The lump in my throat almost kept the words from coming out. I had thought about this moment for months. I knew that I needed to have the conversation, but I had made excuse after excuse. “The timing isn’t right.” “What if he is offended?” “What if this changes our relationship?”
I was in college and had been transformed by the gospel. I was openly talking about my faith for the first time, but this conversation was different. Finally, in his storage house while working on fishing gear, I posed the question: “Dad, are you confident that if you were to die tonight you would be with Jesus?”
He affirmed his faith, and I followed the question up with, “Why?” I knew my dad set church as a priority because we always went together as a family. He was also a very ethical man, but we didn’t really talk much about faith Monday through Saturday. This question started a wonderful conversation about his faith, and I learned things that I had never known before. I learned of times when he took his friends out fishing and shared the gospel with them. I heard stories of friends to whom he had presented the same question. It also opened the door for future conversations with him and others in my family.
Some of the most difficult people to talk to about Jesus are your family. You don’t want to make things “weird” in your relationship. You don’t want to seem judgmental. For heaven’s sake, if anyone knows you aren’t perfect, it’s them! Satan whispers in your ear, “Who are you to talk to them about faith?”
Don’t listen to him! You may be the only one who loves them enough to talk to them about Jesus, ask tough questions, and pray for them.
Above all else, your children and grandchildren need to hear you talk about how God is working in and through you. You probably take them to church once a week, but their discipleship is your responsibility, and it happens daily. The faith is passed down more effectively from the home than from the church building. Tell them the gospel, your struggles and your victories. Allow your conversations to progress past the “what” of the Bible story to the “now what” of application.
If they hear you talking about people you are sharing the gospel with, they are more likely to share the gospel themselves. If they hear your burden for your neighbors and coworkers, they will be burdened for their classmates and friends.
My Hope with Billy Graham provides an opportunity to share the gospel and your testimony. Ask your pastor about it and have a family reunion as your party. They may not go to church, but they will come to your house.
I’m glad I had that first conversation about Jesus with my father. All he wanted to talk about the last couple of months he was alive was Jesus. My last conversation with him focused on what it would be like when he met Jesus for the first time.
Go pick up the phone. You have a call to make. Start the conversation.