I often pray for those loved ones in my life who do not attend church. I pray that God will open their hearts and eyes to His love and that they will become hungry for knowledge of our wonderful Lord, but I often forget to pray for those loved ones who attend church and yet still do not fully embrace following Jesus.

In my family I see three faith types of people, and so I must pray differently for each person. To better explain my concerns for their souls and so that you can join me in prayer for your own families I will use an analogy.

If I belonged to a Mustang Car Club I would see a group of enthusiasts who are “all in.” They know everything Mustang, including the year’s new trim and colors came out. They would not let another soul touch their car because they do their own maintenance. They love and treasure their Mustangs.

The second group might be those who own Mustangs and attend events. They go to enjoy the fellowship of people they find interesting. They drive their Mustangs proudly but leave the body and engine work to others.

In the third group are those who attend the car shows. They may or may not be fair-weather attendees, but because their father enjoyed the club they too might go – yet they have no desire to invest in a Mustang themselves.

Can you now picture each of these individuals that I pray for in my family? Some are all in – they love Jesus and will hold fast to Him. My prayer is that God will grow them in faith and knowledge.

The second group may attend church almost every Sunday and they probably enjoy the social fellowship, but they are not really committed to following Christ’s teachings, and so I pray for the Holy Spirit to convince them to seek the Lord and learn from Him through obedience.

The third group goes to church for weddings and funerals. They have no interest in pursuing Jesus and are happy to stay where they are in life. I pray for God’s mercy and love to soften their hearts and generate a desire to know their Creator.

If asked, the people in all three groups might respond that they are Christians. I had a boss once who was a New Age believer but, when asked, he claimed to be a Christian.

When questioned, he said, “Well, what’s in a name?” Truth, of course. The definition of Christian cannot possibly include ardent followers of Jesus’ words and actions, those who just listen to Christ’s words but do not abide by them and those who have no interest at all.

So, if this is true for one family I am sure it is true for many families. This means there may people in the pew next to us who call themselves by Christ’s name but may be only listeners of the Word and do not actually live as Jesus taught. Let’s pray and encourage them as well because it is essential for Christians to read the Bible and understand God’s Holiness.

Followers of Christ speak, as Jesus did, of being “born again.” Jesus told Nicodemus, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Being born again defines the moment we find our “new life” in Jesus by surrendering to Him as Lord. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

I think how terribly confusing it is for anyone trying to understand the religion of Christianity when they are meeting diverse people who claim the name of Jesus, with some all-in, some wishy-washy and then those who just claim their parents’ faith. This may be the cause of why a few members of my family are uninterested, because not all of my family are fully committed to Jesus, and discerning the truth of Christ takes effort.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” I did not take this statement at face value and I always assume others will not either, but I do hope and pray that everyone will at least seek the facts before denying the truth. It would be sad that some might not be curious enough to seek out the truth of our Creator and Redeemer.

I have been born again and know that He is the way, the truth and the life – I am no longer my own and now there is nothing that can part me from Jesus. These are my own words, and I long to hear them from those for whom I diligently pray.

Editor’s note: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City. Email her at writerGoodGod@gmail.com.