HOW TO REACH YOUR RELATIVES
Passing On Your Faith Part 2
A man dies and finds himself in a small room that has a couch and TV set in it. There's another fellow sitting on the couch watching TV. The new arrival asks the man on the couch, "So, is this heaven or hell?" The man looks up and says, "Well, there's no windows or doors, and no apparent way out." "Oh," says the first guy. "So it's hell?" "Well," says the other guy, without looking up from the screen, "they did give us this nice big TV set." "I see. So maybe it's heaven?" "Yeah, but the TV has only one channel." "Oh, so maybe it's hell?" "Well, but the TV station it gets is pretty good - it's PBS." "Oh, so maybe it is heaven after all?" "Yeah, except for one thing ... " the other man says, - "It's ALWAYS on pledge week."
Tonight I am going to continue with my series of messages on the topic “Passing On Your Faith.” For the next couple of Wednesday nights I’m sharing with you some practical ways to witness to those around you.
Last week we looked at how to be a witness at work. Tonight I’d like us to look at “How To Reach Your Relatives.”
Few things are more upsetting to a Christian than the knowledge that, unless something happens, those who are part of their family on earth will not be part of their family in heaven.
Out of concern and compassion and also discouragement and distress, we ask, “How do I reach my relatives for Christ?”
John 1:40-42, “Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42And he (WHAT) brought him to Jesus” (NIV)
CIRCLE THAT PHRASE “BROUGHT HIM TO JESUS”
The day after John baptized Jesus, he introduced two of his disciples to Christ. Immediately, they began to follow Him. One of the two was Andrew, who found his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus.
Andrew's burden for his brother illustrates an important point: Evangelism should begin with those closest to us--the members of our own family.
It's hard to speak to your loved ones about Christ. For some people it would be easier to give $1,000 to an evangelist and ask him to do it for you. But personally witnessing to your family can produce fantastic results.
Moishe Rosen, the man who founded Jews For Jesus, says that his wife Ceil "is not much of a soul-winner. The only people she has ever won to Christ are her daughters and me!" Yet through Rosen's witness, many thousands have come to Christ. Think of what would have happened if his wife had remained silent?
Andrew was always bringing people to Jesus
• He brought some GREEKS to Jesus John 12:20
• He brought a BOY to Jesus John 6:8
• He brought his BROTHER to Jesus
When Patrick Henry wrote his last will and testament he said: “I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give them and that is faith in Jesus Christ. If they had that and I had not given them one shilling, they would have been rich: and if they had not that, and I had given them all the world, they would be poor indeed.”
Tonight I’d like us to look at 4 things to keep in mind as you are trying to reach your relatives for Christ.