W hy is it easier to share Christ with a complete stranger than with your own family?
Know the Gospel
[1]“Jesus paid for our sins so that, if we believe in Him, we will be restored to a right relationship with God.”
We cannot share what we do not know, so first of all, we must know the gospel and know it well. In fact, it should be memorized. To check to see if you really know the gospel, imagine a man lying there in the street, waiting for an ambulance, but he’s about to die and has only three minutes to live. Can you share the gospel with that man in that amount of time so that man might be saved? The Apostle Paul says that the gospel must include the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:1-5). The gospel must include the fact that Jesus satisfied the wrath of God that was due upon us because He was the spotless, perfect, and most holy Lamb of God (1 Pet 1:19). Whoever puts their trust in Him will never be ashamed (Psalm 25:3; John 3:16; Rom 10:11). And Jesus said that we must repent and believe the gospel to be saved (Mark 1:15). That’s what our Lord said, so the gospel must include repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone and nothing we can do can ever earn eternal life (Eph 2:8-9).
Live the Gospel
People can’t hear our words because our actions may be drowning them out. Jesus tells us, His followers, to “Let your light shine before men” (Matthew 5:16). This is a biblical command for all believers. We are told to live out our faith actively through good works, moral excellence, and love. How are people truly going to believe who Jesus’ disciples are? Jesus tells us how others will know who His disciples are, and those that are just playing church. Our Lord gave His disciples, and really, gave to us a new command as to how people will know who Jesus’ disciples are. First of all, the Lord says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). This means we are to love our brothers and sisters like Christ loved His disciples. This is a sacrificial, giving love that is willing to die for others. If we love like that, then “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). It will not be by our Bible knowledge or all the Bible verses we’ve memorized, but by our love for one another; a sacrificial love that is obvious to the world. That love identifies Jesus’ true disciples or followers. Love like that, and live like that, and Jesus may just come up in the conversation.
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Share the Gospel
There is no need to be ashamed to tell others about Jesus Christ and what He has done for you and for others. There is power in the gospel itself, and not in us. The Apostle Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). If we are shamed, we’ll tell no one about Christ, but we must realize that the power to save is not in us, but “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” We must never be ashamed of mentioning Christ for we take a risk that He may be ashamed of us someday before the Father and the holy angels (Luke 9:26).
God and the Gospel
Most people will reject the gospel, but it’s not really you who they reject, but God. They don’t hate the messenger as much as the message. The world will, for the most part, spurn your efforts in sharing Christ, but share it anyway. Why? It’s important to understand that “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18). So the gospel “is the power of God” and in fact, “the power of God for salvation” and not us, but it is just plain foolish to the lost. The good news is that salvation is fully a work of God (Acts 4:12, 16:30-31; Eph 2:28-9). This takes the pressure off of us to save anyone. It takes the responsibility to save anyone off of us and puts the responsibility unto the One to whom it belongs, namely God, however, we are still responsible for sharing Christ. We are responsible for sharing Christ, but it is not our responsibility to save anyone…it is their response to His ability.
The Gospel and You
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You, nor can I, save anyone alone, but God is pleased to use us as a means to save others through our life and through our witness. Alone, we have no chance to save anyone, but here’s what it takes: A child of God shares the Word of God and then the Spirit of God births a child of God and all for the glory of God. Do you see that? It’s all about God, but somehow, He is pleased to use weak, frail human beings who make terrible mistakes to share the sinless, perfect One, Jesus Christ. He wants to use us as a means of being His voice and to share His Word (the Bible) so that some may be saved.
Summary
Why it is so hard to share Christ with family? Because they know you…and they know you better than almost anyone else, and they may hold that against you. They might remember your previous life before Christ and think, “No way is that guy a real Christian. I remember when he did….this or that.” They may judge you unworthy of being saved (which we all are!) or…their conscience may be convicted by the godly life you live and they become more aware of their own sinfulness. Family is about the hardest to share Christ with because they don’t take you as seriously as they would someone outside of the family. Witness to them anyway. Remember it is God Who saves, but we can witness.
Conclusion
I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.
Here is some related reading for you: How to Witness to Family, Friends and Co-Workers [4]
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.