And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Acts 16:30-33 NKJV 

After God had given Israel rest from all their enemies in the Promised Land, Joshua—now old and advanced in age—gave Israel his final message with an unwavering conviction, saying: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Jos. 24:15). You can’t always understand the way that God works, but when a father believes and faithfully obey the Lord, sooner or later, his children will come along (Mal. 4:6). This is called Oikos evangelism, i.e., reaching out to the whole family and household.

For example, in our text above, the Philippian Jailor sought salvation; not only for himself, but for his household. He and his household were immediately baptized after Paul and Silas spoke the Word of the Lord to them. Now, the Philippian Jailor could also stand on Joshua’s conviction: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Jos. 24:15).

Another example would be Cornelius, a man who was devout, feared God, give alms to the poor, and even received a vision from God; yet, Cornelius hadn’t made Jesus Christ Lord and Savior. But after he received Peter’s preaching that Jesus is Lord, he and his relatives and near friends—gathered together in his house—all received the gift of the Holy Spirit, which strongly infers that they first received their salvation in Christ Jesus. As for Cornelius, he and his household served the Lord (Acts 10:1-5, 24, 44-45).

Fathers and the heads of households must let their lights shine, ala Joshua, the Philippian Jailor and Cornelius (Matt. 5:16). Too many heads of households have an unchristian reputation, i.e., how they live at home; thus, the unsaved living with them don’t see them practice the promises of God. When a father or head of household walks in faith and acts on what he believes, he will influence his relatives and household members toward the Lord. Then and only then, can he say with confidence: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”