What to do if your friend's Christianity 'peters out'

This is the second of a mini-series of articles looking at the four soils in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13v1-23).

There’s a phrase often used in our culture today. Apparently it derives from life in the American mines in the mid-19th century. Saltpetre (the common name for potassium nitrate) was an ingredient in the gunpowder used by miners to create explosions and make fuses. Dampness or wind often caused the spark to fizzle out before it reached the explosive. That experience became commonly known as “petering out”.

By God’s grace, I’ve been following Jesus for some 22 years. I’ve experienced many things during that time and cherish Him more as my Saviour and King as each day passes. Over the years, however, I can testify that the most disheartening experience by far is seeing someone who was once going strong for the Lord peter out. One minute they were on fire and the next minute they had grown cold and disinterested. Fraser, Julia, Ross, Ben etc. – the list goes on. Pain and perplexity abounds.