“Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him, because you know that other believers in all the world are going through the same kind of sufferings.” (I Peter 5:8-9 Good News Translation)
At one time or another, “someone” said to you, “I ain’t feeling it,” when asked why he had abandoned church. If you are like me and you did not know if that person referring to being in the assembly of the saints, the Head of the church, or if the enemy had moved that someone one short step away from becoming an apostate; a renouncing of the only religious belief that saves; a change of heart where they retract their faith, once confessed, in Jesus Christ as the Son of God sent to save the world.
To be safe, present them with two excerpts from the word of God. Refer them to Hebrews 10:25, the verse found in the word of God that tells us not to forsake the assembly of the saints, just in case if they ain’t feeling that they need to make a commitment to be in the assembly of the saints. Next, in a compassionate way, just in case they are considering retracting their faith and discontinuing to recognize Jesus as the son of God, refer to Romans 6:23 which will remind them that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life. Add one more soft, loving jab, if you discern that their words are indicating a denial of Jesus when he or she says, “I ain’t feeling it.” Make it short, straightforward, and serious. Suppress any temptation to add a laugh and say, “Do you think you will be ‘feeling it” in hell?”
Let that “someone” ponder on those words. As a matter of fact, perhaps you should send this meditation to some other “someone” who has used those very words, “I ain’t feeling it,” in days gone by. Perhaps you will help bring that person back from the brink of moving from straying and progressing to the point of strangling there hopes of an eternity in heaven. Have a great Wednesday! I hope I have done my job of equipping the saints for the work of evangelism this morning. Be blessed!
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36 English Standard Version)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King