According to research, when a person comes to trust in Jesus before the age of 13, it is through parent’s influence (50%) more than anything else. Between 13-21, friends and parents are equally influential, (20% each). If a person comes to trust in Jesus after 21, the highest percentage (20% again) do so as a result of the influence of friends. This is not shocking that friends would be so influential.
What energizes us, energizes our friends. I have a friend who is a latecomer to the internet. Sure enough, as soon as he is online he discovers a poker game room. He has told several friends and they are now playing. He said this to me.
“If I would make the same effort letting my friends know about Jesus as I do about internet poker…”
You get the picture. Our friend’s respect our interests. They also trust us. They feel safe with us. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t remain friends. The more transparent we are to our friends, the richer the relationship can become.
So, why is it so hard to share our faith with them? Some possible reasons:
1. We will be held to a different standard if they know we are an active Christian.
2. We are hesitant to say the wrong thing.
3. We are fearful they may be turned off by our faith emphasis and not continue the friendship.
Some observations:
1. Different standard? Meaning we don’t want to make lifestyle changes more in tune to a disciple of Jesus?
2. Wrong thing? The whole idea of friendship is wide boundaries for saying whatever one wishes. The absolute worst response from a friend in a sharing faith experience is going to be, “That’s great for you but I am not interested.” How devastating is that?
3. Turned off? It all depends on our approach. If we are respectful and caring (always a good idea in all our relationships), and don’t treat them like idiots, friends will at best want to explore more, and at worst change the subject.
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