He Wants Them Found

Dear Worshippers,

Last week I wrote about the theme from this years Missions Conference. It was at the top of the schedule that we printed and distributed for over a month. “Lost people matter to God. He wants them found. Luke 19:10.” Having set the stage with the first phrase last week, I want to consider the second together today. WARNING: Continuing reading may require a radical change in lifestyle. Read at your own risk!

God is really serious about this, that is finding lost people. Did you notice the way it is worded? It is no mistake. It does not say, “He wants to find them.” That would be ridiculous since He knows where they are. It also does not say, “He is somewhat interested in their being found.” That would understate His concern for them. For you see, He gave His Son to the world for this express purpose, “To seek and to save what was lost.” [Luke 19:10 NIV] That is why Jesus came. And that is the ministry that He has entrusted to our care.

Pastor David has a keen sense of the urgency of this ministry. As he articulated so eloquently in his “resignation sermon” and then again in his explanatory writing “YOU’RE DOING WHAT? …AND WHY?”, his heart is burdened with the plight of the lost. His church ministry has greatly insulated him from contact with them, and he felt a growing longing to identify with the lost and communicate the Gospel to those who have not heard.

I can certainly empathize with his comments. I was concerned about my ability to be engaged in this labor to the lost that should mark all our labors while going through the process of ordination. I asked my mentor about it. He allayed my concerns by responding that my calling was one of a shepherd and that accordingly I would spend much of my time caring for the sheep. That seemed sufficient at the time, but I have sensed a similar longing over the years. The embers of that fire have burned brightly at times, and flickered at others.

This past week hearing time and time again how God wants the lost found has fanned that flame again. Contributing to that has been the example our pastor is setting for us, leaving the comforts of the familiar for the potential discomforts of the unfamiliar. If we will follow his example, even in his departure, I believe this could be a remarkable moment for our church.

Jesus left his home in heaven to seek and save the lost. Pastor David is walking away from the “significant and treasured” pastorate he has enjoyed here in our midst to do the same. What will our response be to these examples? What will we do to partner with the Lord in seeing the lost found? What will we leave behind to embrace the favorable future that God has for us personally and corporately? Let us wrestle with those answers as we labor for the lost.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott