The Lost
Week 48 Devotional
OK Men,
I had to do a double take. My family and I were visiting Disneyland, and boarding the tea cup ride was a woman wearing a shirt that said, “We are real. Your God is not.” She chose to wear this in a theme park where people spend hours waiting in line to get a picture with a fictional humanoid mouse. It was certainly a bold message to display at the happiest place on earth, but it also felt like an angry one. That shirt was picked out and put on in the morning with intentionality. She modeled her atheism proudly. Admittedly, she proclaimed herself to be a non-believer louder than I typically proclaim to be a follower of Christ.
While I don’t suspect that we would have become great friends, even if we shared the same tea cup, I do have friends and family that are not believers. Jesus tells us that one of the most important commands, (second only to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”) is to “love your neighbor as yourself,” (Matthew 22:39). “Your neighbor” is often the one wearing the message, “Your God is not real”, either on a shirt, in the forefront of their minds, or in the corners of their heart. This is the neighbor that Christians cannot afford to avoid because it will always be a person who desperately needs to hear the gospel. These relationships have the utmost importance, as the lost neighbor is one that Jesus commands his followers to interact with!
Making evangelism difficult is the fact that some Christians model Jesus poorly. This is the most heart-breaking, and unacceptable reason for a person to not want God. How truly mind boggling it is for the actions of a Christian to cause someone to walk away from Jesus. But it happens. I’ve seen church going people hold signs with hurtful messages that are far worse than anything I’ve ever seen on a T-shirt. There are Christians who judge the sexual sins of some while ignoring their own lustful or porn addicted heart. Still, there are others who use megaphones to tell crowds of people that they’re going to burn in hell, as if they’re trying to fulfill a quota rather than genuinely care about their salvation. A prideful, judgmental, or condemning Christian who turns someone away from Jesus is giving the enemy a break, because they’re doing the work of Satan for him.
None of these methods reflect the love that Jesus has for those who are the furthest from him. In some way, we all model Jesus poorly, because comparatively speaking, Christians are the worst example of who they represent. Jesus is perfectly loving and compassionate, and even as his followers, we fall short from time to time. He isn’t the one to reject when Christians model him poorly, but that’s exactly what tends to happen. It leaves the non-believer thinking, “If that guy’s so rude and condescending, why on earth would I want the one he’s representing?” The Christian must have compassion for the lost. Evangelizing in any other way will only push people further from the cross. Jude 1:22 says, “Be merciful to those who doubt.” How often have you seen this neglected by Christian circles? We can’t imagine how deeply it must break the heart of Christ to see the church driving away the lost before they’ve ever gotten a real chance to understand who Jesus is and what he’s already done for them.
Jesus tells his followers in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” The Holy Spirit, living Christ-like, and the Word of the Lord that guides our lives, all make up that light. We model Jesus well by letting these elements of God shine, and the darker the environment, the greater ability the Christian has to shine! We’re capable of living so contrary to worldly norms that the lost can recognize that there’s something different about real discipleship to Jesus. But this doesn’t mean that it will always be easy to tell others about him.
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The gospel message will always elicit a response. Some will be intrigued, have questions, and over time, draw closer to putting their faith in Jesus. Others, however, just hate his name, and the gospel message continues to harden their heart. Jesus said in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” Their reaction is not about you, it’s about something much deeper. Their heart simply isn’t ready. It may never be, but that’s between them and God. The Christian’s job is to plant gospel seeds, despite how they’ve been treated, and to continue doing so, even if it seems hopeless.
Romans 12:14 says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” The Apostle Paul adds, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil,” (v17). What’s interesting about these passages is that “bless and do not curse” is about our words, while “Do not repay anyone evil for evil” describes our actions. Initially, this was written to the Roman church because they were experiencing persecution and failing to respond in ways that were indicative of a Christ centered lifestyle. Today, we still need these reminders to help guard our reactions and instincts. In our walk with Christ, we will undoubtedly show love to people who will treat us poorly in return. Responding in love is how the light breaks through. If you stick with them long enough, you’ll be giving them opportunities to see that there’s something freeing, purposeful, and rewarding for letting Jesus guide your life.
1 Corinthians 1:18 tells us that, “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” This is the only explanation for something that is so obviously glorious for us, while frequently rejected and seen as ridiculous by the lost: It’s because they are perishing. Some recognize their dilemma; others deny it. We must remember that there are things they are unable to do because they lack the Spirit. How can they model a love, kindness, or patience that has spiritual depth when they deny the Spirit that produces those fruits? Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” The lost lack holy wisdom for having turned their back on wisdom’s provider. They’re also completely unable to even appease God. Hebrews 11:6 reveals that, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” We cannot expect those who do not have the Holy Spirit to act as if they do.
“In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God” (Psalm 10:4). In all his thoughts there is no room for God. Even as a man with the Spirit, there is something about this that I relate to. As I draw closer to God, the sinful nature of my heart still has corners that doesn’t want to allow room for Him. I may have put my faith in Jesus Christ, but my heart can still yearn and be tempted by wicked things. Verse 11 adds that the wicked man “says to himself, ‘God will never notice.’” Been there, ignorantly thought that. The wicked may not have room in his thoughts for God, but when I’m struggling with temptation, it’s because my thoughts are more focused on the temptation rather than God. And when I fall, it’s because I didn’t make space for the Lord. I’m still tempted just as the lost are, but I’m able to run back to God. I’m covered by a grace that is undeserved and unfathomable and is a testament to Christ’s goodness. Perhaps explaining God’s forgiveness, in spite of our horrific failures, is the greatest way that we can plant a gospel seed.
Romans 10:17 says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” The only way faith can sprout is by planting gospel seeds. The gospel doesn’t spread when we only live among believers! Our job is to simply tell the lost about Jesus. We plant the seed by revealing what he’s done for us and for them, then let the Lord do the watering. If we can share the gospel in a way that comes from a place of love, then let God work on their hearts, some of the lost will come to Christ. Jesus has already done the work to save their souls, but he’s not merely a heavenly entry ticket. Having Jesus be an active part of your life on this side of eternity is the gift that the lost are missing out on. Romans 8:9 says, “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” The lost are the Lord’s creation, but until they accept Jesus as savior, they are not adopted into his family, the body of believers. The importance of our relationships with non-believers cannot be understated, as they help fulfill the Christian mission: to spread the gospel message of Jesus Christ, thus showing the lost how to be found.
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