An option to whacking them in the head …

My emotional desire was to smack my friend upside the head!

But I didn’t.

Since I moved back to the San Francisco bay area just over a week ago, I’ve started contacting friends here to let them know I’m back. As I work through the contacts, I find that some have remained faithful to Christ, and have even thrived spiritually.

Yay!

And some have turned from Christ and are living in sin.

How sad!

While I was with a good friend who is now living in sin, within our first hour together I turned to him and said, ” Okay, as a friend, as a Christian, and as a pastor, I have something to ask you: What in the world are you doing …” and proceeded to ask him directly about the specific, glaring sin in his life. He certainly was aware he wasn’t living right, and made some muddled comments about wanting to change some things, but he doesn’t intend to change everything. Not right now, anyway.

My directly bringing up the issue of the sin in my friend’s life was one of the best things I could do for him as a real friend. Too often people stand aside and watch their friends perish because they’re afraid of offending them, angering them, or losing their friendship.

If I offend, anger, or lose the friendship of someone but can help call them back to Christ, I will pay that price!

Proverbs 27:5-6 says, “An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy,” and Galatians 6:1 says, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”

It breaks my heart to see my friends drift away from God and allow the enemy to have his empty way in their lives. I will do anything to help them back.

Most Christians probably have either family or friends — or, more likely, both! — who have fallen away from their faith. Let me encourage you, don’t let them stay out there without trying to call them back. Be that humble, gentle voice who helps them see the error of their ways. You may be the only one on this earth who cares enough about their soul to lovingly challenge them to turn back to God. Your gentle rebuke gives reality to Proverbs 17:17, which says, “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.”

Scotty