Scripture: James 5:19, 20
Jas 5:19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,
20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
Introduction: The hardest person to reach, according to surveys, is the person who has drifted away from the Lord and is out of fellowship with God’s people.
- The reality of straying people (v. 19). Christians can stumble in many ways (James 3:2). Christians can stray or wander from the truth. We are not perfect.
- The reasons people stray (v. 19). People stray because of sin (1:14,15), bitterness towards others, falling out of good habits, doubts, or trials that cause them to think God has failed them.
- The response of Christians (vv. 19, 20). A healthy Christian is used by God to turn the straying person back to the truth. In so doing, a person may be saved from premature death and the committing of needless sins.
Conclusion: We participate with God in a noble work with eternal dividends when we are used to bring the straying Christian back to Christ and His people.