- James
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“My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” – James 5:19-20 (NIV2011)
Don’t neglect those who wander from the truth. That’s what James is telling us as a church. Regardless of how well we take care of the physically sick, no matter how well we bring others into a relationship with Christ, and any number of other things we might do well, our work as a church is incomplete if we do not help those who wander from the truth return to God’s way.
Since you cannot wander from a place you never were, I believe James is talking about people who believed and lived the truth at some point in their lives, or at the very least were attracted to the truth. However, for one reason or another, they have wandered from truth and gone in an opposite direction in their thinking and living. In other words, we are not talking about strangers here, but rather people we know.
James tells us these people are in real spiritual, and possibly physical, danger. Sin destroys and wrong thinking leads to destruction. Those are indisputable facts. The question is are we going to do anything about it? I guess it all depends on how much we really care about each other.
There is really only one option; go make a rescue attempt. We need to understand that if we, the church, really care about each other, then we will not be indifferent toward wanderers and where they spend eternity.
Your Pastor,
David Hulme
Senior Pastor