“Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.” (1 Corinthians 15:43-44 NLT)
In yesterday’s post we began looking at how to reach those we love who are lost. We looked at three ways we could begin to pray and respond with faith to their need of Jesus. Today we’ll look at three more ways we can submit to the Lord’s authority in our lives that can make an eternal difference to those who don’t yet know Jesus.
Fourth, we must love those for whom we’re praying in practical ways. Reach out to them often. If they live close, invite them into your life. Share meals, game nights, go to movies or sporting events. In short, stay as actively involved in their lives as they’ll allow. A word of caution: don’t “ambush” them. If you invite them to a meal, don’t let that be an opportunity to begin your “gospel presentation,” unless you let them know in advance that’s what you plan to do. Just enjoy their company and let them enjoy yours.
Fifth, share your heart with believing friends with whom you can pray. No doubt they will have those for whom they are praying, for whom you can join them in prayer. The fellowship in prayer builds our bond of love and friendship in ways that will encourage and inspire us to continue the journey to seeing our loved ones come to know, love, and serve our Savior.
Then, as often as we can and in as nonthreatening ways as we can, we must share our heart with those for whom we’re praying. However, we must ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION TO SHARE! It may take months, even years before the Lord gives us the go ahead to share, but we must be patient and not give in to the risk of sharing without the Lord’s go ahead.
One exception is if they live far away and the Lord clearly prompts you to write them or call them. But even then, don’t just “pounce” on them. Trust the Lord’s Spirit to lead you very carefully.
Foundationally, we know something they don’t know, or at least they haven’t yet connected the proverbial dots. And what is that? This life is not all there is!
One way that Ray Comfort begins a conversation with someone who is lost is by asking: “What do you think happens when you die?” Depending on a lot of variables, you may get different answers, but it will give you a starting point. I would encourage you to read Ray’s e-book: www.freewonderfulbook.com. Just click on the link and you can download it for free.
Please hear my heart – our loved ones and friends who don’t yet know Jesus are reading the pages of our lives. They don’t need a canned “gospel presentation” that we hope works. They need a loving, caring heart that is breaking because of their lostness.
We’re not going to convince them to respond to anything the Spirit of God hasn’t prepared them to respond to. Remember, every conversation we have with anyone is going to accomplish one of three things: planting the seed, watering the seed, or harvesting the seed. If we dig up the seed too early, it will defeat the purpose of planting it in the first place.
Ultimately, it’s our loved one’s choice to live or die without Jesus. I base my confidence that God will do what only He can do in their heart to draw them to Himself on Scriptures like 1 Timothy 2:6 where Paul writes: “He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone.” Or 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”
Please don’t lose heart but continue to pray faithfully for the salvation of your lost loved ones. God will do His part, but we must do ours.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 