Few things are more awkward to me than bumping into someone I know who was once a professing believer but has since given up on “religion” altogether. But what is even more awkward to me is ignoring that person in hopes of avoiding an awkward conversation.
People who walk away from their faith will offer any number of excuses, and some of them might even sound convincing. But whatever their reasoning might be, God’s Word tells us that we are not to give up on them.
“My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God” James 5:19-20 (The Message).
Don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back. It might take some effort on our part, but it’s so worth it. Pray for God to help you find a way to speak His truth back into their hearts. Invite them for coffee or lunch just to reconnect. Let them know you care about what’s going on in their lives. Remind them that God’s love for them hasn’t changed.
Maybe they’ll reconsider. Maybe they won’t. But at least we will have done our part to remind them that God’s grace is still available to them.
Former Blackout Artist 