The lost AND our ‘siblings’ in Christ … what’s the deal?

The pastor of our church is doing a series about The Perfect Church … it is a powerful series and has my mind on a lot of things ….

There are many among the Christians around us that are enjoying the fellowship and even the good name that come with being affiliated with Christ. There are those who are in community with us, however who are playing the harlot.

While it would be easier for us to leave them to their own devices so that they will meet a pre-ordained end, the Word of God calls for those of us who are true believers to snatch them from the fire.

This means that evangelistic meeting geared only at the unsaved ones are not enough! As we preach, teach and come into contact with those who profess Christ, we must also be careful to ensure that they know and adhere to the truth.

Discipleship is necessary because is is only through their relationships that we will know that people are true followers of Christ and not charlatan. If we neglect what is necessary to expose people to the truth, we might as well have pitched them into the fire ourselves!

Reading stories in the Word of God about the Israelites, the people of God. Reading especially about their rescue from Egypt. They enjoyed the passage out of Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, Manna from heaven, quails, water from rocks, and more … but, not all entered the promised land. The ungodly among them perished … and the faithful were not strong or committed enough to dissuade them from evil.

One of the things that ensures that we are truly the church is when we have a commitment to the huge purpose of toward exalting our Our God, Our Savior, The King of Kings, The Lord of Lords – completely! Exalting Him means that we are giving our lives completely to Him for His purposes AND that we are reflecting Him to everyone around us … turning them to Him so that they too will exalting Him completely! If we are truly the church our desire should go far beyond merely having a fellowship with people.

So … what about you?

Father, Give us hearts that are discerning the deepest spiritual needs of the people around us. Let us not be too lazy or too busy to ensure that those who profess actually believe? Let us know become so complacent that we do not see our brothers and sisters and case they to meet destruction. Forgive us for those we have already neglected. Use us to be light in this dark place. Bring alive in us Your ministry of reconciliation!

**If you’d like to hear The Perfect Church series, just click!