Uncle John, was a Vietnam war vet. We wanted him saved, but he was a tough nut to crack. God wanted him saved more than us, we just needed to activate our faith. Learn more.
Tell me I'm not alone here.
No, I don't mean the relative that's a tough nut to crack, but the relative that we all want to share Jesus with but can't.
My dad's brother, Uncle John, is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He went through some nasty stuff there. That war was also in the middle of the hippie revolution back at home. Both these event affected him immensely.
As a consequence of these 2 events coming together at the same time in his life, he knows of Jesus but doesn't acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior.
He still carries the burdens of what he went through during the war with him, sometimes believing that he's beyond salvation because of the things he had to do.
We know that he isn't beyond salvation, and that there is only one person who can help him, and that's Jesus.
I've tried to speak with him about Jesus numerous times before, but before I get very far, I choke.
We all want salvation for our pre-believing family members. We know that someone needs to tell them about Jesus. But we find it so daunting to even think about it, that we tell ourselves that maybe our part is just to pray for them.
I've met many Christians who are just like me. We know we have a responsibility to share the love of Jesus with our loved ones, but we find it awkward to have a spiritual conversation with them, afraid they will reject us, or think it’ll be difficult to convince that particular loved one who is a professed agnostic.
We don’t want to offend our family members or create any tension in our relationships, but deep down, we also know that we’re driven by love to share with them about Jesus, so that they too can be reconciled to Christ.
We do nothing because we wrongly believe we can do nothing, or we procrastinate. But isn’t an eternity in Heaven worth us mustering that small faith and courage to talk to our pre-believing loved ones about our Lord Jesus Christ, and soon?
In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said “…if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Jesus is telling us that only faith in a powerful God can accomplish the things, aligned with His will as revealed in the Bible, that only a powerful God can do.
How much faith we have has nothing to do with it. It's WHO we put our faith in.
And nothing helps us put our faith in Almighty God, more than praying.
So, I told myself, that on Thanksgiving Day 2017, I was going to share Jesus with my uncle John.
And this is what I prayed:
- I asked God to open the hearts of our loved ones to His truth.
- I asked God to fill me with His wisdom and strength.
- Being naturally shy, I asked for courage to be bold, knowing that He is strong where I am weak.
- I also know that I tend to get loud when I'm speaking about something I'm passionate about, so I prayed that I would know when to push and when to be a good listener.
- I prayed for a conviction in my heart to share the Good News with Uncle John, without “softening” the message, and giving him a diluted version of the Truth.
- At the same time, I asked the Holy Spirit to lead me with using the right words when sharing Jesus' amazing love.
- Finally, I asked the Lord for a right time and place for me to be His instrument, that my Thanksgiving endeavor wasn't just mine, but His too!
I can remember that prayer so well, because I prayed it for days on end, not because God needed me to prove my faithfulness, or anything like that.
In fact, quite the opposite, I needed to pray to build my own faith!
By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, I knew God would show up. Of course it wasn't my own endeavor - He loves Uncle John much more than my Dad or I ever could. In the same way that He loves your loved ones much more than you ever can, and wants them saved more than we ever will!
And Uncle John gave his life to Jesus, even before we started eating!
I say this not to brag, but to share with you that anyone can be used as an instrument for His salvation.
It's important to remember that when sharing Jesus’ love, it isn’t just about having that single one conversation with our family members; it’s about creating encounters with the Love of Christ for them.
Whether it's by something we say, or something that we do in our daily lives, to bring up Christ in the context of real day to day living situations.
And remember, studies have shown that it takes about 7 encounters with Jesus' love, for a pre-believer to accept Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior.
Often times, we may be the ones who plant but others may water. And always remember, it is our Lord Jesus Christ who saves and not us.
It may take a month, a year or even years – rejection by those whom we love is painful but we need to trust that our love for them, flowing from God’s love, will help us to remain resolute in proclaiming the Good News of eternal salvation to all – whose one task is simply to receive Christ for His finished work at the cross.
Know that His timing is perfect.
I was just blessed to be number 7 (or more) for Uncle John.
I'm so glad that the Lord lead me to speak with Uncle John on Thanksgiving that year, because he had a massive heart attack, and went home to the Lord, 2 days after Christmas, and I know that my Dad and the rest of our family will one day be united with him, in Jesus' presence.
Imagine if no one had shared the Gospel with him one last time!
There's no time to waste!
And if you need help with starting conversations or knowing what to share about, check out our store, or get our free Ebook on Sharing Jesus.
Then, we step out in faith and take action knowing that He's got your back!
