Ministering to the Lost

LUKE INTRODUCES the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son with the words: "Now the tax collectors and 'sinners' were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them,'" Luke 15:1-2. The scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders of Israel; the pastors, teachers, youth ministers, professors, and doctors of theology. However, instead of ministering to the lost, they essentially locked the church doors and turned off the lights. They believed that tax collectors, notorious sinners, Samaritans, and the hated Gentiles were beyond even the scope of God's forgiveness. Yet, despite all their learning and religion, they knew little of God's redemptive love for the lost, or how lost they were themselves. In the three parables of Luke 15, so richly colored by Christ's own ministry to the lost, we learn four important characteristics of true Gospel outreach.

1. Personal involvement. When the shepherd in the parable learned that one sheep was lost, he didn't wait for a more convenient time to search. He searched for the lost sheep immediately and wholeheartedly. And where did he go? Into the difficult and dangerous terrain of the wilderness. Likewise, when the woman in the parable realized one coin was missing, she didn't search half-heartedly or indifferently. She searched carefully, and with the same commitment as the shepherd. And nowhere is this type of personal involvement and energetic activity better exemplified than in the ministry of Jesus Christ himself: "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd," Matthew 9:35-36. Jesus always welcomed those who came to him. But his ministry was characterized by "doing," not "waiting."
2. Urgency. Lost-ness comes in many forms, and none of them are pleasant. We all know the frustration of losing our way while traveling; or the anxiety of losing sight of our children in a crowded mall or airport. But serious problems in life---illness, job loss, the death of a loved one, financial troubles, addictions---can leave us feeling far more lost, confused, and disoriented. "Oh, I don't know what to do. I feel so lost." Haven't you heard someone say this before? Yet, according to the Bible, there is a far worse type of lost-ness. Scripture teaches that all people by nature are lost, unless they come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This fact alone should lend urgency to our Gospel outreach. Thankfully, some of the most familiar and cherished verses of the Bible assure us that when we believe in Jesus we will never be lost. John 3:16 states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." The word perish in this verse is the same Greek word used for "lost" in the parables of Luke 15.
3. Rejoicing.Sometimes it is easier to stay with the ninety-nine obedient sheep than to look for the one sheep who wandered away. Sometimes it is easier to minister to people we consider worth the effort rather than those we consider a waste of time and resources. People in certain neighborhoods. People of certain races or social conditions. People lying forgotten in nursing homes or wandering homeless through city streets. "What do they matter? God can't love or want people like that, right?" The scribes and Pharisees said much the same of the tax collectors and notorious sinners. But they were wrong. God does love the lost, the outcasts and misfits; not because they (or we) are worth it, but because of his infinite grace. The irony is that when the scribes and Pharisees leveled this accusation against Jesus---"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them"---they were telling the truth. They were unwittingly citing the very heart and soul of the Gospel message. Jesus himself said, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." And as each parable in Luke 15 testifies, God himself rejoices when even one lost sinner is found, saved, and brought home through faith in Christ.
4. Personal gratitude. The apostle Paul shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ virtually everywhere and with everyone, even when doing so meant extreme hardship. What motivated him? Personal gratitude. In his own words: "The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners---of whom I am the worst," 1 Timothy 1:14-15. All of us can say the same. In the final analysis, we were the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. We were found and redeemed by Jesus Christ. Personal gratitude to God is where a true ministry to the lost begins.

^{*All Bible quotations are from the New International Version.}