Jesus said, "Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is:
Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore
the lost." Luke 19:9-10 (The Message)
In the past couple weeks I’ve had a chance to observe more than lead. To kind of stop and reflect on what my own ministry is doing, talk to people about their church/ministry, and also get a chance to get a "third person" perspective and just observe ministry. This was powerful for me, revealing for me, and encouraging for me.
As I reflected on my observations I thought of this passage. To me, it’s a powerful reminder of our ministry task. My opinion is that most institutional churches are more interested in "seeking the saved" as opposed to "seeking the lost."
As I talked to parishioners and church leaders alike I heard phrases like, "That sounds like a great idea but I could never get away with that at my church."
This reveals that church leaders are more worried about upsetting the flock and keeping their job than they are about boldly going after the lost sheep. May it never be. Think about it… we are worried about saving the saved! And as a result of "seeking the saved" we are perfectly fine with allowing the lost to die and go to hell. We even hide behind our theology and say things like "Well, God is God and He’ll save who he wants… He’ll bring those who need to be saved to us."
Really? Is that what God expects out of us?
An example from the Emerald Isle
Just about everywhere you go in Ireland you will see sheep grazing within a couple miles. (Even in the city center of Belfast you can see them on the hills surrounding the city!) That said, there are two groups of sheep.
Sheep who are in their pens: These sheep are safe. The fences keep the sheep somewhere their owner has determined is safe. Maybe the fence keeps them off of a cliff. More likely, the fence keeps them off the road or just away from danger. These sheep are saved! They are A-OK. They’ve got plenty to eat and are serving their purpose.
Sheep who are outside their pens: Occasionally driving around you’ll see a clever sheep who is on the lamb. (OK, too east of a pun to pass up!) You see them on the side of the motorway as you zoom by at 60 miles per hour. They stupidly graze in the ditch just feet from certain disaster. Perhaps if they find a hole in the fence they will eat their way onto a cliff or somewhere that puts them in great danger. They may not instantly die… but they have the potential to be hit by a car, fall off a cliff, or even just get picked up by some American tourist who thinks sheep are fun. These sheep are unsaved! They are on the brink of disaster. They may be A-OK right now, but they are in danger… and they can’t fulfill their life’s purpose because they are lost.
Imagine the farmer. What is his job? Sure… he’s got to take care of the sheep in his pen. But is that all he does?
Now, what is our [the church Universal] job? Did you know that the word "pastor" comes from the word "shepherd?" Is our job to seek the saved sheep in the pen? How dilluted is that? No… our job is to seek the lost!
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He has sent us here to seek and save the lost and not worry so much about the saved. In fact, the Westminster Shorter Catechism clarifies this. "What is the chief end of man?" [What’s our purpose, why are we here?] The answer is simply "To know God and make him known." It’s Jesus’ job to save the lost, it’s our job to bring the lost sheep to him.
"We can’t get away with that at our church." May that never be the measurement by which ministries are guided to reaching the lost. May God’s people be filled with the Spirit and given courage to fulfill their purpose!
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