THE UNTOLD GOSPEL

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. —Luke 19:10

Hide and Seek is still a game children like to play. They look and look and look for those who are hiding until they find them. Some are easy to find and others are much harder to discover where they are. But the one seeking continues until all are found.

It takes concern, compassion, empathy, endurance, persistence and patience in seeking out those who are lost. Jesus told us that one reason He came was “to seek and to save the lost.” This should be our desire as well. But to seek the lost we need to be just doing that— seeking them. We also must be concerned for their lost state. If this is not the case we will not be involved in the seeking the lost that our Lord Jesus desires us to be about.

To seek the lost means we need to go where they are and talk with them. We may already be around many lost people where we work, go to school and live. But, even though they are lost in plain sight, we may not even be attempting to seek them out to share the gospel with them. This is truly amazing when you think about it. We have the message that can cause the lost to be found and yet we are not “seeking” to tell those around us that message. How sad is that?

I am not saying this to make anyone feel guilty, but I am stating it as a matter of fact. It is said that only about 2% of believers share their faith regularly. I mean the least we could do is hand a person a gospel tract, gospel of John, New Testament or Bible and encourage them to read it. That is the least we could do, but 98% of believers are not regularly even involved with that. Think about 98% of an army not being involved in the war and leaving the 2% alone to do so! That would be ludicrous, but that is what is happening in the church!

Kirk Cameron said, “I used to cringe at the thought of giving someone a gospel tract. I didn’t want to appear as a religious fruitcake. But the sobering thought that every unsaved person will be spending eternity in hell compels me to do something. If I don’t have the opportunity to speak with someone about the Lord, a well-written tract can do the speaking for me. A tract may not be as good as a personal conversation, but a sincere gospel tract is better than no gospel at all.”

D.L. Moody had just finished preaching the gospel to a crowd. After a woman approached him and said, “Mr. Moody, I don’t like the way you share the gospel.” Moody said, “Oh, I am open to learn better ways. Tell me, how do you share the gospel?” The woman said, “I don’t!” Moody went on to say, “Then I like my way of sharing the gospel better.”

May we be seeking to reach the lost by talking with them or at the bare minimum, sharing the gospel with them in written form. May it be so!

Dear Father, please help us to share the gospel with the lost around us. Oh, that we would seek opportunity to do so and have a real concern for the lost all around us that they may be found and come to live for Jesus as well. Oh, may this be the case!