Lost or Mis-laid

When is Lost really Lost?

We are often confronted by questions which actually beget more questions before an answer is possible. One word, within the Christian church’s buzz-word list, is “lost”. There are a few mentions of lost in Jesus ministry and the word itself takes on a couple of meanings. He mentions lost sheep, lost coins for a start and these two ‘lost’s refer to one who has wandered off away from the flock and gotten itself lost, or not knowing which way to go. The other refers to something which the owner and keeper managed to misplace and thus became ‘lost’ as in unable to be found.

Even then, within the meaning of wandered off, there are two further divisions. There are those who wandered off accidentally and those who did so deliberately. Finally, within the deliberate camp, there are those who want to be found again and those who don’t. Complex isn’t it? Are you with me so far? I am trying to ask, when is lost really lost and when is it just waiting to be brought back into the fold?

Our great difficulty is discerning which is which. There are many mentoring and befriending schemes which seek to not only set the prisoner free but also to set him back on the road to a fulfilled life with a real future. Anyone working within this area will tell you that only time will tell you whether or not one who is ostensibly lost really wants to be found or is just using the friendship and help offered for his own ends. Those we mentor all fall into one of these categories. Some just want a guiding hand and accept responsibility for themselves. Some want a bit of TLC as well as a guiding hand and eventually accept responsibility for themselves. Others really want all they can get without accepting any responsibility for anything in their lives. Lost is really lost when the person concerned doesn’t even want to be found and consistently refuses to be helped or help themselves.

It’s the same with lost souls who haven’t found Jesus yet. Those who have not looked; those who have looked and rejected; those who refuse to look – preferring whatever their own philosophy may be. As I said previously, some just want a guiding hand and accept Jesus for themselves. Some want a bit of TLC as well as a guiding hand and eventually accept Jesus for themselves. Others really want all their own way without accepting any responsibility for anything in their lives other than rejecting God. Lost is really lost when the person concerned doesn’t even want find God and consistently refuses to be helped or help themselves.

As we action the Great Commission, we must always bear in mind that we are never going to win everything. Some people just do not want to know. Some people would rather sit on the fence until God is absolutely proven to be real – but they are at least willing to consider the possibility. Then, yet others really are ready for harvest now. They are already searching, even if they don’t quite know it.

All we can do is to fulfil the charge placed on us by 2 Timothy 4:1-5 – to be ready to do the work of an evangelist at any time. What a privilege that is !!

And remember this – the lost aren’t lost until they die in their lostness. Even up to the moment of death, they can still turn to the Lord – so keep praying for them.