A Young Man After God’s Own Heart

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

As a Christian do you ever feel like you are outnumbered? That you are surrounded by giants? That you are small and insignificant? That you have very little, if any, Christian support at your school because your teachers and fellow students have different and opposing beliefs? That you are outmanned and the battle seems impossible to win?

Well, if you have ever had any thoughts like these, you are not alone. Ten other “special ops” warriors had similar concerns more than 3,000 years ago. You can read about their self-doubt in Numbers chapter 13, but for now, let me give you the short version.

God had brought His people out of Egypt with signs, wonders, and miracles—the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the provision of food and water in the desert. The people of Israel had witnessed the great power of God. And now they were ready to go into the Promised Land. But as one last final preparation, Moses sent his 12 best men—the best of the best—to spy out the land. “Operation Promised Land” took 40 days. And at the end of that time, the men returned to give their reports.

Ten of these mighty men reported that the land was a beautiful place, filled with lots of good things…but there was just one problem: The land was also filled with giants who lived in walled cities! The people were so b-i-g that the spies felt like grasshoppers compared to them. The ten warriors concluded that it would be a terrible mistake to try and conquer the land. The giants were just too big and too strong!

Now, didn’t I tell you that you are not alone in your feelings about the overwhelming odds you face at your school and in your neighborhood? These ten men were, as I said, the best of the best…and they too were fearful with what was out there.

But is that the end of the story? No! Remember, I said Moses sent out 12 men. Let’s see what the other two men, Joshua and Caleb, had to say when they reported in:

If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them (Numbers 14:8-10).

“Do not be afraid of them” was the cry of Joshua and Caleb! Why? Because, as they stated, “The LORD is with us.” They stood up under the pressures from both their own people and from the giants in the land.

God is asking you and me to be a witness for Him in our world. Let’s not view our world as impossible to conquer. Let’s not develop a “grasshopper complex.” Let’s instead stand tall with these two brave men, Joshua and Caleb, and let God fight our battles and win our victories.

Guys often tell me they don’t know how to share their faith, or they don’t think they know enough Bible or theology to be able to tell someone else about their faith in Christ. For these reasons, they shy away from the many opportunities that come up for reaching out to others with the good news of Jesus Christ. Do you feel this way, too? You are not alone.

It’s true that skills and knowledge are important and that you should learn more of God’s truth and be equipped to share your Christian faith. But it’s not necessary for you to be a theologian before you can share about the most significant aspect of your life with those who are willing and eager to listen.

I don’t know how long you’ve been a believer in Christ, but you’ve probably heard your pastor or youth leaders talk about “sharing your testimony.” Basically, your testimony is your story of how you became a Christian. To show you just how simple it is to share your testimony, I want to point you to the story about the demon-possessed man in Mark 5:1-20.

The short version of the story is that a man was tormented by a whole host of demons. Jesus, in His mercy for this poor man, cast the demons out of him and sent them into a herd of pigs, which then ran down a hill into a lake and drowned.

You can imagine how thrilled this tortured man was to be free of the demons. So he immediately asked Jesus if he could follow Him. You might think Jesus would say, “Sure, come follow Me and learn some theology. Sit at My feet and let Me tutor you for a few years until you are ready to share your testimony with others.”

No, Jesus simply told the man to “go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19). Basically, Jesus told the man to go home and share his testimony! You see, even as a new believer, this man already had all he needed to testify of his experience with Jesus.

And what happened? What were the results of this man’s obedience to Jesus? The Bible tells us “the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis [his home region] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed” (verse 20).

What was the impact of this man’s changed life? I believe we see it later on in Mark 7:31–8:9. Here we read that Jesus was moving through a Gentile region outside of Israel. Jesus had not been in this area before, nor was He well known there. But amazingly, when Jesus arrived at this remote place, He was met by a crowd of about 4,000 men (not to mention many women and children) ready and waiting to hear His message!

Where did these people come from? I personally believe the man in Mark 5 had done exactly what Jesus told him to do. I believe he had obediently told people how much Jesus had done for him. I believe he had simply shared his testimony, and those people showed up in a faraway place to see Jesus and to hear His message for themselves.

