Fellowship Memphis

Recently, my cousin contacted me about a family gathering and said he had some questions about life. I got excited because it might be an opportunity to share the Gospel with him. I imagine most Christians pray for their relatives salvation, but it is easy to get discouraged when they reject the Gospel. With my family, it always seems difficult because major events usually involve alcohol or marijuana. Whether we don’t share because of awkwardness or hostility, Christians can feel the weight of responsibility for evangelism because we love others and don’t want them to end up in Hell.

I thought through my presentation of the Gospel and all of my cousin’s possible responses. As soon as I got home, I asked what he wanted to discuss. His response, “Oh nothing, I just wanted to catch up.” Later that weekend, I found myself alone with him. He told me that he had been living wrong, and he needed to get right with God. My presentation didn’t need to be the greatest persuasive speech of all time because the whole thing had been orchestrated by God. My cousin trusted Christ and said that he believed he could change because he had seen me change. I didn’t have to beat him with the Bible or have a theological debate. The Gospel spoke from my life, and when I told him the good news, he wanted it. I’m sure I will have other bad experiences with family members, but in the midst of the times we get shut down or turned off, this moment was worth it all.

Steve Coble is a Pastoral Resident. You can email him at .