Family: The Start of Evangelism
Last week the United States Supreme Court ruled that the definition of ‘sex’ included both orientation and identity and therefore opened up the possibility of discrimination based upon sexual oritentation. Addressing frustration of what this meant for the Christian business, Kevin DeYoung responded with an article of his own. In this writing, he suggested that the cultural war that Christians waged through the Supreme Court is not as effective, and tactics need to change. His suggestion? Transform the culture by transforming your family (that’s my paraphrase, at least).
No, I’m not writing to you about U.S. politics. Even discussing Kevin DeYoung’s views fall beyond the purview of our purposes here. Regardless of one’s position on him or his theology, his connection with the family offers an interesting perspective applicable to evangelism. Consider this possibility: one of the best ways to propagate the gospel for generations to come is through your family.

Family: The Propagation of Evangelism
Fathers and mothers are tasked with the spiritual well-being of their children. While the Holy Spirit saves, parents labor to guide their children on a path towards Christ. Theirs is a serious responsibility of training them up inthe things of the Lord (cf. Deut. 6:7). Evangelism and discipleship either begin or end here.
At home, with your own family, a biblical worldview is nurtured. Your children are trained in the Word, given a defense for what is truth, and prepared to confront a hostile world. By sowing the gospel at home, you have taught your children to disseminate that gospel message outside of the home.

Family: The Future of Evangelism
In the home, you are not only discipling the next generation, but cultivating the generation beyond that. You set the standard and example by which the generation that follows your children will operate for the subsequent generations (your grandchildren and beyond).
I am not writing to say that evangelism outside of the home stops. On the contrary, the more you are doing it at home, the easier it should be to do outside of the home. But I want to take a moment to emphasize the lasting influence that parents have by fostering evangelism and discipleship at home. It’s not that they will remember your name for generations to come, but that they will remember God’s name.