Reaching the Lost


"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." — Matthew 28:19-20

Scripture makes it clear that our top priority is to save the lost. What's less clear, to some, is how that's accomplished. That's especially evident when you look at conservative Christian communities. It's easy to get the impression they've walled themselves in with theology, keeping the unwholesome world at bey.

I can't help but wonder what Jesus would think of that. Jesus said he came to seek and save that which is lost. It's hard to get much more lost than the world we live in today. And if the way we share Jesus with this world is by following his commission to go OUT and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, we can't accomplish that without seeking out and engaging the culture.

What has been an amazing draw for me with Highlands Church is the way we've never shied away from the world. It's afforded me many opportunities to grow and to share my passions, including the Faith and Film course that I've been able to teach and this blog, where I've had the freedom to share my faith and passions.

Sadly, there are some parts of the Kingdom that don't appreciate this approach. That's as big a problem as the mistruths of the world. I love what Donald Miller says in the introduction to his book, "Searching for God Knows What." He says that we need to treat right theology as a guard rail for reaching the lost, not as the road. If you swing the hammer out of the gate, it's hard to get people to build that right relationship, which is what Christianity is all about. We need to lead with the love of Jesus, offering gentle corrections, and talking about what makes our faith different than the message of the world.

That, of course, requires stepping out of our comfort zone and increasing our own knowledge of the Word. Both are noble pursuits if you really study the message of Jesus Christ.

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