Christ commanded that His disciples share the Gospel with the rest of the world. As believers, we are especially passionate about our loved ones coming to the saving grace of God. However, we do not always know how to share our faith with unbelieving relatives. Through prayer, wisdom and the Word of God, we can learn how to effectively share the Gospel with our family members and friends.
Walking In Grace / Richard Caldwell
Day 1
Scriptures: Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15-16, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 9:16
Sharing Faith with Family Is a Commandment
When we first become Christians, we are often burning with the desire within us to share this Good News of our salvation with other people. We have an overwhelming joy of knowing that we have been forgiven by Christ. We have been saved. We are now free in Jesus. We want our family and friends to know this grace that has been lavished on us.
However, after a while, this initial excitement dissipates. Often, Christians find it hard to share the Gospel, especially with family members or friends whose hearts seem hardened towards faith. Some believers end up never talking about their faith with others, thinking that it is a private matter. Jesus Himself, however, told His followers to go into the entire world and to share the Gospel with everyone, making disciples and baptizing them. So, what are some practical ways that Christians can effectively share their faith with friends and family?
First of all, we need to remember that sharing the Gospel is Christ’s commandment. He expects it from His disciples. We need to pray and ask the Lord to ignite the fire in our hearts that we had when we were born again. The Apostle Paul, the greatest apostle who ever lived, who wrote a third of the New Testament, said that he was constantly compelled to preach the Gospel everywhere and to everyone. He even added that it was “terrible for him” not to share his faith. God expects us, who have been saved by grace, to witness about this grace to the people we love.
Moreover, we need to remember that Christ not only commanded that we share the Gospel with others, He also provided us with the strength from the Holy Spirit to do it. He told His disciples that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses. In other words, we are not alone when we share our faith. The Holy Spirit is always there to help us. He will give us the right words to say. He will give us the power to pray for others as we share the Gospel. Our prayers will be answered, and miracles will happen when we obey God and share our faith with our friends and family.
Day 2
Scriptures: John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Philippians 2:13, James 1:5, 2 Peter 3:9
Sharing Faith with Family Prayerfully
Often, we want to share the Gospel with our family members and friends, but we are not sure where to start. We need to start with prayer. Remember, Christ is even more interested in your family members being saved than you are. He died for them as well. The Scriptures tell us that in His infinite love, God does not want anyone to perish. Rather, He desires for every person to come to Him in repentance and receive His gift of eternal life.
We need prayer in everything we do in life. Sharing our faith is not an exception. Come to God in prayer about the salvation of your loved ones. While the Bible emphasizes the importance of faith within families, we must understand that each individual must come to personal faith in Christ. Our prayers for our loved ones are vital, trusting God to work in their hearts and draw them to Himself. We need to stand on this and other promises of God when we pray for our unbelieving family members and friends.
Another amazing thing about prayer is that it does not depend on us. It does not rely on our presence. It does not need our words. Prayer is not limited to our influence. God may even choose to use someone other than us as the evangelist to reach our family member or friend; that should encourage us. Even if we are close to someone, this closeness does not mean that God cannot use another person to bring this individual to conversion. We are not the ones who save people; God is.
Moreover, when we pray for our loved ones’ salvation, we can receive God’s guidance and wisdom. In His Word, the Lord promised to give wisdom to those who ask Him for it. When we pray, the Holy Spirit can show us the right time to share our faith. He can also give us the right words to use to share it. A prayer is a powerful tool in evangelism. When we pray God works in us and through us to accomplish His will. The salvation of our family members is God’s will. We need to come to His presence daily praying that our loved ones come to know Him as their Lord and Savior. As we pray, God will use us or other believers to bring the people dear to us to His saving grace.
Day 3
Scriptures: Proverbs 21:1, Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Acts 16:31, James 5:16
Sharing Faith with Family Can Be Hard
We can be really eager to share our faith with our friends and family. This does not mean that they will feel the same way about listening to us. Sometimes, sharing our faith with those closest to us can be the hardest thing to do. We need to manage our expectations by the Word of God. Even our Lord Jesus knew that this could happen. He said that a prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown and with his own family. Often, the people who are the nearest to us can be the least willing to listen to anything we have to say. This should not surprise or overly disappoint us.
