On the surface of it, it's not something that seems to ooze with great gospel potential. It's a room - four walls, with a carpet (or possibly a spot of laminate with a nice rug), a few things to sit on and probably a TV, a plant or two and varying degrees of clutter. But your living room has more than a little potential to be used for the glory of God and the encouragement of a close walk with the Lord. This week, why not take a moment to ask yourselves these 3 questions and get your family room set up for gospel-work:
Does your living room offer a warm welcome to fellow-believers and non-believers?
I don't mean, "is it perfectly tidy?" - hospitality has little to do with running a picture-perfect show-home. But is it welcoming? If someone were to knock at the door, is it generally in a state whereby they can enter and take a seat without risking a near-death experience? Is there a place for them and you to sit comfortably? Would someone be able to relax there and enjoy a cuppa if they came to you in a moment of stress?
Does your living room contain some indication that God exists?
Those of us who have the luxury of a study often keep all our Christian books in there which is all very convenient but it often means that every piece of reading matter in the living room is about as spiritual as Bridget Jones or auto-trader. Our Bible is probably by our bed, our church rota and prayer cards blu-tacked to our fridge. In short - it's really easy to have living rooms that don't have any evidence of our walk with Christ. If a non-Christian neighbour walked into your living room would they see any visual clues that would help them see that God is important to you?
Does your living room contain some encouragement to live for Christ?
Does your living room encourage you - and your family - to walk with Jesus? How is it set up - to encourage conversation or to encourage TV-watching? Are the DVDs, blu-ray, games and CDs on the shelves edifying? Are the adult channels on the TV disabled? Are the pads, tablets and laptops permanently beeping and pinging or are there moments of quiet? Does your room remind you of the depths of your earthly treasure or the depths of your heavenly treasure?
It's not a salvation issue but it's worth a moment's thought ... and maybe a few changes too.
