A loving rebuke

Noel was sitting across his client when his eyes suddenly caught two familiar persons walking hand-in-hand into the restaurant.  He was saddened by what he saw.

It was years ago, at a weekly prayer meeting he had attended, that he first witnessed the power of God working through a mere man. A deaf boy suddenly shouted “I can hear! I can hear!” as Max was leading the prayers. Everyone burst into songs and were all praising God for what He did that day.

But that fire and passion for prayers had quickly degenerated and given way to lustful desires.

“Please Max, you have to be careful. I am not very comfortable with your closeness to this lady”, Noel cautioned.

“Oh, you worry too much. Can’t we be friends with females?” Max retorted.

“Of course we can! I am just saying the closeness is becoming questionable. We don’t want to give wrong signals to others who are looking up to us, or entertain lust in our hearts”, Noel explained.

“It’s all good. There’s no need to worry about me. I got this”; Max bragged.

But he was wrong. Soon, Max stopped attending church meetings. Noel made several efforts to reach and speak with Max, but he could not communicate with him.

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted “(Galatians 6:1).

Another opportunity came when Noel stumbled into Max at a local grocery store some months later.

“Hello, long time! How have you been?”, Noel greeted Max. “Hi”, he simply replied.

“I’ve been trying to contact you. Last month, I spotted you at Grandeur’s Tastebuds, but I was meeting with one of my clients and couldn’t say hello”, Noel continued.

“What for? Are you now stalking me?”, Max asked.

“Oh, brother”, Noel began but Max interrupted, “Don’t call me brother. I am simply Max. And you know Sandra, don’t you?”.

Sandra waved and smiled at Noel. “We now live together, and no, we’re not married”, Max explained. 

“Brother”, Noel said again, as Max and Sandra walked away.

As we go along on our Christian race, we might witness some people begin to get tired of running the race. Some might be distracted, deceived, or even struggling with doubt and uncertainty about the Christian faith. Let us make effort to point them back to Jesus, in a loving and gentle manner.

“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).  

Let us remember we are not stronger or more spiritual on our own, but we are being sustained by the grace of God. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Let us remember to pray for one another – for strength and grace to live godly – as the times get darker and tougher, and the coming of the Lord approaches.