How is your relationship with the Lord?

Or even “Do you have a relationship with the Lord?” ----- I have found that those are not good questions to ask someone when you are attempting to determine if they know the Lord or not.

We went back to the homeless shelter over the weekend for a chapel service. In starting a conversation with one man I asked how his relationship with the Lord was – and he said it was good. I asked if he knew the Lord as his Savior – and he said he did. I was suspecting that neither of those were true, but had already somewhat boxed myself in! After we chatted a few more minutes I brought up the ten commandments and asked if he was familiar with them – he was. I asked if he felt he kept or broken then – he felt he had kept them. So, we took a few minutes to look at God’s law (I like to include myself anytime I’m going through the law with someone), and we both came up guilty. I asked him what would happen on judgment day, after he dies, when God judges his life based on the ten commandments, would he be innocent or guilty – he said he would be guilty. Where would he spend eternity, heaven or hell? Hell.

I spent the next few minutes verbally sharing the gospel with him and encouraging him to repent of his sins and believe on Jesus (and the while praying that the Holy Spirit would bring conviction to his heart), and while he did listen attentively, he didn’t seem very interested in the gospel. I asked if I could pray for him (he let me do so), and then I left him with a more detailed tract – which I encouraged him to read and to look up any Scripture to see for himself what the verse said. I would have given him a small New Testament but he had a Bible in his backpack.

I had noticed another man who was walking with great difficulty. He was probably in his upper 30’s or lower 40’s, using a cane, and wearing a hospital wrist band. I asked him if he had a back injury. He said he had been stabbed in the back by a “friend” (other people use that as a saying, he meant it literally). He professed to be a believer, but when I asked how he was living on a daily basis (in victory over sin or in defeat), and whether the Lord was possibly trying to get his attention in any areas, he said he definitely believed the Lord was trying to get his attention. We talked for a few minutes and I was able to encourage and challenge him (especially his need to deal with any sin in his life and to be in the Word). I then prayed for his physical healing and for his relationship with the Lord.

I also have some things to share after being at our local nursing and being once again reminded of the terrible deception of the Catholics that are there – it breaks my heart…

And by the way, the question “How is your relationship with the Lord” is likely a good thing to ask a believer. But, even then, something more specific may be better, such as “Have you been spending time in the Word lately?” or, “What has the Lord been doing in you life lately.”