How to Share the Gospel with a Child

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The Bible has plenty to say about sharing Jesus with children. That includes your children. But knowing how to share the gospel with a child, even your child, isn’t always easy to figure out. These 6 ideas will get you started.

Before getting to these ideas, be sure you understand the need to share the gospel with kids. Your children, just like everyone else, weren’t born saved. They need you to tell them about Jesus. Start with these ideas and branch out from there.

These are not iron-clad guarantees of faith, but rather suggestions of what to do to encourage a true saving faith. Remember, as you seek to walk faithfully before the Lord and teach your children of His amazing grace, that they still have free will and God will not force His love on anyone. But you can make it easier for them to accept.

#1: Start Sharing the Gospel by Sharing the Word of God

Deuteronomy 6 encourages believing parents to share the Word when they are inside their homes and outside, when it is morning and when it is evening. In other words – share the Word at all times and in all places. Some practical ways to do this:

• Reading a short devotional while the kids are eating breakfast
• Reading a Psalm and a portion of Proverbs every evening after dinner
• Having a family memory challenge – who can memorize a passage quickest and most accurately (be prepared to lose! Kids’ minds are quick).
• With older children, have a sharing time about what you read in your quiet time – and encourage them to share what they read also.
• Having a devotional time or time directly from God’s Word right before bed – after story time so the Word is the last thing on their minds as they drift to sleep.

#2: Be Prepared to Share the Gospel by Being in the Word

It is so much easier to share the Word if you are in the Word yourself. So, whatever it takes, make time for your own devotional life. Don’t hide this part of your life from your children but let them see you partaking of the Word of Life regularly and not just for the purpose of sharing with them. Practical steps to make this a reality:

• Get up before the children and set aside time for Bible and prayer. This post on organizing your quiet time might help.
• Stay up after the children and set aside time for Bible and prayer
• Do your devotions while the children are doing homework or their devotions
• Have a family time for personal devotions right after dinner – and then a sharing time of what you read and learn

#3: Be a Praying Parent

Nothing of eternal significance occurs in this world without prayer. If you want your children to come to a saving knowledge of Christ, then you must diligently pray for that outcome.

But don’t stop at praying for their salvation. Pray for their growth in faith, their sensitivity to spiritual things, for other believers who cross their paths, and that their hearts will not be hardened.

These three prayer lists can help you pray for your children, adult children, and anyone you know who isn’t saved – including your children:

• Use the 20 Ways to Pray for Your Children list – praying for their salvation is first on the list
• For older children who are on their own, use this 20 Ways to Pray for Your Adult Children list.
• Use the 20 Ways to Pray for the Lost list – it expands on just praying for salvation to other areas such as a softening of hearts, praying for other believers in their lives, and true understanding of the need for salvation.
• Pray constantly until you are assured of their honest faith – even if that means after your child has verbally confessed salvation and been baptized.

#4: Never Remind Them of Their Salvation Experience

In this article, I shared a bit about my two sons’ experiences with coming to a saving knowledge of Christ.  One thing I never did with either of them is remind them they were saved. The Spirit of God will testify to their spirit if they truly are – and I could just confuse them if they aren’t.

Also, while I am extremely grateful that they are both professing Christ and appear to be walking with Him, the truth is that no one can know the heart of another. So, I continue to pray that their faith is genuine and growing, even as adults.

#5: Remind Them Frequently of the Faithfulness of God

Your testimony – not only of coming to saving faith, but of growing in faith, and seeing your faith challenged – is key at this point. When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan, they were instructed to set up memorial stones so that “when your children ask” (Joshua 4:6) what these stones mean, they would have a testimony to share of the power and provision of God.

In the same way, you should be collecting and talking about ‘memorial stones’ in your life – from your wedding cake topper to the ridiculous sombrero you carried back from a mission trip to Mexico. Discuss what these ‘memorial stones’ mean to you and how they remind you of God’s faithfulness.

#6: Never Give Up

Yes, it is true that most believers are saved prior to age 20 – so if your prodigal child is 32, do you stop praying? Sharing? Believing? NO! How about if they’re 46? 54? 69? No, no, NO! It’s hard to keep believing when those we love are not ‘in the fold’ for many, many years. But to do less is unthinkable. Keep praying, sharing, loving, and believing for that beloved unbeliever.