1 00:00:00,348 --> 00:00:02,155 Mack: In what way is it appropriate 2 00:00:02,155 --> 00:00:04,715 to address a professing believer 3 00:00:04,715 --> 00:00:07,228 who appears to be a false convert? 4 00:00:07,228 --> 00:00:09,254 Nate: Preach the Gospel to them. 5 00:00:09,254 --> 00:00:16,111 I mean, we kind of answered that a little bit a few minutes ago, 6 00:00:16,111 --> 00:00:19,355 but I think you're making a judgment 7 00:00:19,355 --> 00:00:21,483 about another person's faith. 8 00:00:21,483 --> 00:00:25,335 They seem to be a false convert. 9 00:00:25,335 --> 00:00:27,926 I don't know. I've interacted with folks before 10 00:00:27,926 --> 00:00:31,127 that they say they were a Christian. 11 00:00:31,127 --> 00:00:35,426 There were some things in their life that don't seem to add up. 12 00:00:35,426 --> 00:00:38,365 To a certain degree - not all the way - 13 00:00:38,365 --> 00:00:41,388 but I'm going to talk to them as a believer 14 00:00:41,388 --> 00:00:43,639 and impress on them the same mandates 15 00:00:43,639 --> 00:00:45,436 that any other believer would have. 16 00:00:45,436 --> 00:00:47,836 Well, you know, when you're in your prayer closet, 17 00:00:47,836 --> 00:00:49,568 when you're repenting of your sin, 18 00:00:49,568 --> 00:00:52,121 how's your walk? How's your faith in Christ? 19 00:00:52,121 --> 00:00:54,796 And you just bear down on them 20 00:00:54,796 --> 00:00:57,975 with a Spirit-filled mandate 21 00:00:57,975 --> 00:01:00,930 to do the things that believers do. 22 00:01:00,930 --> 00:01:05,428 But again, opportunities to just share the Gospel again with them 23 00:01:05,428 --> 00:01:07,516 because I guess if you're being made aware 24 00:01:07,516 --> 00:01:10,366 of the possibility, 25 00:01:10,366 --> 00:01:12,282 you're finding out some way, 26 00:01:12,282 --> 00:01:16,748 in some sinful way or some gap in their testimony, 27 00:01:16,748 --> 00:01:18,686 there are opportunities to tell them: 28 00:01:18,686 --> 00:01:20,342 well, I've noticed this about you. 29 00:01:20,342 --> 00:01:22,088 Well, that's interesting, you know. 30 00:01:22,088 --> 00:01:23,730 You impress them on it. 31 00:01:23,730 --> 00:01:26,815 I mean, I don't think we have any reason to hold back 32 00:01:26,815 --> 00:01:28,384 and press on them and say, 33 00:01:28,384 --> 00:01:31,188 well, if you're a Christian, then this is true for you. 34 00:01:31,188 --> 00:01:32,906 And if at a certain point, they say, 35 00:01:32,906 --> 00:01:34,800 well, I don't know if I am a Christian, 36 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,367 then you can say let's address that problem too. 37 00:01:37,367 --> 00:01:39,103 I had a husband and wife - 38 00:01:39,103 --> 00:01:41,203 the husband professed to be a believer 39 00:01:41,203 --> 00:01:43,280 for twenty years or whatever. 40 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,282 Eventually, it was deemed pretty obvious 41 00:01:45,282 --> 00:01:47,672 that he was not a believer. 42 00:01:47,672 --> 00:01:49,597 And one of our counseling sessions 43 00:01:49,597 --> 00:01:51,372 toward the end before they ended up 44 00:01:51,372 --> 00:01:54,773 getting a divorce - a biblical, sadly, divorce, he said, 45 00:01:54,773 --> 00:01:58,302 "Well, I don't even know if I'm a Christian anymore. I don't even know." 46 00:01:58,302 --> 00:02:00,564 I said, well, I'm glad you're being honest. 47 00:02:00,564 --> 00:02:02,658 And then began to minister and tell him 48 00:02:02,658 --> 00:02:04,194 what the Gospel was again 49 00:02:04,194 --> 00:02:06,872 and call him to repentance and faith. 