Week 14: Why should I tell people about Jesus?

Jesus has a personal relationship with each of His followers, but that relationship isn’t meant to be a secret. He wants us to tell our friends and family what He is like and how we met Him. Let’s look at what the Bible says about why we should tell other people about Jesus Christ.

Be ready to read the following passages:

Let’s start it.

Take turns telling one another about a friend. How did you become friends? What is that person like? Why is he or she a good friend?

Let’s learn it.

Telling your family about a good friend is fun, isn’t it? Well, talking about Jesus brings us joy, too. As a matter of fact, Jesus gave His disciples the job of talking about Him. Look at what He told them in Matthew 28:18-20. Christ’s followers still have the responsibility to share His story so others can follow Him, too. Check out what the Apostle Paul wrote about that in 2 Corinthians 5:20.

If you have made the decision to follow Jesus, then you are one of His representatives – you speak and act for Him in your school, neighborhood, and community. You might think that most people have already heard about Jesus, but many people still don’t know that He can save them from their sin. How did Paul say in Romans 10:13-15 that people are saved from their sin?

People can’t believe what they haven’t heard. That makes sense, right? They can’t choose to follow Jesus unless someone tells them, so preachers must go and give God’s message. Paul could not imagine anything more beautiful than the person who takes the story of Jesus to other people. Have you ever considered yourself a preacher? You don’t have to stand on a stage in front of people to preach. You preach the good news of Christ every time you tell a friend that Jesus loves him and wants to be his Savior. Even before Jesus’ death and resurrection, He modeled how to preach the good news of God’s kingdom. How did He act toward people in Matthew 9:35-38?

Jesus was brokenhearted when He saw how helpless and aimless people were without Him. As His followers, we should have the same compassion for people that Jesus showed when He lived on the earth. When you leave home each day, you enter a mission field. As Christ’s followers we should use our feet to go, our mouths to tell, and our hands to help people in need so they too can meet our friend, Jesus.

Christ gave His followers the responsibility to tell His story and to be His faithful representatives on Earth until He returns. Nothing else you ever do will matter as much as helping someone to begin a personal relationship with God. That’s why friends of Jesus tell their friends about Jesus.

Let’s discuss it.

  1. Look again at the questions in Let’s start it. This time answer those same questions about your friendship with Jesus.
  2. How could your answers from question #1 help you to talk about Jesus with someone else?
  3. What opportunities does your church offer for you to share Jesus’ story and love in your community or in other countries? How can you help?

Let’s do it.

Which door does your family use most often to come and go from your house? Consider making a sign that says, “You are now entering the mission field” to hang over that door. Think about who is in your mission field, and make a list of people who don’t know Jesus as their friend. These may be people that you see every day at school or at work. They might also be the people you see often because they work in your community at a grocery store, a hair salon, or a doctor’s office. Remember, people can’t choose to know and follow Jesus unless someone tells them. How will you look for God-given openings this week to tell others about Jesus and how they can know Him as their Savior?