Families reaching Families with the Gospel
By Rev. John B. Sorensen
Evangelism Explosion International
It’s no secret that families all around us are struggling. Finances. Broken relationships. Raising children. Health problems. The pressure can feel overwhelming at times. While there are many programs today that help serve these needs, it is their spiritual need that is often neglected.
How about your own family? How is your spiritual health? Well, one of the ways to approach both problems is to reach out to another family in need. When we step out of our circle, our comfort zone, to help someone else, we allow our own spiritual health to grow.
Last year, Barna Research released a study on the state of Christian families in our country. They found families who engaged in daily devotional time and regularly invited others into their homes contained a greater “spiritual vibrancy” than families that did either one of those activities alone (Households of Faith, 2019).
As Christians, we often talk about the five means of spiritual growth: Bible Study, Prayer, Worship, Fellowship, and Witness. While the first three can be practiced both individually and together as a family, church, or small group, the last two can only be practiced with other people. In other words, we grow spiritually when we do it together as a community.
So how can your family be more intentional about growing spiritually as a family and reaching others in need?
- Invite another family to your home for a cookout or dinner. Share your story with them about how God has met the needs of your life.
- Help meet someone’s physical needs in your community. Then pray for them. Let them know that God cares about their spiritual health as well as their physical needs.
- Offer to study the Bible together in your home or at a coffee shop. Choose a book of the Bible or a study that is appropriate for their situation. Then ask others to join you.
- Invite them to join you at church. Be intentional about connecting them with other families who can form a loving support network around them.
If you have children, include them. Brainstorm as a family about different ways you can help out families in your community. Get creative. Then make a plan. Make your efforts a family outreach. Children can actively participate in all areas of spiritual growth. Plus, it will allow us to model Scripture in our everyday lives.
By actively reach out and engaging with other families outside of the home, we not only have the opportunity to share the Gospel with other families in our community, but we also put ourselves in a position to grow spiritually and to draw closer together. In doing so, we honor God individually and as a family.
You can read more from John Sorensen HERE.
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Rev. John B. Sorensen, D.D. is the President/CEO of Evangelism Explosion International, headquartered in Arden, N.C. EE has been a leader in equipping Christians to share their faith for more than 50 years. For more free tips and resources, visit evangelismexplosion.org, or follow John on Twitter, @jbsoresen.
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