Leading family members to Christ?

[CupOfMilk]

I like some other Christians have some family members who are not following Jesus. I have the privilage of being able to help them get on the path to Jesus thankfully. I am fairly new in Christ so i am not sure where to start when brining up a topic like this to a family member? Anyone have any stories of what they tried (weather you got them on the path or not) Thanks in advance.

[Twin2]

It is so hard to witness to family members. Can't tell you how to witness to them, but remember your life before them is a big witness. Jesus came to save the lost, not to condemn the world. We too, are not here to condemn the world, but to let our light shine before them. It is the love of God that your family must see. God's righteousness is what draws man to salvation, not a pointing finger.

Titus 3:2-7
2To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The Lord showed me this when I was praying for my adult children to come to him. I think I was trying to do the work, and the Lord showed me to just love them and let him take care of their souls. My son came for a little while but won't give up his sin. Says later. My daughter is now in church, purposing herself to serve the Lord.

Above all you do, be faithful to pray for your lost loved ones. You could also pray for opportunities to share our Lord with your loved ones.

[andrew_no_one]

One of the easiest ways to be a good witness is to be a good example! In fact, sometimes that is all it takes! I have found also that asking God to work on their heart and give you chances to talk about Him to them is a great idea as well.

[stupes]

1) Pray for them 2)work on getting the gospel in - when you are living in the Spirit then this will testify to those you know. Talk is cheap.

[turtledove]

I like some other Christians have some family members who are not following Jesus. I have the privilage of being able to help them get on the path to Jesus thankfully. I am fairly new in Christ so i am not sure where to start when brining up a topic like this to a family member? Anyone have any stories of what they tried (weather you got them on the path or not) Thanks in advance.

I prayed for my own sister for years and years. At last during the last months of her life she turned to Christ and I had the blessed opportunity to pray for her and with her before she went home to be with Him.

It is all about praying and waiting for the right moment. And we need to keep in mind always that as we pray we trust that God is working in their lives (no matter what we see) and that others may be having a Godly influence on them. And as some have said here..keep on listening and loving them.

[Twin2]

God's righteousness is what draws man to salvation, not a pointing finger.

Oh dear. I'm not sure what I quoted was inaccurate, but it wasn't Titus 2:11. I misquoted... Titus: 2:11 KJV "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,"

[bs13]

I like some other Christians have some family members who are not following Jesus. I have the privilage of being able to help them get on the path to Jesus thankfully. I am fairly new in Christ so i am not sure where to start when brining up a topic like this to a family member? Anyone have any stories of what they tried (weather you got them on the path or not) Thanks in advance.

This discussion is just what I needed tonight. I to am a fairly new Christian. I began following Jesus not by a person leading me but through a series of events that made me eventually accept Christ. I spent a lot of time reading everything I could (including the bible) Then decided I after much prayer to find a church to attend. All this time I was feeling I was surrounded by family that would not understand, (my husband, parents, kids, friends etc.) I figured they would think I was a kook, I just didn't know how to bring up this subject yet I felt I should.
I finally took a leap and met with the pastor to discuss this and he along with some great people on this forum really helped me to see that I just needed to keep growing in my walk and be an example and be ready to talk to anyone who asks about the changes they see in me. They were helpful in letting me know that It is not my job to save people. The Lord does that... but he can use me to just love others and plant seeds and pray. I may not ever see the outcome.

The perfect story I have for this is when we went to Florida for a week. We were walking around at an outdoor market and my husband did his usual wandering away from us. When we met up he had a book with him. A young man asked him if he knew where he would go if he died tomorrow? They talked for a few minutes then he asked my husband if he would read the paperback book he was handing him. (it was an actual book not just a pamphlet) He handed it to me and asked if I had heard of the guy. (I hadn't) A couple months later my son started a boring job that allowed him to sit for hours with nothing to do. I began suggesting he use that time to read (he normally hates to read) I started suggesting books that I knew he would like (fiction) with a Christian slant. After reading 4 or 5 books I handed him this book my husband had gotten (I checked out the author first). He would come home and want to discuss it a few chapters at a time. By the time he finished the book he decided he believed Jesus was Lord and he wanted to follow him!!
(This was just a couple months ago) At the time I really thought God was working on my husband, I had been praying for him for months and he had just started to come to church with me. I was praying for my son also but I just didn't see it playing out the way it did. I really never even thought I would see the day that my son would read a book for recreation let alone have it move him the way it did. The young man that passed it to my husband will never know how much of an impact he had, but not even on who he intended it for. I don't think If I had just started talking to my son without the other things taking place first he would have listened or even take it seriously. Praise God!

My husband....still not there yet but I am praying and I keep seeing everyday that the Lord can do anything!!! I am just working on being open to his leading me. I still struggle with talking openly to family but I think the timing has to be right too.

[bolo1122]

I like some other Christians have some family members who are not following Jesus. I have the privilage of being able to help them get on the path to Jesus thankfully. I am fairly new in Christ so i am not sure where to start when brining up a topic like this to a family member? Anyone have any stories of what they tried (weather you got them on the path or not) Thanks in advance.

Someone already stated that it's about the life you live not the witness you deliver. Your family are the ones who may believe to know you the most, the way you think, and the perception you believe. You must emeber that the family really is no different then any regular person on the street with the exception that they wont take no sermon or speech for motivation.

Even though it may be easier to win a crowd or get a message across people whom you may have never met, the method has never changed, our lives are the ministry and the power behind the witness. Even those whom you have never seen wants this same method of proof. Nobody cares if your dissertaiton is correct or your posture with a suite is on point, if you don't believe your own belief, then nobody truly cares what you say.

For the family, they remember when you started walking and talking, even those bad days in elementary and that no good relationship in High School, now they need to see a new memory, memory of those things done that couldn't be done unless it truly was a GOd in your life.

Many people claim many things in many religions and with many signs and wonders, but the true power of change is in one's heart and mind about his own brother and about his way of life, and that's hard to do by yourself... just watch the news

[kkeller]

I got this from Ray Comfort, (The Way of the Master):

For most of us, it is far easier to witness to a stranger than to someone we know and respect. An effective way to soften the message without compromise is to speak in the "first person" or in testimonial form. Say something like, "I didn’t realize that the Bible warns that for every idle word I have spoken, I will have to give an account on Judgment Day. I thought that as long as I believed in God and tried to live a good life, I would go to heaven when I died. I was so wrong. Jesus said that if I as much as looked with lust, I had committed adultery in my heart, and that there was nothing I could do to wash away my sins. I knew that if God judged me by the Ten Commandments on Judgment Day, I would end up guilty, and go to hell."
"It was when I acknowledged my sins that I began to understand why Jesus died. It was to take the punishment for my sins, and the sins of the world." Then, depending on the person’s openness, you may ask, "How do you think you will do on Judgment Day, if God judges you by the Ten Commandments?"

Guess I should have tried this before I made a mess of witnessing to my family member.