My young friend, your personal testimony of Jesus’ work in your life is the greatest and most powerful tool you have for reaching others for God. Why? It’s about your experience with Jesus Christ! It’s personal. So no one can argue against it. And you can never say the wrong thing. Also, the fact that it happened to you makes it more meaningful to the people who hear you describe it.

Now, take a moment to think back over your past. What are the circumstances that led up to your acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior? What changes or differences have you—and hopefully others—seen in your life since you became a Christian? Using this three-part breakdown for your personal testimony, try to briefly note what happened to you. (To help you out here, I’ve included a worksheet or outline for you at the end of this chapter.)

Once you’ve written your notes, you are ready to carry out the apostle Peter’s exhortation in 1 Peter 3:15: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” So send up a prayer of thanks to God for your relationship with Him through His Son. And ask Him to give you an opportunity to share the reason for your hope—your personal testimony—with someone this week.

I once heard the story about a high-level official in a foreign government who enrolled his non-Christian son in a Christian college in America. There was a great excitement among the students about who might have the opportunity to share the gospel with this young man and possibly see him come to Christ. Would it be the senior class president? The star athlete? The campus chaplain?

Well, the foreign student did come to Christ. But everyone was surprised about who God used as His messenger. It was Tom, just an average guy. You would never pick Tom out of a crowd as someone with unusual skills or witnessing abilities. Later, when someone asked him what happened, he said, “I simply built a bridge between my heart and his, and then Jesus walked across it.”

Developing friendships. Building bridges. Hey, this is what it means to develop a heart for reaching others! You and I don’t need to be pastors…or Bible experts…in order to witness. No, but we do need to earn the right to be heard by those around us…like Tom did.

What are some ways that you can build bridges that will help carry the message of Jesus Christ from your heart to the hearts of others? Here are some suggestions to get you started or help you to continue building bridges. (We could even call this Bridge Building 101!)

Live your Christian witness—As you consistently try to live your life for Jesus Christ, your schoolmates and neighbors will see Him at work in you through…

Ask God to give you the strength to “walk the walk” so that you can “talk the talk.”

Pray for unbelievers—Salvation is God’s job; witnessing is our job. And so is prayer. You and I are to build bridges…and at the same time, we are to pray for God to walk across those bridges into the hearts and lives of others. So:

1. Pray for specific individuals…your family members at home, your relatives, your schoolmates, and your friends.

2. Pray for “open doors”…to share your testimony just like Paul did (Colossians 4:3).

4. Pray for God to overrule…your fears and give you great boldness (Ephesians 6:19).

As you look over this “prayer” list again, think about George Mueller. He lived more than 100 years ago in England and ran an orphanage for hundreds of children. Mr. Mueller began to pray for the salvation of five personal friends. After five years, one of those friends came to Christ. After ten years, two more became saved. For 25 years he continued praying for the other two, and then the fourth one became a Christian. Until his death, he did not cease to ask God to save the fifth man. A few months after George Mueller died, Friend #5 was saved!

The moral of this story? Never give up on others! Never stop praying for their salvation.

Pay attention to the interests and hobbies of others—One of the best ways to build bridges is to learn about the interests of those you are making friends with. Are you prepared to take up a new hobby in order to build a bridge to someone? To try a new activity? (Tennis, anyone?)

Relate the Bible to current issues—There’s never been a better time to discuss the questions others have about the future…and the present! Just pick up any newspaper. Listen to any news program. Every day there are issues facing us that cry out for an explanation…and God has it! Look for opportunities to relate what the Bible has to say about current events in the world. Speak up and show others the Bible’s relevance to the latest national or world crisis.

Show genuine interest in others—Human nature is pretty much marked by selfishness. Don’t you agree? People care much more about themselves than they do about anyone else. So show some genuine interest in others. Remember names. Pay attention to favorite sports teams and heroes, the concerns and interests of your unbelieving friends. Go out of your way to show them that you care. Then others will begin to see you as a friend…and see Christianity as something desirable.

Meet non-Christians in the middle—What do I mean by “in the middle”? You will meet very few unbelievers at your church or Christian youth group. Sure, you might meet visitors who wander in off the street or who are brought to church by a friend or neighbor. But for the most part, the unbelievers are out there—in your neighborhood…at school…at the baseball field or skateboard park. So meet them in the middle. Meet them wherever the two of you are involved.

