Last week I wrote about the idea of each one reaching one. Then in the services I concluded with a simple challenge to follow through and lovingly reach out to someone who has wandered. Straying away from fellowship is a common condition. People drift from the faith when they get away from God’s Word. Unless the believer stays in the Word, he will start to stray away. “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” (Heb. 2:1). It is easy to be gradually conformed to our culture, but the antidote is the renewing of our mind (Rom 12:2) and one way we can do that is to plug regularly into the worship services.

Our study in the Book of James ended with a couple verses reminding us of the way in which we can be involved in helping others to come back home to God (James 5:19,20). What a great opportunity! In fact, it is also a binding responsibility. In this week’s Message About Purpose and Strategy, I’ll remind you that you can make a difference. One of the ways you can care for those who have wandered is to invite them to come worship with you this weekend. Bringing someone to church is not the same as bringing them to Christ, but it can be a step in that direction. Pray for a friend who has wandered and pray also for the love of God to work in your heart, motivating you and giving you the courage to follow through. You can do it!