How Do I Reach Out to a Wayward Child?
CONVERSATIONS
1. Remember Where You Came From
Sometimes the difficulty we have in reaching a wayward child comes from having forgotten who we once were. Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. . . It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus . . .
1 Corinthians 1:26-30
Can you do that right now? Think of what you were when you were called. What were you like before you realized you needed the grace of God?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
The Bible says that not many of us were wise or noble when we came to Christ, so none of us can boast.
We are not any better or more deserving than those we consider wayward. None of us deserved the grace of God. Instead, all of us need the grace of God, and Jesus made it available to all. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:30.
When we remember how we came to Christ only by His grace, it brings us to a point of humility and gratitude before God. It also inspires love and compassion for those who need salvation just like we did, and ignites joy in our hearts to share the gift of freedom made available to all of us through Christ's sacrificial death on the cross!
You and I are no different from the wayward child you want to reach out to: all of us need the grace of God.
2. Remember How You Got Here
Can you still remember how you came to Christ?
Who are the people God used to reach out to you? Why did they do it?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Most likely, it was because somebody chose to obey Christ's command for His disciples to make disciples themselves. If not for that person's obedience, who knows if we have come to know Christ by now? You stepping out of your comfort zone to share the Gospel could be a matter of life and death for another person.
a. Share the Gospel Is there someone the Lord has been impressing upon your heart to share the Gospel with? Just do it. Who knows how much opportunity the Lord will give to do this. Step out of your comfort zone. Share the Gospel.
b. Love people What was it about the people whom God used to reach you with the Gospel that made you listen to their message? List down their names and what made you listen to them.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
More often than not, it is not just their message, but also the testimony of the lives of the messengers that made us listen to the Gospel.
If you have a problem loving others to Christ, maybe you need to go back to your roots. Someone (or a few people!) loved you enough to patiently demonstrate and explain the love of Christ to you. And they did so because they themselves were loved. For Christ's love compels us?. . .?And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)
c. Serve them 2 Corinthians 4:5 says, For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake. Why do you think this verse about proclaiming the Gospel includes the idea of serving others?
Service is love in action. Both our overwhelming love for Jesus and His love for others are demonstrated in our service to others. Did a person's service to you figure in your openness to the Gospel?
Do you struggle with the idea of serving others? Why do you think that is so? This might be a good time to search your heart.
One of the ways Jesus set Himself apart from all others was His service to others. Serving others will be easier once you have given yourself to serve Jesus.
In what ways can you serve someone with whom you are sharing the Gospel? List down some ideas.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Just as you were loved, just as you were served, just as someone took the time to share the love of Christ with you, so do this with others - even with those you consider a challenge. Because at some point, that person was you.
Lets pray
Father, thank You for reminding me of the grace I myself needed, the sacrifice Jesus made to give me the new life I now have, and the love it took for people to make Your grace known to me. As I have been the grateful recipient of all these, help me by Your strength and grace to deliver Your love and the good news of Your grace even to those I find challenging. Help me not to give up just as You and Your people did not give up on me. In Jesus name. Amen
My Comments Policy
While my site offers visitors the ability to converse, I have a few ground rules so that our conversations will remain civil and courteous.
1. You must register in order to leave a comment. I don’t entertain pseudo, anonymous or bogus individuals. This site is my home (it has a Home Page, get it). I don’t let strangers who don’t introduce themselves into my home.
2. I love questions. I love them because a lot of times they are similar to someone else’s questions and can even trigger other questions from others. Questions also keep us all sharp. This is also why I respond to them as best as I can and at the soonest possible time. I believe that group answering benefits more people than private email exchanges.
3. We don’t have to agree. Debates are welcome. However, whether it is with me or any other visitors of my site, my rule is this: disagree if you must but keep things civil. That’s just how I run my home, and you are a visitor here. No shouting; I have seen it done in writing. No cursing and no insulting.
4. I reserve the right to delete your comments. Like I said, this is my home. I do not have an obligation to publish your comments. As a human being, you may enjoy the freedom to express your opinions on your own site but not on mine. To be specific, I will delete your comments if you post content that is in my sole opinion: (a) snarky; (b) off-topic; (c) libelous, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, profane, pornographic, offensive, false, misleading, or which otherwise violates or encourages others to violate my sense of decorum, civility or any law, including intellectual property laws; or (d) “spam,” i.e. an attempt to advertise, solicit, or otherwise promote goods and services. You may, however, post a link to your site or your most recent blog entry.
5. You retain ownership of your comments. I do not own them and I expressly disclaim any and all liability that may result from them. By commenting on my site, you agree that you retain all ownership rights in what you post here and that you will relieve me from any and all liability that may result from those posts.
6. You grant me the license to post your comments. This license is worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free. By posting comments on my site, you automatically grant me the right to store, use, transmit, display, publish, reproduce, and distribute your comments in any format, including but not limited to a blog, in a book, video, or presentation.
In short, my goal is to host interesting conversations with caring, honest, and respectful people. I believe this clear and simple comments policy will facilitate this.
