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Witnessing During the Holidays

By Rev. John B. Sorensen

Evangelism Explosion Internationalwitnessing during the holidays

 

The Christmas season is a wonderful time to share with family and friends why Jesus was born on this earth. After all, we are celebrating the birth of the Messiah. That’s good news! However, sharing our faith with family members can often be more difficult than sharing it with strangers.

What holds us back? Is it fear? Rejection? Or perhaps it’s the idea that our family simply won’t believe us?

Well, not everyone in Jesus’ family believed at first either. People in His hometown questioned Him: “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22), and His own brothers told Him to leave Galilee because they did not believe Him (John 7:3-5).

But Jesus’ family did come to believe Him – later. Although we don’t know the details of how or when they came to believe, Jesus’ brothers were present with the disciples in the upper room to pray after He ascended into Heaven (Acts 1:14). They were counted among the believers.

What happened? Jesus’ brothers had grown up with Him. They had lived with Him. Yet, they did not believe. They knew Jesus, but they didn’t know Him as Lord and Savior. At some point, they met the real Jesus and had their first encounter with the Messiah.

So what can we do to reach our own family members?

  1. We can pray. The Holy Spirit is the One who tugs at people’s hearts and draws them to the Savior. We can ask God to prepare their hearts to hear the Good News and to create opportunities to share the Gospel.
  2. Send Christmas Cards that share a Christ-centered message. Don’t be afraid to include your favorite Scripture or prayer. More people are open to hearing about Jesus at Christmas than at any other time of the year.
  3. Invite them to your church for a special Christmas program or service. Church attendance spikes at Christmas and Easter and many churches use that opportunity to present the Gospel in an easy-to-understand manner to people who don’t know Christ.
  4. Ask Permission to Share the Gospel with them personally and privately. Christmas is the perfect time to share the reason why Christ was born on earth, to die for our sins and give us the opportunity to join Him in Heaven. We can offer them the opportunity to receive the greatest gift of all.
  5. Be patient. Jesus’ family didn’t believe Him right away, but His four brothers did eventually accept Jesus as Christ. Keep praying. Continue sharing the Gospel. You never know, this year may be the year they believe.

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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. Read more good news from John Sorensen HERE

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