Jun 21, 2009

Sunday Rewind 6.21.09

Imagine that you’ve taken your family camping and the unthinkable happens. Your son walks off into the forest and gets lost. What would you do to find him? Maybe the better question is, what wouldn’t you do?

You holler and search. In desperation, you call the park ranger who calls the rescue squad. When they arrive, they start setting up camp. Then they make sure everyone is in official rescue squad uniform. After that they pull out the rescue manual and review protocols. Meanwhile, you're going insane. Your son is lost in the darkness surrounded by the dangers of the forest, alone.

Can you imagine yourself in that scenario? It’s not that the rescue squad is doing bad things. Their priorities just aren't the same as yours. It’s not their son.

Here’s the point: Every person on the face of the earth is a precious child in God’s eyes. Many are separated from relationship with him, lost in the darkness of a world of sin, facing the dangers of without God and without hope. Meanwhile, all across this nation, His rescue squad, the Church, is doing a lot of very good things. The problem is, too often, our priorities are not the same as God's. Lost people are infinitely valuable to God. Want to see how much? Check out Luke 15.

The story of the lost son is probably pretty familiar to many of us. We relate to the younger son. We like to remember that God has gladly welcomed us home.

But, too many times, I’m afraid we fill the role of the older son. Many of us struggle to remember a time when we weren’t Christian. We’re the son who didn’t leave, who did his job faithfully. We’ve shaped the ministries of the church to fit our preferences. Others are welcome, as long as they come on our terms. And we find ourselves getting irritated over the big deal that gets made over sinners.

Please don't misunderstand me. Helping people walk as Jesus walked is a critical aspect of the ministry of the church. We must encourage each other to live with transformed minds, attitudes and behaviors. We must continue to work together to ensure that the ministries of the church meet the needs of Christians who desire to grow in their relationship with God.

But we must also do whatever is necessary connect with people far from God and introduce them to a saving relationship with Christ. The question is, who gets served first? If we’re going to be faithful to the Great Commission, the needs of people far from God must be considered first.

Who's perspective does your life most reflect, the father, or the older son? Lost people are infinitely valuable to God. How valuable are they to you?

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