One thing that can be difficult to do is telling unbelieving friends and family about our faith. We can go to church and be taught all these answers and have a heart to witness to the people we love and care about, but it's just different when they've been your friend for so long or if you live with them. So if you have someone that's close to you that's an unbeliever and you'd like to share your faith with them, I have three tips for you.
Tip number one, live the Bible. First Corinthians chapter 9 verse 14, "Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. " In this passage, Paul tells Christians that people who preach the good news of Jesus should not be hypocrites, but they should live their lives in a way that is consistent with what they preach.
So if your friends are unbelievers, please note that you may be the only church they ever see. No, that preaching the gospel is more than just saying the right things, it also consists of living in such a way that gets people to think there's something different about them. The Bible teaches us to be honest, hardworking, and loving, and it also teaches us to love our enemies, to forgive, and to endure hardship.
So if you want your friends to follow Jesus, you need to teach them what the Bible says by the example that you set. I want you to think about Jesus and how he treated people. He took care of them, led them, healed them, fed them, and loved them.
So if Jesus was physically with you right now, how do you think he would treat your friend who's an unbeliever? Would he listen to their hurt? Would he lend a hand to whatever they're working on?
Or would he possibly offer correction or even bring wisdom to a situation that needs it? All this to say, if you want to reach your friends or family that are unbelievers, reach your Bible, stay in prayer, and get so close to God that he starts pouring out of your life in a way that gets your friends to notice. And doing this really sets the stage for when you talk to them about Jesus, because if you live your life according to the Gospel, like Paul says, when you speak to them about your faith, your words will hold more weight and they'll take you more seriously.
So as a word of caution, do your best not to lose your witness by sinning. I know we can't be perfect, and we shouldn't try to be, but if we live a life that regularly practices sin, any preaching we do will be empty. Tip number two, create opportunities.
Mark chapter 1 verse 17, "Then Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. " In this passage, Jesus talks to Simon and his brother, Andrew, who would soon be two of the twelve disciples, and he tells them to follow him and that he will train them to become fishers not of fish, but of men. And three years later, after Jesus taught them, died on the cross, rose again and ascended into heaven, his disciples did become fishers of men, because they helped set the foundation for the newborn church and preached and taught thousands of people to follow Jesus.
So when it comes to your unbelieving friend or family member, understand that like fishing, you need to utilize strategy. When you fish, there's tons of different tactics you can use to try to increase your chance of catching fish. There's different bait you can use, different times of the day you can fish, different places, like fishing in a boat in the middle of the lake or in the shade, and all of this depends on the type of fish you're trying to catch.
And I say all of this because when you fish, you don't wait around hoping that fish will jump into your net. Fishermen create opportunities and look for ways to increase their chances of success. And we can do the same thing when it comes to witnessing to our unbelieving friends.
So to help you out, here's some ideas that you can use to create opportunities to share your faith. During the weekend, you could ask to see if they're busy and then invite them to church. If they're going through a tough time, you can ask if you can pray for them.
You can check to see if your church is holding any activities like helping the homeless or going on a group hike and then invite them to that. Or if you're driving somewhere, you can play some music from a Christian artist and then tell your friend why you like that song. Or if you're just hanging out, you can think of some good questions that you can ask that can lead into a spiritual discussion.
You can use something like, "Hey, I don't think I ever asked you, but what do you think happens when you die? " And then you can follow it with a "I think if you believe that Jesus died for your sins, you go to heaven. " Or you can ask, "Do you think there's really a God?
" And then you can say, "I think Jesus is God and that he came and died for us. " However, you're not limited to these ways. One of the best ways to reach a friend is to ask God for an opportunity to witness to them and then to ask for wisdom on how to do it.
All that to say, know that your friend needs Jesus and you may be the only one in their life that can introduce them to him. And tip number three, be patient. In Timothy chapter four, verse two, preach the word.
Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching. In this passage, Paul tells Timothy to always be ready to preach the word and to correct, encourage, and teach people with patience.
So if your friend is an unbeliever, I'd recommend that you have a marathon mentality. And like this passage says, always be ready to preach and do it with patience. Jesus are, your friend probably won't become a Christian right off the bat, but in no way should that discourage you.
Remember that your job isn't to force people to follow Jesus, but to point people to who Jesus is and to tell them that he died for our sins and that by believing in him, we can go to heaven. And at the end of the day, it's not you who saves people, it's Jesus. So don't overburden yourself and think it's all up to you to save your friend.
It's God's job. So do your part and then leave the rest to him. Okay?
So if you have a family member or a friend that's an unbeliever, I have three tips for you. Live the Bible, create opportunities, and be patient. To close, I know how difficult it is to have close friends and family that are unbelievers.
It hurts when you think of their eternity and what would happen to them if they were to die today. And while I've witnessed to people dear to my heart multiple times, the most I can do now is pray for their individual salvation to be an example of what a Christian is and to look for another opportunity to talk about God whenever I'm with them. So may we all continue to fight for those we love.
And in your endeavors, I hope you'll always remember, Jesus loves you.
