LIVING WITH UNBELIEVING RELATIVES
By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi
By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi
"To whom can I give warning? Who will listen when I speak? Their ears are closed, and they cannot hear. They scorn the word of the Lord . They don’t want to listen at all."
Jeremiah 6:10 NLTBible
The believer in Jesus Christ will be faced with the challenge of living with persons with a different perspective on divinity . Some persons may by virtue of marriage by necessity have to coexist with an unbelieving spouse . Under the new testament provision is made for a Christian in a marriage relationship with a non Christian , the scriptures says " Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.
" 1 Corinthians 7:12-14 NLT Bible
The challenge of sharing the truth of the gospel to persons who do not want to hear it is what believers are face with. The challenge is to keep trusting God in the face of opposition from close associates or family members that dislike God's word. As it was with Jeremiah ,the situation was more difficult because the unbelievers were close family members and associates . We encourage unbelievers to accept the gospel through our testimonies and we should not be ashamed of doing so.
We should ask the lord for wisdom to peacefully coexist while seeking for ways to minister the gospel to them.
Paul demonstrated this in his ministry . "Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings."1 Corinthians 9:19-23 NLTBible
Jesus loves sinners dearly and desires to have a personal relationship with them therefore, we should love and be patient with them while praying for their salvation .
Prayer : Heavenly father forgive me of my sins against you I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation I receive him as Lord and savior and receive the Holy Ghost and power for stability in Jesus name.
+2348035536911,+2348035536911 email : michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com
Comments
Post a Comment