I have a couple of “friends” on Facebook who clearly do not live a Christian lifestyle. They are at the nightclubs every weekend. They curse and swear, and are very much into the partying lifestyle. But when they have a problem in their lives, they are on FB asking for prayers. I try not to be judgmental, but how do I help this person that I hardly know? We all will have our problems in life, but how do I tell them to change their lifestyle if they want the Lord in their life?

- AFTB

Posted on Sep 28, 2013

The Lord wants His people to pray; He wants us to give all our concerns to Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” The Lord does care for us and he does want us to depend on Him for all our needs. We read in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

The Lord also wants His people to serve and follow Him. The Lord said in John 12:26, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” The Lord wants us to be separate from the world’s sinful activities as we read in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Let’s look at a couple more verses. First, let’s read Ephesians 4:30 which says, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Now let’s read 1 Thessalonians 5:19 which says, “Quench not the Spirit.” In these two verses, we are told not to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit.

We grieve the Holy Spirit when we do the things He doesn’t want us to do. We quench the Holy Spirit when we don’t do the things that He does want us to do. If we profess that we are Christians, but live a life that says otherwise, we both grieve and quench the Holy Spirit.

It’s possible that your friends are not true believers, but just someone who calls out to the Lord in times of need. It’s sad that so many people look to the Lord for their physical needs, while overlooking the greatest need of all: the need of salvation. Many people must have a sense of the great power of the Lord to heal; why else would they ask for prayers? Many people have a sense of the great power of the Lord to save, but they just don’t see their own need of salvation. Many people want to use the Lord for their own convenience; calling upon Him only when they sense a real need.

How do you tell them to change their lifestyle? First, you seek to get the Lord in, and He will change their lifestyles. The evidence of someone’s salvation is not found only in the things they say; it is also found in the things they do. Matthew 7:16 says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” If this person was not asking for prayers on Facebook, I think you would probably consider him to be unsaved. We don’t make this assessment in order to judge others; we make this assessment so that we might know how to minister to their needs. If you think your friends may not truly be saved, then keep the Gospel in front of them. Talk to them about how you got saved. Share verses that you know that speak of the need and way of salvation. Even if they are truly Christians, the Gospel can still impact their lives. It is beneficial for the believer to hear the Gospel. It tends to draw our hearts to the precious savior who loved us and gave Himself for us. To be reminded of the cost of our salvation will cause the true believer to desire to live a life that honors the Lord.