It has happened more than once. At youth group, while I explain how Jesus died on the cross for our sins, a student raises his or her hand and with a puzzled look on their face says, “Wait, people killed Jesus… WHY?”  These are usually the same kids who have never opened a Bible in their life.  And a few of them have never even seen one. They literally do not know what a Bible is. Ten to twenty years ago this phenomenon was rare at youth group, but now, at least where I live, it’s not uncommon.

We live in a post-Christian society. That is a society where the majority of people can no longer accurately articulate the core message of Christianity.  Most people do not know what it means to be a Christian or what Christianity is about.  Now it’s possible this depresses you, but I hope it actually excites you.

Really.

It’s exciting because now, most people do not know what the gospel of Jesus Christ is. And now, unlike before, it has never been easier to share the gospel with others.

Last Tuesday night students from our high school youth group went around our city to share the gospel.  Our goal was simple: just talk with people who are open and willing to listen. No arguing, no judging, no selling Jesus. We just wanted to share the good news of Jesus with people who were open to hearing it.

Our plan was simple:

1.            Ask God to lead us to the right people

2.            Ask people if they had heard of the gospel. If they had, ask what it means to them. If they had not, ask if we could explain it to them.

3.            Ask if we could explain the gospel using a handout from Dare2Share ministries (sometimes students literally just read the paper).

4.            Ask if they understood what was explained.

5.            Ask if they would like to trust Jesus with their life.

Many of the students were still very nervous to talk to strangers about Jesus. They had never done anything like this before. They thought people would be mean to them. They thought people might make fun of them. They thought they would look stupid.  But none of this happened.

The results were awesome. Almost every student shared the gospel with someone. One girl shared the gospel with an entire soccer team at a Dairy Queen. Another student shared the gospel with a woman who afterward responded saying, “That gives me a new perspective on things.” Sure, some people said they didn’t want to talk, and when that happen we sincerely replied, “Ok, have great day.” But the truth is most people were open to listening to a student explain to them the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why? Because they had never heard it before, or because they were not able to explain it themselves.

We may live in a post-Christian society.  But this only means we live in a society with a wonderful opportunity. If we’re willing we will have the opportunity to go out and share the good news of Jesus Christ with many who have never heard it before. And that is awesome.

What’s your favorite method for sharing the gospel? Is there anything you need to help you share the gospel? (Seriously, let me know and I’d be happy to help you.)