Turning a Sinner Into a S.A.I.N.T.

by Janet Birkey
Published September 7, 2005

“Is it my day to watch her?”
This quip by others is often touched by sarcasm when we inquire of someone’s whereabouts. While our response is usually, “No,” we need to keep in mind that when it comes to our Christian brothers and sisters, there is only one correct answer, “Yes, it is your day to watch.”

Our world of independence causes us to hesitate when it comes to being involved in the lives of another person, especially when that person has hurt us. As Christians, we proclaim that the gift of God is redemption and restoration, and if we desire to be men and women after the heart of God, we need to put on the heart of God and understand our part in restoring our fellow Christians to wholeness in the Body of Christ.

We find a perfect example of giving hope and restoration in the book of Philemon, where Philemon is the master and Onesimus his slave. We don’t know why, but Onesimus has run away and found himself with our straight-talking apostle Paul. In this very short book, Paul is encouraging Philemon to allow Onesimus to come back and be part of Philemon’s life.

Paul reminds Philemon that Onesimus’ SUCCESS in the Christian life is Philemon’s responsibility and goal. Onesimus had become as a son to Paul, indicating that Paul had taken the time to invest in this slave’s life. Do we help others succeed in their Christian life. Or do we feed our flesh in wanting to find out all the details every time another fails? Who wants to be part of a church like that? We need to hold people accountable while still cheering them on and when we remember that their SUCCESS is our goal, it’s much easier to look for the good. Are you willing to form a deep relationship by investing in the life of another to help make them successful?

ACCEPTING our fellow sisters and brothers mean to take the good, along with the bad and the ugly. Perfection will not be attained by any of us until we reach Eternity, yet when someone hurts us or sins against us, we find ourselves demanding them to “straighten up and fly right”—all the while knowing they are very susceptible to failure relapse while on their return to Christ. Paul asked Philemon to take Onesimus back as a brother, not just an employee. When we ACCEPT others back into our fellowship, we need to truly accept them, not just take them back on the basis of their behavior.

INVITING those who are making their journey back to fellowship will let them know that they are loved. Invite them to join God’s work. Paul reminded Philemon that if it were himself, Paul, that this group would receive him with open arms. I imagine that Paul would have been invited to share meals, share stories and share his heart. Practice discretion so that you do not tempt others to fall back into sin, but also look around for opportunities to ask for help so that they may once again feel valuable in the service of the Lord. Who needs an invitation from you? An invitation to join you for dinner, a ball game, shopping may just help the hungry offender not feel that he is on the outside looking in at the fellowship banquet.

We all can work at NURTURING others in their need. This may be through Bible study, a meal cooked, a card sent, money given in private to help meet a financial need. When someone we love is ill, we care for them, love them, allow them to rest and regain their strength. We do things for them so that they do not exert themselves and become prone to a relapse. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Body of Christ approached spiritually ill Christians in the same way that we approach physically ill family and friends? Paul offered to pay any debt that was owed by Onesimus. When we help people repay their past mistakes, we are showing that our heart is ready to nurture them and help them to grow.

The last step is where so many of us get hung up. TRUST. Learn to trust. Make up your mind that people are human and they are going to fail and they are going to hurt you, but you can learn to trust them. You don’t have to trust a person in every area in order to trust them in the areas they have shown some growth. We don’t trust a toddler to climb the steps without help. Why? It would be foolish to expect them to reach beyond what their mind and body has learned. At first they will stumble and fall, but they will eventually get the hang of the coordination and another area of their growth will develop. Find areas of growth and learn to TRUST.

Can you turn a sinner into a S.A.I.N.T? Certainly not without the help of the Lord, but you can make steps with His guidance that will allow you to help others find restoration in the Body of Christ. Our God is the God of the 2nd chance; I want to be known as the Friend of the 2nd chance. That’s what we’re all about---because it is what He is all about.

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