When the apostle Andrew found the Saviour, the Lord Jesus, he brought his brother Peter to see the Lord (John 1:40-41). When Cornelius arranged for Peter to preach the gospel, he brought his relatives and close friends to his house to hear Peter preach: “And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.” That day, his entire family, relatives and close friends were saved (Acts 10:24). Salvation starts with your relatives and friends.

If You Say You Love Your Relatives and Friends

If you say you love your family, your close friends, then you must give them the most important thing: eternal salvation. It is difficult to believe that you love them, when you know that they will perish in hell for all eternity and yet you do not try very hard to bring the gospel and salvation to them that they may receive salvation. Imagine that as your son drowns in water, you shout at him: “Son, I love you very much. I love you very much …” and you continue to sip and drink your coffee and read your newspapers. Thus, if you love your relatives and friends, you must give them the gospel and salvation. One day, we will all die. Once death sets in, those in Christ will enter heaven for all eternity, but those outside Christ will perish in hell for all eternity for their sins. Your loved one who is outside Christ will be eternally separated from you. But if he or she is in Christ, there will be sorrow at death but there is a sure hope that we will meet again in heaven and never to be separated again. What joy and comfort!

Leading 3 Relatives and Friends to Christ

The above heading is our church theme for the year 2010. We urge all to set this as your objective for this year and work hard to bring them to the Lord. I suggest you do four things. First, Pray for them. Ask God to help them see that they need Jesus to save them. Only God the Holy Spirit can open their spiritual eyes. Second, you must have an abundant Life in Christ. It is only when you have God’s life in you abundantly that you can manifest a holy life, love others sincerely and live wisely. Then your life can attract people to Christ. Third, be a Friend to them. Remember their birthdays, invite them for meals, visit them and give practical help when opportunity arises. Finally, take up courage and Invite them to our church for worship service, bible study, fellowship group meetings or gospel rallies.

You can remember the above four things that you can do to reach out to your 3 relatives or friends with the gospel, that is, to “flip” their lives from darkness to life, using the acronymFLIP where “F” stands for friend, “L” stands for life, “I” stands for invite, and “P” stands for pray.

Let us not be weary in reaching out to the lost, for “those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy” (Psa 126:5).