If Anyone Among You Wanders

“My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20 ESV)

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1 ESV)

“And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” (Jude 1:22-23 ESV)

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13 ESV)

See also: [Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Eph 6:10-20; Php 2:1-8; Col 1:9; Col 3:12-16; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is our responsibility, to help one another to walk in obedience to our Lord in holy living and no longer in sin. Now we cannot force anyone to change, and God does not force his will upon us, but he does give conditions and stipulations along with all of his promises, and all of those promises are in specific contexts with regard to who they apply to. So, although he will not force us to follow him, he will warn us of the consequences if we choose to not follow him but to walk in sin, instead.

And so that is what we must do also. We must speak the truth in love to one another and to warn of false teachers who, by their human cunning, craftiness, and deceitful schemes, are leading many professers of faith in Jesus Christ to follow after the lies and to reject the truth that Jesus and his NT apostles taught. And we are to speak the truth in love to one another so that we can all grow together to maturity of faith in Jesus Christ, when each body part (of the church) is working properly together.

And we are to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. And we are to consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, but encouraging and exhorting one another every day. So these meetings together can be anywhere appropriate on any day of the week at any time of day or night with few or many of us gathering together. But the purpose is for mutual encouragement and strengthening of one another in our walks of faith. This is not about us watching someone else doing all the work.

And if a brother or a sister in Christ should wander from the faith, and should fall back into sin, we who are following our Lord in obedience, who are not walking in sin, should make the effort, by the grace of God, and under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to bring those wanderers back to the truth and to following Jesus Christ with their lives again, in consistent walks of faithfulness and obedience to the Lord. But men should work with men, and women with women unless this is about homosexual relationships.

But we should not try to help others out of the fire if we have just barely escaped the fire ourselves and have not been tested and tried and found faithful. The weak cannot help the weak or they are likely to fall right back into that same pit. And this is why it says in Galatians 6:1 that we who are spiritual should restore the fallen one back to where he/she should be. We need to be those who have walked faithfully with our Lord for some time and who are strong in our faith and who are not easily deceived and led astray.

Nonetheless, this is not a popular concept today to get involved in other people’s affairs and to try to help them to walk faithfully with the Lord in walks of obedience and in surrender to the will of God. If we are those who do try to help, and who speak out on these issues, and who teach how to come out from under the temptation to sin, and how to walk faithfully with our Lord, we are often frowned upon and regarded as self-righteous or judgmental and unloving. But this is love at its best!!

So, if you are someone who truly loves other people like God loves, and who takes the Scriptures to heart, and so you do what they teach we must do, as understood in the appropriate context, don’t be surprised if your “friends” no longer call on you or want to be with you and if you get rejected and even lambasted by those who think you should just mind your own business and “stay in your own lane.” For it was love that sent Jesus Christ to die on that cross so we could be delivered out of our sins and walk in obedience to him.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

In Harmony  

An Original Work / September 2, 2012

Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17

Love each other truly. 

Cling to what is good.

Hate all that is evil. 

Never lack in zeal.

Serve the Lord with fervor. 

Joyful in hope be;

Patient in affliction; 

Praying faithfully.

Honor one another. 

Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people

Who are found in need.

Do not be conceited.

Sympathetic be.

Love, and show compassion

In humility.

Keep your tongue from evil.

Peaceful you must be.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;

Listens to their prayers.

But He’s against evil – 

Is His to avenge.

Do not fear what they fear.

Suffer patiently.

In your hearts, make Christ Lord.

Serve Him faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

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