Invite unbelievers to participate in your hobbies and interests—In addition to taking an interest in the hobbies of unbelievers, you can also invite them to join you. Do you play ball? Then invite someone to join you and your friends for a friendly game of “tag football” on the vacant lot near your house or on your lawn. Or maybe you play chess…or water ski? As other guys observe your life “up close and personal” on the field of competition or enjoying a hobby, they will see more of who you are not only as a person, but also as a Christian.

Not long after I began teaching at Talbot Seminary in Southern California, I was asked by my department head to attend a seminar on student life in Chicago. As I listened to one of the “learned” speakers who had a theological degree from a famous university, it wasn’t long before I realized this man didn’t have a clue about what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

So, during one of the lunch breaks, I sat with this “Doctor” and started a conversation about salvation, and the gospel message, and the fact that those who don’t become Christians are condemned to an eternity without God. I’ll never forget this religious professor’s response….

His question brings up one of the most common fears most people have about sharing their faith. They worry, “What if someone asks me a question that I can’t answer?”

Well, the chances of that happening aren’t too great, for there are only about seven basic questions that non-Christians generally ask as they grapple with the truth of the gospel. And would you believe it—this well-educated man asked the Number One question on the list!

A question for you—Are you like most guys, afraid of the questions that might come your way after you’ve built the bridges and after you’ve developed the friendships? Well, cheer up. Questions are a good thing. Hopefully there will be questions! You should welcome them. Questions are a good sign that the person might want to hear more, and that God might be working in his heart!

Witnessing for Christ is not a one-way street. And reaching out is not a monologue, but a dialogue. Evangelism is listening to other people. It’s understanding their fears and questions. And it’s seeking to give biblical answers.

What we as Christians need to do is have enough compassion to find out the questions our peers have and then go to the Bible for answers. As I mentioned a moment ago, there are only about seven basic questions (or objections) that unbelievers have and ask about. I’ve listed them here. And after each objection, I’ve provided the most basic scriptures that will help you with the answers. My prayer is that you have developed the kinds of friendships with others that will make them feel comfortable asking you one—or even all—of these questions.

Earlier, we talked about making friendships with the kinds of Christians who will help pull you along and pull you up. So you might be wondering why we’re now talking about building bridges and reaching out to unbelievers. When we speak of evangelism and reaching out, we are not talking about “evangelistic dating” with an unbeliever or “infiltrating” a group of unbelievers and becoming so much like them that you lose your distinctiveness as a Christian. We’re talking about the kind of friends you develop in the classroom, in the gym, as a member of a sports team or musical group. You and your non-Christian friends will have interests and physical goals in common, but obviously you won’t share the same spiritual goals.

But wouldn’t you like them to know the same joys you know as a Christian? That’s why you must take on the task of building bridges and making friendships with unbelievers—so you will have an opportunity to “give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). The challenge is great. The adventure is extreme. But the rewards are eternal for those who come to Christ through your witness—both verbal and nonverbal. Show people that you really care. Turn your fears and concerns over to the Lord. “Do not be afraid of the people of the land....the LORD is with [you]” (Numbers 14:9).

Tough Decisions for Today

Use these questions to as an outline for developing your personal testimony. Keep each part to about three or four sentences.

Part One—What my life was like before I met Jesus Christ

Think back over your life. What were some of the circumstances that led up to your acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior?

Part Two—How I met Jesus Christ

Describe the people who were faithful to be available at the time of your spiritual birth. What happened?

Part Three—What my life has been like since meeting Jesus Christ

What changes or differences have you—and hopefully others—seen in your life since you became a Christian?

The Cutting Edge

Present yourself to God as one…who correctly handles the word of truth.

—2 TIMOTHY 2:15

Read Mark 5:1-20. Using the same three-part outline that helped you write out your personal testimony, develop the testimony for the man in this passage from your Bible.

Part One—What his life was like before he met Jesus Christ

Part Two—How he met Jesus Christ

Part Three—What his life was like after meeting Jesus Christ

Read Mark 7:31–8:9. What seems to have been the impact of this man’s testimony?

Ask God…

—to give you an opportunity to share the reason for your hope—your personal testimony—with someone this week.

—to encourage you to “go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you” (Mark 5:19). Share with those closest to you—family, friends, and neighbors—what Jesus has done for you.