McRaney in his book, The Art of Personal Evangelism states that God desires to restore community and family among the redeemed (p.16) and it is the family relationship that I want to focus on. First, the “relationship” with God the Father should resemble that of a marriage. Families are being destroyed all over the place due to weak marriages. So if the Christian population desires to reach the nation for Christ, then the earthly parallel, marriage; needs to be strong and create a godly impact for others to see. It’s not enough to attempt to create a relationship with God then evangelize to our neighbors for them to find that the one relationship that best symbolizes our relationship with God is frayed.
“God Himself was living a form of community, the Trinity, prior to forming mankind in His image” (McRaney, 17). Jesus represents the perfect form of a relationship, the perfect wedding (Revelation 19:7) and community. As stated above, if Christians are to provide a picture of these terms to the world, then it should start with the marriage and create a rippling affect to a community designed to worship and love God and others.
With that being said, it is imperative that the body of Christ equip families with the resources and Biblical insight to create godly marriages, families, and communities so the world can get a glimpse into what it is like for the church to be married to Jesus and be in perfect community within the trinity. Some of you may be thinking, that seems a bit harsh, we all make mistakes, are you saying I can’t evangelize if I have a broken marriage or family? No, I am not, but what I am saying is that in the overall scheme of things; a marriage or family that showcases the love and grace of God allows an unbelieving world to view the relationship God desires with his church/body of Christ.
Consider your relationship with your spouse today. Does it showcase the picture of our relationship with God? Can others see the love you have for one another? Can they see the sacrifice and forgiveness you give to one another? Or are you holding on to a hurt? Are you grumbling and keeping records of wrongs? God deals with us in grace, forgiveness, and love. God keeps no records of wrong (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Jesus is the perfect bridegroom, the ultimate example that we should look to in our own marriages. Today is the day of change. I urge you listeners to get right with God and start reconciling your relationships for His glory!! As always I pray over my posts and my readers, but if you desire, please send me specific prayer requests to our e-mail: allsupministries@gmail.com and I will certainly pray for you and keep in contact to see how God is working.
References:
Will McRaney Jr., The Art of Personal Evangelism, Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing: 2003.
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