Who is your one?
Better yet, who is the next one that God has ordained you to play a significant role in regarding the transformation and saving of their very life?
It is an interesting thing to think about having the power of life and death in one’s hand—a burden that should never be taken lightly. But it can also serve as a great privilege for the people that operate withing the purview of God’s Eternal Kingdom.
Consider these haunting, though satisfying, words found in James 5:19-20 (ESV), as we finish off this incredible book of the Bible:
“My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
As people who follow Christ, we have a noble calling—indeed a holy one. So important is this calling, in fact, that those faithful to it will find themselves blessed beyond anything they could possibly comprehend. We see so many examples of this in Scripture, not the least of which is nestled in Isaiah 52:7-8 (ESV):
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion.”
Or, take Paul, for example. Despite all that he accomplished during his ministry, he writes these words from prison in Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV):
“Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
There is something profoundly beautiful about a life committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen!?
But the reality of our situation as Christians is that we must not keep it to ourselves. Our calling is to share that Gospel with those around us. Anything less is leaving people to tread water in the middle of the ocean with nowhere to go.
As Pastor Mike Halstead preached about this week, wherever you are at in life, this much is true: Jesus died on the cross to save you from your every sin. His blood is the key to our salvation. And if that were all Jesus did for us, it would be enough. But it only begins to scratch the surface. God’s character spans far beyond anything that can be contained in the here and now. From the beginning of time to eternity’s end, God does not leave us marooned in place. Jesus goes as far as to say in Matthew 25:34 (ESV),
“Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Relatedly, we see another statement made by Jesus and directed at His disciples in John 14:1-3 (ESV):
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”
Making Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of our lives is a win-win. Our victory is guaranteed. And if there is anything we legitimately lose in our lives in that transformational process, it is but a few pennies in a vault filled with insurmountable wealth and meaning. We cannot lose, and we should not allow others to do the same.
Find your one. Do it today.
Because if you are obedient to God’s call, it just might be you that God richly blesses with the opportunity to save someone’s life. For as James closes out his book, “whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
Are you ready?
Dive deeper into this week’s passage from James 5:19-20, and follow up your reading with these five QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:
- Who is someone you know that has wandered from the truth? How can you bring them back?
- What does God promise to do for those who do His will?
- How is your prayer life? And how should it change with what God says through James in His word here?
- How do you want God to get ahold of your heart? How can you start to let this happen today?
- Where in our local church of Harvest can you answer God’s call on your life?
In review …
James 5:19-20: “Reconciled” / Blog post: “Find the One You Can Help Save”
James 5:13-16: “A Prayer Offered in Faith” / Blog post: “The Sweet Incense and Saving Power of Prayer”
James 5:7-12: “Wait for the Lord” / Blog post: “Patient Challenges to Our Transformation”
James 4:13-5:6: “Like A Mist” / Blog post: “Life in the Mist of Today”
James 4:1-12: “Big Problems, One Solution” / Blog Post: “A Struggle We Cannot Overcome”
James 3:13-18: “Though It Cost All You Have”
James 3:1-12: “Taming the Tongue”
James 2:14-26: “Faith and Works” / Blog post: “Faith and Belief Are Not the Same”
James 2:1-13: “Favoritism” / Blog post: “God’s Favorite Seat at the Table”
James 1: “Wisdom for Wholeness”/ Blog post: “Where Faith and Action Collide”