So far in our study of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, we’ve learned that God wants us to love Him with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our strengths. In the article, Hear O Israel: He Who Has Ears, Let Him Hear, we saw that God also wants us to teach our children to do the same.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 6:7)
In the text above, parents were commanded to instruct their children to love God. In my opinion, that shouldn’t be difficult. After all, children are obligated by the Ten Commandments to honor their father and mother (Exodus 15:12).
To a great extent, I believe this is also true for evangelism in Israel. Parents who believe can easily share the Gospel with their unbelieving children. But in a case where the child believes and the parents do not, evangelizing to them can be quite intimidating.
At this point, there’s so much at stake: The child is uncertain about how the parents will respond. And the last thing you want as a believer is to divide family because of conflicting beliefs.
If this is your experience, I want you to know that God sees your willingness to obey Him, and He’s ready to help you conquer that fear. You can trust Him to overcome every single obstacle that stands in your way of preaching the Gospel to your family.
How to Share the Gospel With Your Family
Whether it is your parents, relatives, siblings, or children who are yet to believe, here are five simple steps you can follow to share the Gospel with them.
1. Pray for Them
Effective soul-winning is not about how knowledgeable you are about the Scriptures – not in any way! In evangelizing the unsaved, the first thing to put in place is fervent prayer.
Your first assignment in evangelizing family members is to pray for them. E.M Bounds, in his book Power by Prayer said:
“Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still. He will never talk well and with real success to men for God who has not learned well how to talk to God for men.”
What an ageless truth! Great results in evangelism are birthed prayerfully. So, before initiating an evangelistic discussion with that unsaved family member, PRAY! Ask the Holy Spirit to soften their heart and give you the boldness you require to effectively share your faith with them.
2. Be a Worthy Example of the Faith
Besides praying, ensure your conduct aligns with the Gospel you claim to believe (I Peter 3:1-2). You can imagine what would have happened in Deuteronomy 6 if Moses, who said “Hear O Israel” to the people, had rebelled against God’s instructions. No one would have listened to him!
Nothing cripples evangelism like living a double life. Your family members are watching your lifestyle every day, to see whether how you behave is the same as what you believe and preach. If you are passionate about winning them to faith, your life must reflect God’s love and grace.
3. Do Not Condemn
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:17)
Effective evangelism avoids condemnation like a plague. In my opinion, this is one aspect we all, both as individuals and as Christian evangelism ministries in Israel, need to be more aware of.
Our job in evangelism is not to tell people how sinful they are. We are ministers of reconciliation and not of condemnation (II Corinthians 5:18-19). No matter how obvious that family member’s moral failures or ignorance may be, never blow the trumpet of their imperfections. Instead, from God’s Word and your godly lifestyle, show them how dearly God loves us all despite our obvious imperfections.
4. Find Out the Reason for Their Unbelief
Sometimes, to get people to see things from your perspective in evangelism, you first need to understand their perspective. Before sharing the Gospel to that unbelieving family member, take time to find out their convictions about Yeshua the Messiah and Messianic prophecies.
The easiest way of doing this is by asking questions, but be careful to initiate the discussion on neutral ground. For example, you can start by discussing how the Hear O Israel prayer became a Jewish tradition. From there, you can ask them why they believe Yeshua is not the Messiah of Israel.
It may even be kind to offer to read some of their books. The idea here is to identify exactly where they are missing things so you can hit the nail on the head when preaching to them.
5. Preach to Them
Now that you know their reason(s) for not believing, go ahead and share the Gospel with them along the lines of their misconceptions. While you must be gentle and courteous in your approach, you can be factual and use supporting scriptures in your communication.
You don’t have to evangelize in a formal way. In fact, keep it relational. Don’t do all the talking; allow them to give input too. If you are unsure of how to start an evangelistic conversation with your family member, you can wear a Yeshua t shirt and ask them if it looks good on you. From there, you can begin discussing how Yeshua is the Messiah God promised in Scripture.
Wrap Up
Sharing your faith with your family doesn’t have to be frightening. God wants them to be saved, and you are in a good position to reach out to them. Carefully follow the steps above and watch the Holy Spirit convince them of the truth. But above all, allow God to work everything out in His time and in His way.
In our next article in the “Hear O Israel” series, I’ll be explaining the relationship between the Deuteronomy 6 instructions and Yeshua’s teachings in the New Testament. Shalom!