As a Christian, you are supposed to help people who are in need. No one has any trouble helping widows and orphans, reaching out to the community via local ministries like a food pantry or homeless shelter, and the like, but Christians tend to be weak when it comes to confronting a brother or sister in Christ who is in sin.

We all want to avoid conflict. We all want to “get along” but we can’t afford to hold a Rodney King theology when souls are at stake.

It’s easy to dismiss the blatant non-Christian and say to one-self “Well, they’re hellbound already… nothing I can do… they’re in God’s hands.” But when a fellow church member is in sin we tend to say “I’ll pray for them” and never confront them in the spirit of love and friendship and say “Brother, I am concerned for you…” and letting them know of the fruit it is you are seeing them bear. Remember, others often see from afar what we may be blind to which is right in front of us.

It’s easier to “pray for your enemies” off in the bleachers as Jesus commands, but it’s harder to pray for our friends and loved ones in the dugout… Why is that?

Yo, Dog: LISTEN!

If you see a person whose had too much to drink, is it an act of love to say “I don’t want to offend them, so I’ll let them drive if they think they can…” Of course not… You wouldn’t hesitate to take the keys from them! If you see a person about to walk into a building that you see fire and smoke pouring out the second-story window, you wouldn’t hesitate to shout “Stop!” So, if we see someone acting in a way where long term those actions could likewise damn them to an eternal fire much less a temporal one, are we really showing love to them by not engaging them in their conflict? Especially if they are blind to it themselves?

Coming from the Reformed camp, where yes, we understand that God will save everyone he intends to save, that is true, but God also provides for the means of that salvation. Maybe it’s you who needs to call and chat over a cup of coffee. Maybe it’s you who needs to get in the middle of that marital conflict. Maybe it’s you who needs to recruit another brother or sister in Christ to sit down and have a heart to heart, or a soul to soul, to gain insight and discover whether they are on the road to salvation or the road to perdition.

Let us take 1 John 4:26 to heart and show our love and step out of our comfort zone and get into the battle we have been called to fight. We are not going to redeem this world, for it is under the authority of the ruler of the air. We are to recruit and take part of the Redemption of the people of God.

What struggles have you faced when dealing with sin the life of those around you who profess to be Christian? Have you seen the fruit and blessing of repentance and restoration after gentle admonition? Have you experienced the opposite?

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