Written by: Dr. Miguel Garita Murillo, Family Care Ministry, Mesoamerica Region, Church of the Nazarene

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:31

The family is the nucleus of society.  No matter what kind of family it is, it still impacts people in many ways.  It is a basic element for every individual.  It is where we learn to think and react. It is where we develop our beliefs and where we structure our personality.  In the family we define who and how we will be.  What people learn within the family is deeply emotional, and this learning is imprinted for life

Many believers have family members who do not know Christ as their personal savior.  The believer is commanded to share Jesus Christ with everyone, including their family.  In order to share Christ with unbelieving family members, we must shine for him within our homes. It becomes a large part of our responsibility as mothers, fathers, sons or daughters.  Nevertheless, many people do not shine as Christians within their family. On the contrary, many times their conduct looks the least Christian within the home.

To shine brightly in our families, it is important to know:

  • The purpose of God for families is that they would know Christ and be saved.
  • When a family shines with the light of Christ, it impacts everything around it.
  • We cannot shine in our homes if our testimony there is poor. It is there where often times we show the worst side of ourselves.  We show our selfishness, bad character, immature reactions, etc.  To shine means acting like the Word of God instructs us – with love, peace, generosity, forgiveness, goodness and firmness of character.  Our testimony is a form of evangelism.
  • We must be people of prayer, especially for family members who do not know Christ.
  • It is important to share with other family members how God has helped us, which is a testimony for them.
  • We must hold tight to faith that our family members will be saved.

Fellow believer, I invite you to shine brightly with the light of Christ.