Sharing Christ with Your Family Can Be Tough
If you’ve ever shared what God is doing in your life with your loved ones only to hit a brick wall, you are not alone! Jesus and His message of redemption has reached billions of people. According to a PEW estimation in 2020, Christians made up 2.4 billion of the worldwide population. And yet, during Jesus’ lifetime on earth, His siblings mostly rejected him.
Here are three keys to sharing your faith with family:
1. Realize that evangelizing your family is tough.
Sometimes it’s easier for a non-family member to speak truth into the lives of our siblings, children or grandchildren because we’re so close. Jesus, the Son of God, with all that He’s done, spoke to His brothers, and they ridiculed Him.
So, don’t be surprised when you share what God is doing in your life, that it might not seem well received. You may not be the one who is present for the harvest. It’s highly likely that God has purposed for someone to experience the harvest. Check out how Jesus, the hometown boy, handled rejection from his own family and community in the blog, Hometown Boy – A snapshot of Jesus returning home!
But keep planting those seeds; keep loving those siblings.
Keep praying for them and make yourself available for them to be there in those sibling moments. And when that good news comes, you know that you had a part in that.
2. One on one is better than in a group.
A family setting is not always the best way to reach someone for Christ. Instead, take the hand of that brother or sister, have coffee together and speak to them about their life. Listen to what they’re going through.
Sharing with them one on one can be powerful.
That’s one of the lessons we learn from the life of Christ. Read more about how Jesus handled difficult relationships the blog, One on One is Better than a Group – A lesson from Jesus on sharing your faith with family.
3. Wait for a sibling moment.
Jesus’ conversation with his brother James, appearing to him after His resurrection, becomes a sibling moment for both of them. James might have been right at that point of indecision, and Jesus came back to speak to him at that specific moment in his life.
You may have a sibling moment at some point. It could be the death a family member, cancer diagnosis, divorce, loss of health or any number of things that can occur.
I pray you find yourself in a tender moment of reality where you’ve maintained a relationship with those family members, and you can stand with them, listen to them and be there for them. May their hearts open at this moment to accept Christ.
