He leads me …

Ephesians 2:3 (AMP)

 Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived in the passions of our flesh [our behaviour governed by the sinful self, indulging the desires of human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the impulses] of the [sinful] mind. We were, by nature, children [under the sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind].

 Isaiah 53:6 (AMP)

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
We have turned, each one, to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]
To fall on Him [instead of us].

 We see in the above Bible verses that we are all sinners, but we know that by faith as born again believers our sins have been dealt with by the blood of Jesus.

 But how do we deal with those who are not there yet? How do we associate with people who are murderers, rapists, drug dealers, or those with intense hatred? What about thieves, blackmailers, adulterers, those who have had an abortion, those involved with pornography, or those who are just simply immoral?

 We may not meet with these kinds of people by choice, because what they have done makes us feel uneasy, and we do not appear to have much in common. But if they come into our lives what do we do?

 The standard question we should ask is, ‘What would Jesus do?’ When we read about His work in the New Testament we see that He mixed with all kinds of people. Jesus riled up the Scribes and Pharisees for eating with sinners (Luke 15:2), and was called ‘a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’ (Luke 7:34).

 Jesus associated with all kinds of people. Included in the list are - the leper (Luke 5: 12-16), the paralytic (Luke 5:17-26), Levi, the tax collector (Luke 5:27-32), the poor people (Luke 6:20), the centurion’s sick slave (Luke 7:2-10), the sinful woman with the flask of perfume (Luke 7:36-50), “Legion” the demoniac (Luke 8:26-39), the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years (Luke 8:43-48), the lost son (Luke 15:11-32), and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4–42).

 So what would Jesus do?

 The first thing that we should do is to follow Jesus’ example and look at the person and not what they have done. We sometimes hear it said that we should not love the sin, but love the sinner. Remember when the Lord was asked, “Sir, which is the most important command in the laws of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’ ... (Matthew 22:36-40 TLB).

 It is a lot more about the people – than what they have done.

 We should also look at them as real people and not as a project. This means getting involved in conversations over a coffee or a meal, and trying to understand who they are as a person (experiences, hopes, dreams, fears, etc.). This involves listening to what they say, more than trying to provide solutions. Remember too, that it is not our job to try and ‘fix’ anyone or show them how good our theology is. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction and direction. We are there to reach out, make friends and journey with them, showing them what real love is like.

 We can deepen the relationship, but still hold firm to our Christian convictions. As a result, we never give up on either the person or Scripture. We can see this love in the lives of some parents of rebellious teenagers. The young adults have their parents love and commitment. And at the same time, the parents hold close to what Scripture says about the teenagers situation, and also what it says about loving others.

 We should be careful how we handle the relationship. This includes helping the other person to feel safe about admitting their struggles without fear of any backlash. We are there primarily to listen and not judge. As we go along we are hopefully creating an environment where it is alright for them to ask questions and be themselves and not try to be who they think they should be.

 The new friend will need space to be able to allow time to work through the issues that they have talked about, and more importantly to allow God to do His work in their mind and heart. Healing and spiritual heart surgery take time.

 And finally if we are going to say that the current community that the new friend is a part of is no longer appropriate, we need to have another community ready for them to be a part of.

 This means working in with the leadership of the new community. Decisions should be made as to whether the friend’s background should be general knowledge or not, as well as determining what steps should be taken to help them integrate as seamlessly as possible.

 John 3:16 says, ‘For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’

 God will save anyone who believes in Him by faith. The Lord does not discriminate and say that any sin is so bad that a person cannot become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Anyone can.

 Who knows, we just might find ourselves in a place where someone comes across our path, who has sinned doing something that we find completely wrong. May the grace of God give us what we need to be able to love them and be there for them, in the hope that they will then come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.[1]

[1] With thanks for the concepts from Caleb Kaltenbach (M.A.) who is the lead pastor at Discovery Church in Simi Valley, Calif., printed by Biola University Magazine Staff — December 31, 2015