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James 5:19-20 ESV

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,  20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

I. The 411 on the Doctrine of Salvation
A. Salvation is a gift we are given by grace and therefore it cannot be lost due to bad behavior. (Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-9)
B. The Gospel is NOT Jesus gets you in, but you must keep yourself there.
C. Jesus not only dies for sins past and present but even the ones of the future. (Hebrews 10:10-14)

II. The 4 Response to the Gospel
A. Some pay no attention to it, some start off awesome but quit quickly, and many look legit but it is all a lie. (Matthew 13:1-8, 18-23)
B. People can be part of the church without being part of Christ.
C. The 4th response is to receive the Gospel and Christ and bear fruit to varying degrees forever.

III. Forging After the Unsaved Christian
A. James’ plea is for us to practice evangelism not only outside of the church but within it as well.
B. The unsaved Christian will wander from the truth, which will lead them to walk in things that are evil.

IV. NEXT STEPS
A. The goal is not to get the unsaved Christian to come to church but to convert to Christ and have their sins covered.
B. Our love, not arguments will be most effective at leading people to go from unsaved to being actual Christians.
C. God is sovereign in salvation but uses the local church as His primary means of converting people to Christ.

Next Week: The Golden Calf Part 1 Exodus 32:1-10