How Can We Share the Gospel with Friends and Family?
When Jesus tells us in Matthew 28 to, “Go…” sometimes we discount that command because our current circumstances don’t allow us to pick up and head to Africa! Alysa reminds us that same command includes going to those nearest to us!
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19
This is quite the charge spoken from the very mouth of Jesus Christ. Initially, my response is: “How can I do that, Lord? This season of life you have called me to very obviously requires me to STAY. Thanks for the advice, Jesus; I will get to that as soon as you make a way for me to head to Africa”.
The thing about this call to action is Jesus is not talking to only those who have mobile lifestyles. No one who claims to have Christ as their Lord is exempt from this charge. If this is the case, how can we obey this call and introduce our family and friends to Jesus?
- Make the gospel a reality in our daily life. Sometimes (I wish it was always!) I wake up and realize I don’t even deserve to be able to open my eyes, let alone brush my teeth and put my clothes on. I am in awe of the work Christ did on the cross, and I am completely humbled at the amount of grace it took to bear the weight of my sins. It becomes easy to talk to friends and family about the goodness of the Father. Making the gospel a reality is the first step in following Jesus’ command to make disciples.
- Get to know the people around us. What is their family like? What do they do for a living? Are they going through hard things? Whenever we find out what’s going on in your friends’ and family’s lives, then we can begin speaking as to how Christ meets those specific needs. A biblical example of this is Jesus with the woman at the well (see John 4). Of course, Jesus didn’t have to get to know the life situation of the woman because he already knew, but see how much life it gave her when he spoke to her specific need!
- Remember Jesus is always with us. One of the hardest things about sharing Christ with our family and friends is fear of rejection and as a result, being alone. Jesus gives the most beautiful encouragement at the end of His command to go make disciples, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) How much confidence we can have knowing that we have the Savior of the world with us at all times!
Camper Corner:
Who do you know that needs to know about Jesus? What are your fears in sharing with them? Write those down. Now, take some time to remember what Christ has done for you. Write that down also and ask Him to give you strength to go forth and share with others.