For example, it can be difficult for a mother or a father to listen to their son or daughter, especially in a way that requires a change to what they believe. It is hard for them to see their child as someone who can tell them what to do. In a similar manner, a brother or a sister may be unwilling to hear their sibling outside of the family context: they have known this person all of their lives. So we should not be surprised if we find witnessing to our family the most difficult kind of evangelism we will ever do.
Our family members and friends have known us for the longest time. They have seen us on our best and worst days. They might not always take us seriously. While this is true, this should not discourage us entirely. This is where prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit are most needed. God knew that our family would feel this way. While the Bible emphasizes the importance of faith within families, we must understand that each individual must come to personal faith in Christ. Our prayers for our loved ones are vital, trusting God to work in their hearts and draw them to Himself. We need to remember that Christ, His Word, and His Holy Spirit are on our side.
Even if we feel that the door of our witness is shut and our loved ones do not want to listen to us, we need to continue praying. The Bible promises us that the prayer of a believer can accomplish a lot. God might use someone else to speak to our loved ones, or He can cause their circumstances to change in a way that will encourage them to hear about the Lord. God can change any hardened heart. We just need to believe.
Day 4
Scriptures: Matthew 5:14-16, John 8:12, Ephesians 5:8, 1 Peter 2:12
Sharing Faith with Family Is Rewarding
At times, it can be hard to share our faith with family members and friends because they have known us our entire lives. At the same time, witnessing to our loved ones can be very effective. Since these people have known us for a long time, they can see the changes that God has done in us firsthand. To them, these changes are unmistakable.
When a family member sees a person who used to be fundamentally selfish caring for and serving others, the individual will recognize the difference. When loved ones know that you used to be focused on material things and now you are giving money to charity, they will notice. If you did not like the church or the Word of God, but now you read your Bible daily, your family will be the first to know that something special happened to you. God’s transforming work in your life will be obvious to your family members.
Our witness to our family can be very difficult at first. However, with time it can become our most effective witness. Our family members and friends can be the first people to acknowledge the changes that Christ has made in our life. In other words, give it time, stay focused, and let your light shine. Eventually, your whole house will be bright. Your actions will speak as loudly about Christ as your words do. When your loved ones see your transformation, they might come to you themselves to ask how it happened. That would be the perfect time to share your faith in the saving grace of Jesus.
Jesus is the Light of the world. When we come to Him, our lives are illuminated and transformed by His glory. This transformation is noticeable. That is why Christ said that we need to let our light shine in such a way that others will see our good deeds and glorify God. Surely, as our family members see our faith lived in action in our day-to-day lives, they will want to know the God who transformed us. Our actions can help us share our faith with our loved ones. Our very lives can be a witness for the God we believe in.
Day 5
Scriptures: Philippians 4:5, 1 Peter 3:14-15
Sharing Faith with Family Respectfully
Your family members and friends are the most important people to you. Because you care about them, you definitely care about their salvation. Such concern can make you very zealous in wanting to share the Gospel with them.
It is OK to be zealous in giving an explanation for your hope in Christ. The Scriptures encourage us to always be ready to give an account of our faith. We should be confident in what we believe in. We should not be afraid, even if we suffer misunderstanding, ridicule, or persecution. We should always be zealous to share the Gospel. Such zeal is a good thing. Yet, the Scriptures also say that we need to, first of all, honor Christ. Let that be preeminent in your conversations about your faith with family members and friends. While you should be an eager witness, you also need to be gentle and respectful.
When we share our faith with our family members and friends, we need to be reminded that the same kind of familiarity that they have with us, we have with them. Often, because we know our family members very well, we can take their response to our witness personally. When this happens, the walls of respect can come down very quickly; we can respond to our family members in a way that we would not respond to anyone else. This, however, is not the goal. We do not want to become frustrated with our family members if they do not believe our witness about the Lord. We should not take offense in that. We should not be exasperated or harsh in our approach or language with our loved ones. We definitely do not want to be disrespectful. We can’t lose our tact and unnecessarily cross boundaries. We need to honor Christ in everything.
You are called to be ready to witness about your faith at all times, especially to your loved ones. When you share your faith with your family members and friends, let your words be saturated with Scripture, gentleness, and respect. Then, trust God with the outcome. He will not disappoint you.