Online Articles
The Lost Peep
"Where’s Peep?" My children each have a stuffed animal that doubles as a blanket. They like to sleep with it every night. Ellie’s is a sheep that she calls, "Peep." Upon occasion, Peep will not be in the bed where it is supposed to be. This creates a small mental melt-down for my 2-year old, which initiates a room-by-room search for the missing Peep. Several family members get involved in the search. It makes no difference to Ellie that there are other stuffed animals in her bed. There is no rest (for anyone) until Peep is found.
"So He spoke this parable to them, saying: What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost! I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:3-7).
It seems to me that there is an energetic glamour associated with talking about evangelism. But when the subject of conversation shifts to those who are "out of duty" or "fallen away", we want to get on the phone and call Mike Rowe to handle that Dirty Job. While it is certain that the process of talking to a fallen saint carries with it many difficulties, should that deter us from the attempt of bring back that soul to repentance? "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 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" (James 5:19, 20).
People leave the Lord for different reasons. Some are drawn away by the pleasures of the far country (Luke 15:13). Others simply didn’t count the cost and turned away at a teaching they could not transform their mind to follow (John 6:60-66). Still others become lazy and complacent about their discipleship to the point of quitting (Matthew 25:18). Jesus taught that this would be the case as He described the seed that fell on the rocky and thorny grounds (Matthew 13). However, the Lord also taught us not to give up hope for those souls. If it was your Peep, you wouldn’t either!
To be certain, a change in the mind of the sinner must occur. One who will not repent should not be accepted back into the fold. It is not a matter of being unkind or unloving toward that brother or sister, but rather an obedience to the biblical instructions of how to discipline in love. We "do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother" (2 Thessalonians 3:15). Admonish is to put in mind; to warn (Vine’s). What must be put into the mind of our lost comrade is the word of God.
In preparation of such a task, we must first look to ourselves (Matthew 7:3-5) to make sure our motives are pure and we are not guilty of the same thing. There is no room for arrogance, as all of us have sinned. If we have love for God’s word and love for our brother, we will be better prepared to turn our brother from a multitude of sins. As with sowing the seed, it is the heart of the soil that determines the outcome. Even if a lost soul is found and lovingly spoken to about the truth of God’s word, it is still their decision whether or not to follow the Shepherd. May we be a stepping stone and not a stumbling block in that process!
With some brethren, perhaps all we can do is stand with our arms open, looking patiently and praying that they come to their senses (Luke 15:17-20). We can have confidence that the Chief Shepherd cares as well and will give ample opportunity to those for whom He gave His life. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
May our efforts in searching for lost sheep end in rejoicing; both here and in heaven.
