Spreading the Good News - Part 2
By Lydia N.
Cross at sunset by marydan15 from Getty Images Created in Canva
So, how do we share our faith? Well, as I mentioned in the first part (you can find that article here) the three things we need to do to share our faith are:
Be familiar with what Scripture teaches.
Be familiar with what others think.
Communicate God’s Words to others with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look to Jesus for the best example of how to share Christianity with others. That seems like a good starting place! So, what WOULD Jesus do? What did Jesus START with?
He started out as a human kid, just like all of us. What did He do when He was a kid? I’m sure He knew more than most of us know about God at the age of twelve, but even so, He didn’t start preaching that He was the Son of God just yet. I encourage you to read Luke 2:41-52 and then come back to this article.
So, what did Jesus do? He learned from the Jewish leaders! He asked questions and listened to what they had to say. Even Jesus had to learn - He was a human just like all of us. Even though God is all-knowing, Jesus had to be taught things as a human who started out as a baby. So, it makes sense that our first step should be to get familiar with what Scripture teaches as well. We should know what we believe and why we believe it!
Student Spotlight
Remember our NSA friend Sarah? Let’s look at her story!
Sarah’s conversation started out when her friend came over! Due to her apologetics homework, she got the opportunity to minister to him!
Sarah: I, personally, love apologetics, and so when my friend, whose name is in Arabic and I can barely pronounce, much less spell, asked my about my Bible homework... I was more than happy to answer his question. He had come over unexpectedly, as people where I live often do, and spotted my apologetics class textbook, Understand the Times, on the table.
"What's that?" he asked, giving it an odd look. I smiled, excitement coursing through my veins, slightly jittery at the idea of sharing the Good News.
"That's my homework! It's actually a book about the religions of the world."
You wouldn’t expect to be able to help someone else with their math homework if you didn’t understand the concepts yourself, and it’s the same with God. How can you lead someone else to God if you haven’t done your own homework yet? That could be literal Bible homework, like in Sarah’s case, or it can be just going to church to learn more about God! You have to know what Scripture teaches and how it responds to issues and questions. That can be a little intimidating. Where do you start? Never fear! Here are some handy tips to understand your own Christian faith better!
Read the Scriptures. Pick up your Bible and start reading! Find a Bible plan online, or talk with your parents or church to get advice on where you should start.
Talk to your pastor or parents when you have questions about the Bible and God. Don’t ignore them or think they aren’t important! Even Jesus asked questions and thought through difficult issues.
Study apologetics! There are lots of great resources out there, including several NSA courses, that teach you more about the Bible and how to defend your views in a respectful way. I’ll be talking more about this in part 3 and part 4!
Study the Bible with peers! Maybe go to a church youth group, or do an online Bible plan together with friends. The Spiritual Emphasis Event is from February 13-17! Come and join in on the fun to worship God, and learn more about Him! High school students also have access to several NSA Bible study groups and High school chapel.
Pray. This may seem simple, but how exactly are you going to get closer to God if you never even talk to Him? Pray and ask Him to make things clear to you, so you can follow Him, and guide others to Him with the help of the Holy Spirit!
In part three, we’ll be talking about getting familiar with other people’s point of view. You can find the other parts of this article here to read more!
Columns: ✝️Spiritual Life
Lydia N. lives in Kansas City with her mom, stepdad, and dog, Pippin. This is her third year at NSA, her second on Student Council, and her second as the Editor-in-Chief for The NorthStar Navigator. She hopes to pursue a career in digital marketing and graphic design in the future, as well as pursue her acting and singing dreams.