For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 ESV
One of my neighbors lost their German Shepherd dog a few weeks ago. The family posted signs all over town with a picture of the dog and a number to call. The dog has yet to be found, and the family continues to hope for their lost pet to be found. I can certainly identify with their pain because I lost two dogs when I lived in New Jersey. My wife and I shed many tears for those dogs, and we too posted signs with pictures and a number for people to call us if they found the dogs.
Our Father in heaven is far more passionate and determined to find every lost soul. As much as I loved my lost dogs, God loves lost sinners all the more. He is so determined to find every lost soul that He send His Only Begotten Son to die on a rugged cross for the redemption of every sinner.
God is not willing to turn His back on any lost soul. No sinner is beyond redemption. Since the sin of Adam and Eve, God has activated His divine plan to find every lost sinner. The plan includes the Son as the redeemer and the Holy Spirit as the counselor to ensure that all His lost children will be found and returned.
Just as God has assigned the Son and the Holy Spirit to help find every lost soul, He has also commissioned every saved sinner to help find the lost. Indeed, the most important responsibility or ministry of the Church is to help find lost souls. Unfortunately, the institutionalized Church tends towards being more focused on ministering to those who are already saved than on adhering to the great commission to help find lost souls.
It is not a coincidence that Jesus only gave His disciples one charge or mission—to find lost souls and turn them into disciples. Far more resources should be invested by the Church of Jesus Christ to help find lost souls through the ministry of evangelism. Much more attention should be paid to non-believers. Every local church should be seeker-driven. We should not be content with entertaining one another on Sundays. Instead, we should be obsessed with reaching the lost in Jesus’ name.
The worst thing any Christian can do is to dismiss non-Christians. We must resist the temptation to become too inwardly focused and contemptuous of non-Christians. Jesus died for atheists, Satanists, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and the followers of every other religion. Non-Christians are not to be seen as antichrist heathens. They are just lost souls waiting to be found.
The Bible is God’s divine sign given to believers to help us find the lost. It begins with God creating a world for His children and ends with God creating a new world for all those who accept His invitation to return to Him. The Bible primarily consists of lessons on how to find the lost and win the world for Christ.
I still mourn my two lost dogs. I often wonder what happened to them and where they ended up. God mourns every unrepentant sinner. He is unrelenting in His pursuit of lost souls. Heaven is waiting for the return of God’s lost children. We are God’s workmanship created through Christ Jesus to help return lost souls. The true measure of our discipleship is not about how often we go to church or our religiosity. It is our commitment and dedication to helping find lost souls. When it is all said and done, I want heaven to be populated with many lost souls that I helped find. What about you?
Questions for Personal Reflection
How is God using you to help find lost souls?
Why do you think evangelism is the only charge given to us by Jesus Christ?
Prayer- Blessed Lord, please give me a passion for finding lost souls. May I not become indifferent to the plight of the loss or judgmental of non-Christians. Please help me to see unrepentant sinners as you see them so I can help save some.
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