CHAPTER 1

GO GET THEWANDERER

There is nothing quite like seeing a verse in Scripture forthe first time! I mean, maybe you've read it a hundred times,but suddenly one day, God's voice reaches your heart fromthose words and you are rocked to the core. Until that moment,the words made sense—now they are a scalpel that cuts rightto the core. Such has been my experience recently with James5:19–20 as these statements have grabbed my heart:

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from thetruth and someone brings him back, let him know thatwhoever brings back a sinner from his wandering willsave his soul from death and will cover a multitude ofsins.

Those forty words are the foundation for this chapter andthis book. Read the verses again, and let them sink in.

Before we look closely at this passage, let's take a culturalstep back. Does that word wanderer ring any bells for you? Wedon't use it in common language. But in 1961, Dion, one ofthose single-name artists, recorded a song called "The Wanderer."If you're from my generation you can probably hear thesong in your head. It got as high as #2 on the charts and isnow listed in Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 GreatestSongs of All Time at position 239. In many ways, that songcaptures the adventure and danger in a wanderer's life. His liferoams around and never settles down. His relationships aretemporary. He doesn't really connect with where he is, wherehe's been, or where he is going. He is lost, wondering vaguelyif there's something better, but caught in the not-so-merry-go-roundof wandering. Unfortunately, if you are a wanderer, orhave been one, it's hard to admit this is reality even in rarequiet moments of reflection.

There is a command expressed in the title of this chapter:"Go Get the Wanderer." From Jesus' parable of the shepherdwho goes after the one lost sheep, to James' sober call to action,the message is the same: "Go get the wanderer! Go get them!"I'm going to be repeating the command a few more times inthese pages.

I'm also going to try and motivate you to take action. Let'sstart with this reality—

The problem exists.

Men and women everywhere have a tendency to wander—evenin the church. Sheep wander, even in the flock of the GoodShepherd. That's why James includes the problem in his practicalletter to believers. The whole book of James is about growingup and going forward in your faith, getting to a place ofmaturity, and developing completeness as a disciple of Christ.Full-blown discipleship is what James is all about.

As he comes to the end of the book, James is talking aboutmaturity expressed in praying for the sick. But not just anyonewho is sick—praying specifically for the person who is sick becauseof sin. Is all sickness because of personal sin? No. Somepeople suffer sickness and hardship for the glory of God. WhenJesus' disciples noticed a man who had spent his whole lifeblind they asked, "'Who sinned, this man or his parents, thathe was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'It was not that thisman sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God mightbe displayed in him.'" They assumed only sin can explainsickness; Jesus knew better. Though it's not always because ofsin, sometimes sickness is caused by sin. If you realize you aresuffering because of your sin, you need to confess it and prayin faith. Ask others to pray for you. It's all there in James 5:16:"Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another,that you may be healed." He then gave the example of Elijahwho prayed for the healing of a land. Unbelievable. Mostbooks in the Bible close with a final greeting, "Say hi to so-and-soand keep in touch." Not this one. James ends his letter with acall to go get the people who have lost their way.

Let's take these two closing verses a phrase at a time. Theexpression, "My brothers," aims to get our attention: "Nowdon't miss this last thing!" The song "The Wanderer" we mentionedearlier laments the tendency of all human beings towander. However, James' real concern is not wandering people,but wandering Christians. He's calling on brothers to care forbrothers. He wants sisters to look out for sisters. He's thinkingabout people who embrace the truth and then wander awayfrom it. No doubt you're thinking of some who fit the wanderercategory. Or maybe you realize someone has you in mind.

So when dames reaches out and says, "My brothers," whathe's saying is, "Listen up! Go get the wanderers, my brothers,my sisters." Everyone's included in this. I wish we still used theword brethren; it seems kind of old-fashioned, but everyoneunderstood that brethren meant brothers and sisters. No one'soff the hook on this one. James is emphatic—"My brothers andsisters—family of God! Go get the wanderer!" Wandering wasa problem then, and it is now. Going astray is a reality we haveto deal with if we're really family; if we are truly brothers andsisters.

Notice James' next phrase, "My brothers, if anyone amongyou." Again, nonbelievers are not in view here. He's talkingabout people among us, folks who once were with us. These arefellow Christians you could probably think of right now. "Theyused to sit behind us in church. Where are they?" If you're typical,you probably sit in the same general location in the worshipcenter and come to the same service each week. You could probablyrun a little inventory of the people you sit near. "So whathappens if the people who used to sit beside me or near medisappear? I don't see them anymore. I haven't heard why sisterso-and-so is missing. Should I notify someone?" It's very importantthat you find out what happened to them.

Think for a moment about this phrase: "If anyone amongyou."

You may find yourself asking, "Well, who are we talkingabout exactly by the term wanderer? Can you give me someexamples?"

We surveyed 100 people and the Top Five Answers are on theboard to this question: Name a kind of person who wanders.(1) A prodigal wanderer.

This person's motto is, "You're not going to tell me! Nobodytells me what to do. I do what I want to do." Sometimes beinga prodigal is related to being young and rebellious. Sometimes,though, it has nothing to do with age. You could be in yoursixties, still be willful and stubborn, and say, "I want to do mything, my...