As we enter into the festive Christmas season, many things take priority in our lives. Planning Christmas parties, shopping for all the perfect gifts, baking all the family favorites, and decorating our homes can become the most important tasks this season. Yet, I'd encourage you to make sure those things don't become the most important, but rather, keep evangelism as the most important thing.
In the month of December, the Text-Driven Podcast will be discussing strategic and creative ways that local churches can use Christmas for evangelism. However, in our accompanying articles, we'll be discussing personal evangelism that individual believers can use this Christmas. Today’s article will provide practical ways you can use evangelism at family get-togethers.
The Apology
The first method that can be used is called "The Apology." This is a very simple method that Dr. Gray Allison, founder of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, would frequently use. This method begins with identifying a family member, friend, neighbor, or acquaintance with whom you have never shared the gospel with. After identifying that person, begin a conversation with them by saying, "Hey, I owe you an apology. I've never shared the gospel with you. Can I fix that?" They may be resistant or surprised at first, but if you insist on it, they'll likely allow you to share. From there, share the gospel clearly and concisely. Then, ask them if they would like to accept the gospel or if they have any looming questions about it.
The Apology is a great evangelistic method to use with relatives and friends you have never approached or shared the gospel with. It can be easy to get carried away with sharing personal stories and catching up on life, chatting about work and other topics with your time together However, for this method to be effective, you must be intentional.
Note: If you have shared the gospel before, you can easily modify this method. Simply change the apology from “I've never shared the gospel with you. Can I fix that?" to "I owe you an apology. I have not followed up with you about the last time we talked about the gospel. Have you had any more thoughts or questions about it?" From this discussion, emphasize the need and availability of the gospel to the person.
Gospel-Centered Gifts
Another great method that can be used to share the gospel at family get-togethers is to give gospel-centered gifts. Like many families, if your family does a gift exchange, sharing a gospel-centered gift can be a great way to introduce a gospel conversation. Of course, with anything, care and thoughtfulness must be given to this, as you don't want to give a bad gift. However, many nice gifts relate to the gospel—a beautiful nativity scene, artwork, Scripture coffee mug, or a children’s book for your nieces, nephews, or grandchildren. Whatever gift you give, think about how to transition the conversation toward the gospel. If you're creative enough with your gift, you might be able to share the gospel with multiple people at once, not just the recipient of the gift.
The Prayer
While not necessarily considered an evangelism method, prayer is a great opportunity to share the gospel. I was recently at an event where I had never met anyone but informed the host of the event that I was a pastor. Knowing this, the host asked me to pray over the meal. During that prayer, I simply incorporated the gospel message. You can do the exact same thing. Whether you're hosting the Christmas family get-together or you're just asked to pray, you too can be purposeful in sharing the gospel through your prayer. A great way to do this is to insert these sentences into your normal prayer: "Lord, we also want to take a moment to thank you for Jesus. We celebrate Christmas because it is a time to remember that your Son, Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, came to this earth, born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, was hung on a sinner's cross, bore the wrath of God, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day so anyone who confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead would be saved. We praise you Lord that you provided a way for anyone to be saved. Lord, I take this moment to pray that if anyone here doesn't know you, they come to know you right now." Adding this into your prayer for your upcoming get-together is a fantastic way to ensure everyone hears the gospel proclaimed.
Invitation to Your Local Church Christmas Events
The last method you can use this Christmas season is to invite people at your family get-together to your church's Christmas events. Your local church may be doing a Happy Birthday Jesus Party, Christmas Eve service, Christmas pageant/play, or some other Christmas outreach event. Nonetheless, these events are great opportunities to invite your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to attend with you. You can even go a step further and offer the person a ride or meal after the event. Somehow, during all of this time together, find a way to get the person to also attend church with you the following Sunday, so they can hear your pastor faithfully proclaim the gospel.
Conclusion
Though not an exhaustive list, these simple methods can help you have gospel conversations during your Christmas get-togethers this season. A text-driven believer will not waste the various opportunities coming up this month.
Written by Klayton Carson
You can listen to the Text-Driven Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at www.textdriven.org/podcasts. New episodes are released every Monday, just in time for your morning commute.