50 00:02:06,872 --> 00:02:09,505 And to this day, I still pray he does come to faith. 51 00:02:09,505 --> 00:02:13,739 But I don't think it changes much. 52 00:02:13,739 --> 00:02:16,795 You just have to see through some of the subterfuge. 53 00:02:16,795 --> 00:02:19,972 Hope that's helpful. 54 00:02:19,972 --> 00:02:22,286 Mack: Any added comments? 55 00:02:22,286 --> 00:02:26,523 Jesse: We're looking for evidences of life 56 00:02:26,523 --> 00:02:29,216 and I think we have to distinguish between 57 00:02:29,216 --> 00:02:32,699 evidences of life in Christ versus 58 00:02:32,699 --> 00:02:34,745 maturity in life in Christ. 59 00:02:34,745 --> 00:02:36,446 So we need to be careful here. 60 00:02:36,446 --> 00:02:39,075 So I would affirm everything you just said, brother. 61 00:02:39,075 --> 00:02:40,641 And then I would add: 62 00:02:40,641 --> 00:02:44,204 make sure you're not looking for maturity in Christ 63 00:02:44,204 --> 00:02:47,079 versus evidences of life in Christ. 64 00:02:47,079 --> 00:02:50,545 And that can be hard to distinguish and take time. 65 00:02:50,545 --> 00:02:52,490 You don't want to discourage 66 00:02:52,490 --> 00:02:55,054 a genuine, fragile believer 67 00:02:55,054 --> 00:02:57,105 by telling them they're not saved. 68 00:02:57,105 --> 00:02:59,081 That's not your role. 69 00:02:59,081 --> 00:03:01,969 And so be careful in that. 70 00:03:01,969 --> 00:03:04,085 Tim: In 1 Thessalonians 5, 71 00:03:04,085 --> 00:03:05,718 you have some people in the church 72 00:03:05,718 --> 00:03:07,395 specifically identified as being 73 00:03:07,395 --> 00:03:10,884 unruly, weak, faint. 74 00:03:10,884 --> 00:03:13,220 And I've often wondered, 75 00:03:13,220 --> 00:03:16,110 if we had the most unruly 76 00:03:16,110 --> 00:03:20,551 or the most weak Christian that ever lived 77 00:03:20,551 --> 00:03:22,157 and they were in our church, 78 00:03:22,157 --> 00:03:25,249 how many in our church would probably 79 00:03:25,249 --> 00:03:31,946 think that perhaps they're not saved? 80 00:03:31,946 --> 00:03:35,866 You know, Paul speaking to those Galatians, 81 00:03:35,866 --> 00:03:38,567 they keep going down that same road. 82 00:03:38,567 --> 00:03:40,930 He's talking "separated from Christ" 83 00:03:40,930 --> 00:03:43,330 and "fallen from grace" 84 00:03:43,330 --> 00:03:46,025 and it's not a good direction. 85 00:03:46,025 --> 00:03:48,006 You perish in that direction. 86 00:03:48,006 --> 00:03:51,890 And yet, he talks to them as being brethren. 87 00:03:51,890 --> 00:03:54,196 You have the Hebrew letter written 88 00:03:54,196 --> 00:03:56,207 to people that are drifting, 89 00:03:56,207 --> 00:03:59,068 and yet they're charitably called - 90 00:03:59,068 --> 00:04:00,287 the Corinthians - 91 00:04:00,287 --> 00:04:04,047 very charitably called brothers. 92 00:04:04,047 --> 00:04:06,095 Was Paul wise enough to recognize 93 00:04:06,095 --> 00:04:08,734 that perhaps some of the Corinthians weren't saved? 94 00:04:08,734 --> 00:04:11,007 Or perhaps some of the Galatians weren't saved? 95 00:04:11,007 --> 00:04:12,473 Of course. 96 00:04:12,473 --> 00:04:14,590 But he sets forth that truth, 97 00:04:14,590 --> 00:04:16,856 and that truth is as applicable to those 98 00:04:16,856 --> 00:04:18,407 that are believing and are weak, 99 00:04:18,407 --> 00:04:20,326 those that are believing and straying, 100 00:04:20,326 --> 00:04:24,067 or those who may be deceived.