PREPARE TO SHARE THE MESSAGE

 

Hopefully by now you’ve built some relationships with non-Christians on the campus and have sensed that now is the time to share the gospel with them. How do you do that? Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well in Samaria was a master class in presenting Himself as the Messiah. 

            

Notice that Jesus did not take months or even days to let this woman know who He was and invite her to receive Him as Lord of her life. Sometimes sharing Jesus takes only a matter of minutes of relationship-building preparation. Other times it takes longer. So ask the Lord for the balance between being bold about Jesus and giving space for the other person to feel comfortable about considering His claims.  

 

Jesus began the conversation at her point of need and showed genuine concern for her as a person. He made some enticing statements that stirred up a desire in her to hear more. And He refused to rush the conversation in order to get to the bottom line. But He did keep bringing the conversation back to Himself as the Messiah. 

 

Make Jesus Relevant

Even as believers who know Jesus meets every need, we sometimes struggle to trust Him in the midst of our challenges. Imagine how much more difficult it is for a non-Christian to take that first drink of living water. Only when they know we care about their needs and desires will they even begin to listen to our solutions.

            

One reason so many young people are not interested in a relationship with Christ is that they don’t see how He is relevant to their lives. You can help them realize how very relevant He is by showing how He can meet their needs and longings. Walking across the relationship bridge you have built, it seems very natural to explain how they can have a relationship with Him.

 

Turn the Conversation to Christ

You can use these suggestions to walk across the “Jesus conversation” bridge. 

 

1. Notice and show interest in that student’s interests. As soon as the Samaritan woman realized Jesus was “a prophet,” she wanted Him to settle a dispute about the right place to worship (John 4:19). Though Jesus knew she needed something else, He started with what seemed to be her interest.

 

Students have important questions too—like social justice, the environment, economic disparities, or something else that is world-changing. It is important to take those at face value as their real concerns. We may not agree with their ideas or think they have the best solutions in mind, but their passion usually reveals a good and true desire—like concern for others, a sense of fairness, or an awareness that something has gone wrong in the world and that there must be a solution. We know God cares about these things too, and in one way or another, the gospel speaks to these kinds of concerns. Find ways to affirm the heart and motives behind their questions and concerns, even if you strongly disagree with the solutions they have in mind. We know that beyond these world-changing issues, their deeper needs, concerns, and desires are closer to home.

 

2. Find a felt need. Since Jesus was talking to a woman who had come to a well for water, thirst was an obvious need, yet He told her about a different kind of water that would satisfy her thirst forever (John 4:13-14). Not all needs will be this easy to spot, but they usually appear in what people talk about the most. So listen for topics that come up repeatedly. Notice any negative self-perceptions the student has, as well as what he or she does not say.

 

Take Lucas, for example. He kept talking about how he couldn’t wait to get a job and be on his own. With a couple of questions, I easily discovered that he lived in a foster home in a difficult situation. Often you will discover felt needs in the painful subjects hidden just beneath the surface, and sometimes it takes more probing questions to get to deeper issues below the surface.  

 

3. Whet their appetite. Jesus’ words about “living water” were so intriguing that the Samaritan woman practically begged Him to tell her more (4:15). In doing so, He revived her hope for a solution in her life. Though she didn’t know what she was looking for, she had an innate desire to quench her thirst with something deep and meaningful. 

            

Try to create that kind of thirst in your conversations. Like the Samaritan woman and many other people, students can be fatalistic about their lives and lose hope in finding solutions. When it became clear that Lucas’ father had deserted him and his family, I said, “It must be tough living without your dad, always wondering where he is. You know, I think I can help you with how that feels.” That stirred up Lucas’ hope, and he wanted to know more. Students tune in when we meet them at their point of need.

 

4. Move to the student’s real need. When the Samaritan woman asked Jesus for the living water, He could have immediately pointed to Himself as the water of life. She seemed ready for the gospel, and the good news was sitting right in front of her. But first He told her to go call her husband (4:16-18). He knew she had a deeper need to be addressed. 

 

5. Keep digging deeper.  It’s often difficult not to rush things when someone expresses interest. We want to get them into the kingdom now. But Jesus was concerned about the Samaritan woman’s life. She had had five husbands and was living with a man she was not married to. She needed physical water and living water, but she also had a relationship void that only God’s love could fill. Only when Jesus pointed it out did she become convinced that He could fill that void in her life. 

 

I wanted Lucas to tell me about his life when his father was home. “Was it ever happy?” I asked. He told me that even though he loved his dad, things had always been difficult. His dad had abused Lucas’ sister and abandoned his mom and him. Home life couldn’t have gotten much worse. No wonder Lucas wanted to get a job and be on his own. With more sensitive but probing questions, I helped him see that what he valued—getting a job—was not what he was really looking for. What he valued wasn’t giving meaning to his life. By this point, he knew something significant was missing.

 

You may be able to get to that point in one conversation, or it may take several conversations. But no matter how effectively you share Jesus with people, they have to come to a point where they see their real need and realize they can’t meet it on their own. 

            

Once a real need surfaces, you can share the good news of Jesus with students, and they can cross the bridge to meet Him! 

 

Your Next Steps

We encourage you to keep a notebook or journal of ideas, action steps, and resources that will help you advance your youth ministry. You can use the following questions and suggestions for brainstorming and developing your goals and plans. 

 

• Identify one or two students you know with underlying and unmet needs. 

 

• Write three or four questions that could help identify those needs and open the way for a “below the surface” gospel conversation.

 

• Prepare to give your personal testimony of how one of your needs led you to Jesus. 

 

• Identify and order gospel-sharing tools from the list below. Study the tools carefully so you can share with ease when the opportunity comes. 

 

Resources

• "3 Circles" gospel presentation and app  and “3 Circles” Evangelism Kit (free download) 

 

• “Life in 6 Words,” Dare 2 Share, www.dare2share.org