Matthew 18:11
“For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.”
One of the things you will commonly deal with in church work is trying to bring back those who have gone astray. It is very difficult for parents to have to deal with a wayward child as it pulls heavily on their heart. I have also watched many pastors and church ministry leaders grieve over a person going wayward. Seeing someone you love and someone who you have invested time and energy into go the way of the world is no easy burden to carry. Trying to bring the stray back is one of the biggest tasks I see God’s people attempting to do.
Bringing back the stray can only be done by following God’s model. It says in the verse above, “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” We often use this verse to talk about soul winning, and it can be used for soul winning, but when you look at this verse in context you will see that it is talking about bringing back the stray. In these verses, God shows why people go astray and what we should do in each instance.
The first story is about a man who had a hundred sheep and one of them went astray. I want you to notice that the sheep belonged to the shepherd, so the one who went astray was not a lost person, but a saved person. God is teaching through this illustration that sometimes people go astray because they get lost in the numbers. In this instance when someone has gone astray because of our inattention to them, we are to do everything in our power to go find them and bring them back. It is very easy to get so busy that you unintentionally lose the heart of someone. You are to do everything in your power to correct your inattention and bring that person back to the fold when they go astray due to our lack of attention.
The second area is where God deals with church discipline. There are going to be times when our actions have caused someone to go astray. It is in these times when we are to find where we were wrong and get it right. After we get right, we are to go to the lost and try to restore them. Unfortunately, there are going to be times when our flesh is the cause of someone being hurt. When this happens, correct what you have done wrong and then go to the individual, apologize for what you did and do everything in your power to restore them.
The third area is an area where many struggle, and that is when someone clearly rebels against God. In this instance, you are to leave them alone and let God deal with them. You will see in verses 15-17 when you have done everything in your power to be sure that you are right, but it is obvious that the other person is wrong, you are to leave that person to God. In other words, don’t go after them! Too often we focus our efforts on the rebel and forsake those who want to do right only to cause more to be hurt. The Devil would love for you to focus your efforts on the rebel because he knows it will cause you to lose more people. Friend, as hard as it may be, you must leave the rebel to God while keeping your focus on those who want to do right.
God concludes by showing that in all of these areas, prayer is the key to restoration. Verse 20 says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” The fallen will never be restored in any of these areas without prayer. Never stop praying for those who have gone astray. Yes, your actions have an impact, but ultimately it will take God’s power to bring them back.