Dear Bros in Christ,

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Brothers in Christ, this monthly email is sent and meant to be an encouragement to all and to build up
and edify in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oikodome means "Builder". The Lord has put this on my heart to
send out a monthly Iron Man Oikodome {oy-kod-om-ay'} to build up and encourage the men who love
and follow Jesus Christ in their walk with Him.

Romans 14:19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which
one may edify another.
Hebrews 3:13 "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of
you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

MARCH 2007

“Fetching Back the Erring One”

James 5:19-20 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,
20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and
cover a multitude of sins.
Faith confronts the erring bro- no he’s not a fish bro, you are thinking of a Herring, this is an erring
bro, a fish out of water so to speak or maybe more appropriately strayed from God or outside Gods
will.
There are many different and fruitful areas of faith that produce many things i.e.; obedience in the
word, faith removes discrimination, faith proves itself by works, faith controls the tongue, faith
produces wisdom and humility, dependence on God, faith prays for the afflicted and also back to where
we started faith confronts the erring bro and the wanderer. There are many examples of faith in the
Bible that we see in what’s commonly referred to as the “Hall of Faith” Hebrews 11 and we can look at
many men and women who had great faith. All these had unwavering faith, chapter 11 verse one starts
out by saying “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This is
the definition of Faith and with this confidence, this trust, and this belief, and this assurance and
reliance in and on our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is how we approach our erring bro.
First we have to start out and ask how do we come to this bro and how do we confront this bro that has
started to drift or has drifted away? They just did not all of a sudden become separated from God, it
was a process. They slowly floated away, glided or “they just went with the flow”. Now I use to say
that saying a lot a few years back when someone would make waves about something, I would say
“Just go with the flow”. Then one day this older bro told me when I had said this little saying, he said
“even dead fish go with the flow”.

I thought about this and he was right dead fish follow the flow or current too, they just drift, glide
away wherever the current takes them just like the wanderer or the erring bro. They do not have
anything to get a foot hold on or in, they have no way to hold on because they are just following the
ways of the world or being led astray by the desires of their flesh. They have lost their anchor and their
soul to the things of this world, you see they were not firmly grounded and rooted in the Word of God,
they got separated from their foundation in Christ Jesus, because they allowed the bond to become
broken they had lost their faith, their trust, their reliance on the One who is able to keep them from
drifting or floating away they went deep out into the mainstream current maybe to be popular or cool
or they were trying satisfy their flesh the insatiable flesh that is always calling out for more and more,
never satisfied. And that’s where the trouble began the current was too strong and too fast. They
allowed their anchor to be pulled up that was holding them to the truth that kept them from drifting and
they slipped back out into the fast moving current. The strong man held them out in the current until
they were too tired and too weak to get back. And bam before you knew it they were set afloat headed
downstream like a dead fish away from God. So how do we confront them or deal with them. First we
need to make sure we are right before the Lord we can do this by looking in the mirror and seeing if we
see the erring bro in that face in the mirror staring back at us and if we do then we need to get back and
get right with God first.

Matthew 7:3-5 says; And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the
plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your
eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Bros, I know sometimes you hear these erring bros say they just want to live a little, you know have a
life outside of church life but you cannot live forever without Jesus! But with Jesus you are guaranteed
to live forever. So the choice is easy the erring bro can live for the moment in this world that a few
seconds of pleasure might bring and the hell that they would go through for a few seconds of pleasure,
it’s unbelievable the pain a few seconds can create or they can live forever with Jesus! A few seconds,
think of the difference of what a few seconds can mean. Living separated from God to experience in
the blink of an eye lustful pleasure or living eternally in His good pleasure. The few seconds time
would be better spent on their knees before the King of kings and Lord of lords

Why do we call the paramedics when someone is hurt? Obviously it is to receive help as quickly as
possible until they can be seen by a Doctor or get to a hospital. It is a way of helping save a persons
life or help them get the best help as soon as possible so they will not have to suffer or possibly die.
Everyone is willing to take the time to intervene to call a paramedic. In fact most folks will help when
they see someone in distress or great need.

Why is it bros we are not willing to get involved when we see a bro in need, a bro who has strayed to
the edge of the herd or fallen away, someone who is watching from afar, wondered into enemy
territory, crossed the line, severed ties with the flock, broke ranks, stumbled, went down to the wide
gate, is Missing in Action, went A.W.O.L., lost cell signal, flying out of formation, acting out of
character, no longer willing to break bread together, out of fellowship with the brethren, can’t or won’t
study the doctrines and no longer attends church regularly.
Why won’t we find the time or go after a bro that is going down, to deliver him from the error of his
way, to help restore a bro? We would call a paramedic for the physically hurt or dying but why not be
willing to call a “Prayeramedic” for the spiritually dying bro? The Prayeramedic is a spiritual First
Responder, which is our first line of defense. We call on the name of Jesus Christ so they can receive
according to His perfect Will His healing power as quickly as possible from our “Great Physician”.
This is where we start to turn the erring bro back if he wanders right there praying on our faces before
God calling on other bros to stand in the gap and deliver a sinner from the error of his way, save a soul
from death and cover a multitude of sins. Bros we need to take a stand and come together in the name
above all names Jesus Christ for those who may be slipping by the wayside. The bro who is way too
weak, to even come to the supper table to receive the Bread of Life, the spiritual food and nourishment
to sustain him by the Grace of God.
Then as we are praying and seeking and waiting on God for His hand to move in this situation to touch
the heart of the erring bro. We can begin to show the love of Christ through coming alongside this
erring bro to help restore and fetch him back through the power of prayer by lifting him up in the name
of Jesus Christ. We reach out and let the Lords love shine through us as we minister through Gods
Word and share the tender mercies of a loving, restoring and healing God our Creator as we come
along side and hold this erring bro up. Let us not pull away but draw closer and go to the mountains
and meet and seek the Lord for the erring bro that he might see Gods love for him and His tender
mercies toward one of His lost sheep.

Matthew 18:11-16 "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”What do you think? If a
man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the
mountains to seek the one that is straying? "And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices
more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.”Even so it is not the will of your
Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. "Moreover if your brother sins
against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained
your brother. "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word may be established.'

So bros if we know or see any of these lost or roaming sheep let’s fetch them back and deliver them
unto their Shepherd so that they may be fully and completely restored by our Father who is in Heaven
so we can rejoice with Him over that which was lost but is now found…

May the Lord Jesus Christ grant you much mercy and favor as you chase after Him,
Daniel Wright
Iron Man Oikodome
Proverbs 27:17

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