How to Tell Someone About Jesus
By Greg Stier
As followers of Jesus, we are called to share the Gospel and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). Our daily lives should provide natural opportunities to tell others about the hope we have in Christ.
Sharing your faith does not have to be intimidating. In Acts 8:26-40, we see a biblical account that outlines five simple steps we can follow to share the Gospel with people we encounter in our everyday lives. These steps include:
1. Obey the prompt.
The story begins with Philip, a Jewish believer who traveled to Samaria to preach after Pentecost. One day, an angel of the Lord instructed him to head south toward the road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza. While traveling, he encountered a chariot carrying an Ethiopian eunuch—an influential government official returning from worship. It was at this moment that the Holy Spirit gave Philip his next clear direction:
“The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’” Acts 8:29
Philip didn’t hem and haw or wonder if he’d heard God right. Instead, he obeyed immediately. The very next verse says:
“Then Philip ran up to the chariot…” Acts 8:30a
To ensure you hear the prompting to begin with, I encourage you to start every day by asking God to give you an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus that day. Then listen for the prompting—and obey right away when you hear it!
2. Ask the question.
“Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.” Acts 8:30
Often, the best way to engage is to ask a question. Maybe the question you begin with is as simple as: “How are you today?” Then, after conversing for a while, you could move to a spiritually focused question, such as:
- Do you go to church around here?
- What’s your spiritual background?
- Is there anything I could pray for you about? (I often use this one with servers at restaurants.)
If you already know someone well, stay attentive to opportunities to ask questions that turn the conversation toward the Gospel. You’ll likely be surprised by how often topics arise that touch on spiritual things.
Whether you already know the person or not, the goal is to spark a Gospel conversation—which leads to the next point.
3. Accept the invite.
“‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” Acts 8:31
When you begin to turn any conversation toward God, you will either be “invited into the chariot,” so to speak, to have a full Gospel conversation—or you will not be invited.
Don’t force someone to have the Gospel conversation. Ask for their permission. I find most people are at least willing to talk about it if you’re kind and have shown a genuine interest in them.
4. Share the Gospel.
“Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” Acts 8:35
This is when you share the whole story of the Gospel. At Dare 2 Share, we use an acrostic that spells this out clearly:
God created us to be with Him.
Our sins separate us from God.
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds.
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.
Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life.
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.
However you explain the Gospel, make sure to focus on the cross, the resurrection, and faith alone in Jesus alone for salvation.
5. Start the discipleship.
“Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.” Acts 8:38
Don’t just lead someone to Jesus. Do your best to get them plugged into a church and baptized. Baptism doesn’t save them, but it does brand them as a follower of Jesus.
This article originally appeared on gregstier.org and is reposted here by permission.
