HEY MIKE! A guy I’ve been best friends with since the fourth grade isn’t a Christian. I’m really trying to encourage him to commit his life to Jesus, so I’ve invited him to my youth group, as well as to different trips and events—stuff like that. But nothing’s working. I wanna witness—but how?
—C.H., Lakewood, Colo.
I like what Christian artist Jennifer Knapp said in our October 2002 issue: “The most important thing is just having a relationship with somebody. I think that’s what Christianity is. . . . Making an impression on somebody for the Lord requires an honest and legitimate relationship, first.”
Obviously you’re already doing this—ever since the fourth grade! So here’s my advice: Keep it up. What this guy needs most is a 100-percent genuine, honest-to-goodness REAL Christian friend. And as you reach out, consider these tips:
Relax! When it comes to communicating the foundation of our lives—eternal freedom through Jesus Christ—why is it that most of us feel clueless, speechless . . . and totally ineffective? Answer: Sometimes Christians are way too uptight about witnessing. We fear we’ll mess up what God accomplished through the cross. We obsess over appearances. We treat nonChristians like projects instead of people. We speak an alien language—known by insiders as “Christianese.” The best thing you can do is relax and live what you believe, naturally, honestly, confidently. If you’re not uptight about your faith, he won’t be either.
Be ready with answers—instead of just being polite and keeping quiet. Maybe your friend doesn’t seem too interested in spiritual issues right now, but get this: He’s watching you, especially your faith. And if he comes to you with a question one day, you need to speak up. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).
Have some backbone. Matthew 22:37-39 tells us to love others, but that doesn’t mean tolerating their sin. (Of course, it doesn’t mean wagging your finger at them either.) Sometimes the best way of loving a nonbeliever is with the word NO—“No thanks, I don’t smoke, drink, chew [insert the appropriate word]”—then letting your backbone do the witnessing for you. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Be patient. You’ve planted some “faith seeds” in your friend’s life. Now it’s time to pray and ask God to let them take root. Will this guy ever commit his life to Christ? Will you be the one to lead him? We just don’t have answers to these questions. The best thing you can do is continue being his friend. 
