“... But You Can't Make Him Drink”

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

In our congregation, on Monday or Tuesday, we call members who were missing on Sunday.  Some of these members have not attended worship for months.  One of these members asked that we not call her anymore, and when we went ahead and called her anyway, it did not turn out well.  How do we handle this?  Do we stop calling, just send an occasional card, or do we take no action now and pray she will return when her heart is right?  The statement: "You can't help someone until they are ready to help themselves" appears applicable.

Sincerely,
Tongue-Tied

Dear Tongue-Tied,

Jesus made a very concise statement about how to treat the person that is clearly not interested in spiritual things.  He said, “Don’t throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you” (Matt 7:6).  This is exactly what you experienced when that woman was called again after showing her total disinterest in the gospel – she turned and attacked the messenger.  As much as it can pain us, we must accept that not everyone wants to hear the good news, and sometimes, it is best to simply leave them to their spiritual bankruptcy.  There is nothing wrong with moving on in such situations; the church has done its job.  Like the prodigal son, until life outside of Christ gives them enough of a beating, there is nothing you can say that will help (Lk 15:11-19).

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