We all know people who used to be on
top, active, serving their family, church and community. Then life happened and
they just fell off the radar. We lose touch with people quickly. Sadly, many
people never “recover” because they went through some setbacks and nobody
reached out to them. This is really tragic!
When God brings people to your mind, take
on the prodigals. We don’t know what hell people go through in life. When we take the time to reconnect with
them, it brings hope and healing into their lives. Instead of having a superior
attitude, we can minister to them and bring them back to the blessings of God. The
Bible says, “Those who lead many to righteousness, will shine like the stars for ever
and ever” (Daniel 12:3).
When people go through tough times,
they tend to withdraw. We’re not accustomed to connect on a deeper level. We’re
superficial. If someone’s going through a difficult time, we don’t like to get
involved. We think, “It is none of our
business.” We should not be busybody but we should always try to reach out
to our brothers and sisters. Most of the time people want to help but they don’t
know how. Today we will look at a few simple ways we can bring back the
prodigals.
Tell people you love them. This is the
most powerful phrase you can ever tell a human being. During their time of
trouble, people don’t need our mouth; they need our shoulders. The closest thing to the heart of God is
hurting, sighing and crying people. If we can somehow communicate that we
love them regardless of why they’ve fallen away; we can win people back. When we’re
winning a person back to God, we need to be extra sensitive to their feelings.
They have been hurt. Now is not the time to preach. They need our love and
affirmation. Love conquers all!
I have a friend in Nepal who was
invited to the church as a young man. At the time this young man was a drug
addict. His friend kept inviting him to church in a very mild manner way. My
friend came to church just to get his friend off his back. Before he entered
the church, my friend noticed everybody took off their shoes outside the
church. This is the culture there. Always needing money for a fix, my friend took
mental note of the nice shoes and decided to leave church early to steal those
shoes. When the service started my friend experienced an amazing peace during
worship. Tears began to run down his cheeks. But his mind was still on the
shoes he was going to steal. Although he wanted to leave, the Holy Spirit
convinced him to stay another ten minutes and anther ten and another ten… When
the service finally ended, my friend went down the aisle to give his life to
the Lord. Today, after twenty five years, my friend is a pastor, supervising
many churches. Consider how it all got started. It happened because a friend cared enough to reach out to another. I’ve
learned that God will work on people but it is our responsibility to put people
in the right environment.
Yesterday, I was making some phone
calls to invite friends to come to a men’s group I go to. Some of my friends
have not been there for a while. Being the man of faith that I am, I wasn’t expecting
a positive response from most of them. But almost everyone I called was glad to
hear my voice. Most of them committed to come to our group. I’m looking forward
to reconnect them to God again. Men need other men to stay on fire. It didn’t
cost me anything to make a phone call. Imagine what we can achieve collectively
if we all took a little time to call on our prodigal brothers and sisters.
Another way we can bring lost souls back
is by giving them a sense of belonging. Let
them know we need them. I remember a TV show from the eighties called Cheers – where everybody knows your name.
This is what is missing in many relationships. People don’t feel like they
belong. I know churches where thousands attend and thousands leave from the back
door never to return. Why is that? People never felt like they belong there.
They didn’t feel needed. When we send
them a card, a phone call or just show up at their door unannounced, they know
we care and they will return. When people stop noticing you, missing you and
caring for you then you’re in real trouble.
Friend, let’s reach out to the
prodigals in our lives. With just a little bit of effort, we can win them back
to the fold. If you are a prodigal yourself, let me reach out to you. We’re not
here to condemn you. We’re here to bless you, lift you up and help you. Nothing you’ve done can separate you
from the love of God. We’re here for you! Friends, let’s reach out to the
prodigals in our lives!
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