Recover Your Brothers

My brothers, if any one among you is led astray from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner back from the error of his way will save that one’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20

Since the Lord saved me by His grace and has been leading me by His grace, I have been enjoying His grace day by day. Though I did not have a notorious background, I have this sense within me that I was as bad as any sinner, at least in my inward being. Some people were expressly bad but I was also bad though not expressed outwardly. As I have been learning and growing in grace, I have come to a point to declare that I am nothing without the Lord's grace. The sense of my sinful flesh has alarmed me daily how much I need the Lord. Therefore, I have no ground to condemn anyone for whatever reason anymore. Even when I see a heinous criminal, I was simply reminded of my own fate if not for the Lord's mercy. I am as bad as any sinner if not worse, except for the Lord's grace and mercy.

Having this sense of the Lord's saving grace, I am very sensitive to the feeling of the weaker saints. When the saints backslide or become rebellious, my heart ached and cried out for them, and I prayed to the Lord desperately for their recovery. Only the Lord's love and saving grace can recover them and even revive them. Therefore, I open myself to the Lord to learn from Him and gain His wisdom to recover my brothers who have turned away from the truth.

A brother in Ludhiana, Punjab, has been in touch with me recently. He has been completely cut off from any fellowship in the Body and has also been going through many family, financial, and faith issues that shook his whole being. But the moment he started calling me for fellowship, I took it as a grace from the Lord to shepherd him and recover him. Through gradually shepherding he has come back to the fellowship and began to join meetings online.  He has also been recovered in his personal spiritual life and began to regularly contact the Lord, pray, and read the Bible. In fact, right after our fellowship, I encouraged him to look to the Lord and learn from Him what needs to be learned. The Lord has been very merciful to him, not only that he is being recovered, but he also got a job during this pandemic time. In fact, it came to him as a surprise. The Lord loves him and is shepherding him. Now he is back to normal in his Christian life. Praise the Lord! 

A brother from Korba, Chhattisgarh, has also been in fellowship with me. Through his ups and downs, I did my best to stand with him and strengthen him. In fact, when he outrightly rebelled against the Lord's recovery and abused some of the brothers I reckoned him as a brother who really needs an urgent and tender shepherding. Despite the brothers' negative reaction towards him, I picked up the burden to shepherd him. To bear a brother's burden is not that easy. I could feel the pain and hardship he went through the bitterness and anguish that befell him. I sympathized with him and did my best to lead him to prayer and the word of God. 

In fact, when he came and stayed with me for a week, I took care of him as my "newborn baby" spiritually. I literally had to care for him physically for his food, lodging, and even washed his dirty clothes. I did it as a brother shepherding another brother and also learning to give hospitality to the saint. The Lord was gracious to me to be able to care for him when his own family members and the saints were scared of him for his aggressive and hyper behavior. But praise the Lord, the love of God and the grace of Christ can heal and recovery anyone, however serious the case may be. Now, this brother has been shepherded to some extent and has realized all his missteps he took in his life. I am glad that now he has become very sober and understood the lesson the Lord is gracing him to learn, "the breaking of the outer man" that he may be completely gained. Now and then we have been fellowshipping and praying together. Praise the Lord! 

A brother, who is also my cousin, has been undergoing the problem of telling lies and getting money for drinking. Since childhood, he has been stung by this intoxicant. Out of love and burden to shepherd him I have been very gracious to him. Though I knew for sure what the outcome would be, whenever he asked for money I still gave him. He has been not keeping his words time and again, but when he came back and apologized for his misdeed, I simply forgave him. My only concern was, he is also a brother in the Lord, maybe a little weaker, and keeps falling now and then, but he is still a brother in the Lord, no matter what. I have been serving him by love and by grace. A few days ago he came to apologize to me for his lies and wrongdoings. I believe the Spirit has convicted him and chastened him. When he came back, I forgave him and he was being recovered to his daily function.  Praise the Lord!

All these recoveries are of the Lord's. His grace showered upon me has been gracing me to grace them to enjoy the Lord's grace. I, in no way, intend to take any credit for their recoveries, but the experiences I have with them are truly noteworthy.  Moreover, the word of the Bible just confirmed the experiences I just have been enjoying.

My brothers, if any one among you is led astray from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner back from the error of his way will save that one’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20