or vision of Christ); so, why not pray for one for your friend!
3. Do some reading about your friend’s faith and talk with your friend about each others beliefs. Pastor Rodney Woo in The Color of Church tells how he did this: ‘Hasan and I became friends and engaged in multiple conversations concerning the similarities and the differences between the Islamic faith and Christianity. The conversations were very open and dialogical ... I shared on several occasions about the historical facts of Christianity and the life of Jesus. I always emphasized that God’s love was most clearly expressed by Jesus dying in our place ... and that He wants an intimate and personal relationship with you’ (pg. 195,196). There are lots of things you can read or study to be more prepared to share your Christ with your friends of other faiths. For example Lee Strobel’s books that start with the titles, “The Case For ... Christ ... Faith ... Christmas,” etc., and there are easier youth editions!
Check out this link on various faiths and how to dialogue with them; it has some good information:
Note: My initial response to the question was more than twice as long with several quotes especially from this link. If you’d like the longer version, please e-mail me.
