"Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:6-8
Dictionary.com defines evangelism this way:
1.the preaching or promulgation of the gospel; the work of an evangelist.
3.missionary zeal, purpose, or activity.
If you are like me, when you think of "evangelism", preaching is probably the first thing that comes to your mind.
Let's take some time and explore prayer evangelism. The picture I used today is my Granny's handwriting in her Andrew Murray book called Prayer Guide. The topic for that day is about praying for missionaries. I agree with praying for missionaries, but I also see another twist to this whole thing.
Our families are our biggest and hardest mission field. We are called to live out our Christians lives in front of them. But sometimes, we say too much. We come across as judgmental, mean, and "holier than them". Which is not something we ever intend to do, it's just how they take us.
Our families know us the best. We are the closest to them. So they know we aren't perfect. The see our mistakes and mess ups. So when we try to talk to them about God, if they aren't already living for Him, they do not like to hear the truth from us.
That is when I think prayer evangelism comes in. We are called to pray for everyone, but I think our families should be first.
You might think my family is a Godly awesome Christian one because of what you read from me. But it's not. Two of my three teenagers rarely go to church. I have many friends who have said, "They live under your roof, you should make them go." I used to feel like way. Before my divorce.
But once that happened, our lives changed. Their lives were impacted in a way it never had been before.
Do they need to be in church? Absolutely!
Do I wand them to live for God? You better bet I do!
What I have learned though, is that praying for them and living my life out in front of them is the best way for me to evangelize to them.
Let me tell you why. If we force God on people, it will make them rebel. I feel like forcing them to attend church now, will cause them to stop going when they are older and never return. They have been in church since they were born, up until a few years ago...so they have the foundation. Also, I cling to God's promise in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it."
So, here is what I do: I have a "WAR DESK" in my room. It's my prayer desk. They know if I am sitting there that I am spending time with God in prayer and Bible study.
I go to church every Sunday, and when we are in session, I go to Wednesday night Bible study. They know where I am at those times.
And Lord only knows the prayers I pray over these kids!
I realize they aren't adults yet, and maybe some of your family is. You are afraid that if you don't keep asking them to church or telling them that if they don't get their life right with God they will go to hell.
Can I say something to you? People do not like to be told that they are living wrong. To them, maybe it doesn't feel wrong. Or maybe it does, and they already know they aren't living right.
The BEST thing we can do is pray for them. Pray for God to encounter them in a way that only He can and in a way that they will KNOW it's Him. Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in their hearts and lives and draw them towards God. Pray for God to bring other Christians into their lives who they will listen to. (Because a lot times they do not want to listen to us.)
That's prayer evangelism right there. That's how our loved ones get saved.
Let me say this as well... IF you feel led by the Holy Spirit to say something, by all means, do it. Just be sure He's leading you. Because there is a fine line between our hearts and Him. If He leads us to say something, then He's got a reason He wants us to say that. Be sure it's Him first. Ask for confirmation. He will give it to you.
Life is hard. Period. We all need God. We want our loved ones to come to heaven with us. But we must be in prayer for them first.
God bless you today and always.
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