Talking with Your Kids about Jesusናሙና

Day Seven: The Difference Jesus Makes—Why Do Christians Want to Share Their Faith with Others?

Scripture: Romans 10:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 John 2:3–4

If we want our kids to build a robust understanding of Christianity, we have to make sure they have both the right pieces of understanding and the guidance on how to put those pieces together. A key purpose of our time so far has been to help you identify some of those pieces of understanding about Jesus that kids need today, given the difficult world in which they’re growing up. This is a hugely important first step.

We go to the next step when we ask, “Now what? What should an understanding of Christianity look like when we put the pieces together and apply them to our lives?” We’ll finish our time with a conversation on why knowing the truth about Jesus means sharing that truth with others—a connection often misunderstood and resented by a secular world.

Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, he told the disciples, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Making disciples, of course, implies that we are sharing our faith with others and inviting them to a life of following Jesus. However, research has shown that almost half of Christian millennials say that “it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith.” It seems many young Christians have been influenced by the secular view that we should keep our faith private. But when we know and believe what the Bible says Jesus commanded (to make disciples of all nations), and we have a genuine love for others, Christians should have no reason to believe that the sharing of faith is wrong. 

That said, just because we’re called to share the gospel and want to share the gospel doesn’t mean people will listen to the gospel. We aren’t called to tackle people to the ground to make them hear us! Ultimately, a person must be willing to have a conversation. Building genuine relationships with people is often the key to opening that door.

Ask your child if they think it’s easy or hard to share about Jesus with others. What makes it easier and what makes it harder?