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SUBJECT: Unconverted Mates
QUESTION: I have an unconverted mate. How should I
proceed?
ANSWER:
Thank you for you e-mail. Yours is a heartfelt concern of
many Christians for their unconverted mates. As much as
many, if not all of us, would like to have our loved ones
know what we know about God and His plan, we are just not
able to covert or even convince. Only God is able to do
that.
John 6:44
says "No man can come to me, except the Father which hat
sent me draw him..."
This means that we cannot directly move events to have
someone come to the knowledge of God. We can be an example
and a light however...
1 Corinthians 7:12-16
12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother
hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell
with him, let him not put her away.
13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not,
and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave
him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife,
and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else
were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother
or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath
called us to peace.
16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save
thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt
save thy wife?
Note:
The Holy Spirit is in you. You are with your wife. This
means that she is near a person with the Holy Spirit and
through you the power of God can have influence. Long
before a person, who God is calling, receives the Holy
Spirit, that spirit is working with them. This can
especially be true for a person with a converted mate,
assuming God is calling or will soon call that mate.
As for exposing them to the literature of the church or the
beliefs of the church, I would recommend that you go slow
and wait for your mate to ask a question or make some show
of wanting to know about what you believe. The literature
will have little effect on a person not being called. The
Bible and church literature was never designed to convince
someone of something. It takes both the printed word and
the power of the Holy Spirit for anything to work. Should
you give her a booklet and nothing happens, do not despair.
Maybe this is not the moment He is calling her. Maybe it
will take some time and maybe, just maybe, God is keeping
her for the second resurrection. If the latter is true, He
will then give her all truth and you will be together in the
Kingdom forever.
When and if she does ask for something to read, you might
want to start with the booklet, "The Best News You Could
Ever Hear". This will give her an introduction to the Plan
of God.
Your Mate’s Beliefs and What To Do About Holidays
Many ask about what to do when the mate wants to keep
Christmas, Easter, Halloween, New Year’s and other holidays
not kept by members of God’s church. Generally, there is
little you can do about these situations, other than to let
the family know that you will not be participating in any
way. You need only to explain your beliefs to the family.
Let them know the situations in which you can participate.
If others are coming over for what we call Christmas dinner,
let them know you will be there. Inform them that, though
you do not exchange gifts or send Christmas cards, you will
be there with the family. Apply the same idea to the other
holidays. Of course, there is no problem with the 4th
of July, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Thanksgiving. There
is also nothing wrong with family members partaking of the
Holy Days or coming to church, as long as they approached
you first with a desire to attend.
So have patience, be the best wife you can be and be
diligent in your own relationship with God (prayer, study,
meditation and fasting).
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