Lights to the Lost

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour. (Philippians 3:20)

If you and I are ever going to get involved in sharing the joys of knowing and walking with Christ, we must come to terms with the fact that people without Christ in their lives are lost absolutely and undeniably L-O-S-T.

In fact, Paul gives us one of the clearest and most pointed descriptions of the person who is lost. He or she is:

• Destined for eternal hopelessness. That is their future. The reality of hell should be enough to prompt anyone to turn to Christ.
• Driven by sensual appetites. Anyone who is exposed to the world of the unbeliever soon finds out how up-to-date the counsel of Paul really is. The timeworn    motto, “Eat, drink, and be merry” is still very much in vogue. Sensuality is the fuel that lights their fire.
• Dedicated to material things. Virtually everything draws the lost person toward possessions . . . things that have price tags, things that are tangible, things         that can be owned and must be maintained. In the words of Paul, they “set their minds on earthly things.”

When all this is added up, is it surprising that the sound of laughter has been drowned out? As you read over the list, you realize anew the emptiness, the boredom of such an existence. No laughter here.

Now the point of this analysis of the lost is not to judge or to condemn or to leave the impression that Christians are better than non-Christians. It is to remind us that God has placed us among them. They are, in fact, in the majority! Our mission is not to argue with them or put them down or make them feel ashamed; it is to reach out to them! To win them. To help them realize there is much more to life than they have ever known. To model a different lifestyle that is so convincing, so appealing, that their curiosity will be tweaked, so they might discover what they are missing.

When they come across an individual who is at peace, free of fear and worry, fulfilled, and genuinely happy, no one has to tell them that something is missing from their lives. Ours may be a mad, bad, sad world, but it is not blind. It is certainly not unreachable. Interesting them in something meaningful and different is not an impossibility. Who doesn’t want relief? Freedom from addictions? A purpose for living? A reason to laugh again?