Many of us find it difficult to share the Gospel to our family. We pray to God for the salvation of the people in our homes, but we find it difficult or even impossible to share the Gospel that saves them to them.
Why is this so? How can we enable ourselves to share the Gospel to our families?
Reasons why it's difficult
Many of us Christians find it hard to share the Gospel to our own families. While many of us find it easy to preach the Gospel to strangers and even friends, many of us feel it's difficult or even impossible to preach God's love to our parents, siblings, and other relatives. This happens for various reasons.
- First, we think that our families won't accept Christ.
We think that our family members won't accept our Lord. We think it will take more than just a preaching of God's word for them to repent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We think it will take more than just us to convince them to accept Christ.
- Second, we think that they will ridicule us because they know us
We think that, because our family members know who we are, they won't accept our testimony. They know us, and thus we won't be able to hide anything from them. Our life before Christ is just so shameful, we think they won't believe that Christ is alive and has changed us.
- Third, we think we won't be able to do it
Many of us just don't feel confident enough to share the Gospel to our families. We think that when we share the Gospel to them, we'd sound ridiculous. We'd sound like we don't know what we're talking about. We feel like we can't do it because what we know isn't enough.
These reasons, dear friends, prevent us from sharing the best and most precious gift to the people who should matter to us: our families.
God's will for our families
The Bible tells us that God wants all men to be saved, and that includes our family members (see 1 Timothy 2:4). In fact, He wants us saved as much as He wants our family saved, and has promised that if we believe in Him, our family would be saved too.
We find this truth in Acts 16:30-31.
"And [the prison keeper] brought [Paul and Silas] out [of prison] and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.""
So how do we share the Gospel to our family? Here are a few tips.
1) Believe that it's God's will for your family to be saved
Realize that God wants your family saved way more than you do. Be motivated and urged by the fact that God wants them saved, and that it's your responsibility to share the Gospel to them.
2) Live a life that testifies about God's redeeming work in your life
If you feel like your family won't be able to accept your testimony, then do your best to have a God-glorifying testimony before them. Choose to live a life that shows the change and new life that Christ brought you.
3) Plainly share the Gospel to them
Lastly, just tell them about God's love for them in Christ. They need to know Jesus, as much as you. But since you've known Christ first, choose to introduce Him to them and vice-versa.
