The Lost is Our Business

We have been taught to mind our own business to a point that we no longer care about others as we should. I once watched a video taken from inside a café. People were drinking their coffee and eating their bagels as if it were any other day. As they engaged in pleasant conversation; however, they actively ignored a vehicle burning to the ground just outside the large windows they sat behind. No one tried to help. It wasn’t their problem. No one made sure people stayed out of the way. That wasn’t their job. Have we become so complacent we no longer see the flames?

Have we become so tolerant towards sin we no longer feel the need to warn people of its danger? Stephen Arterburn once said, “Our culture confuses tolerance with acceptance, much to our detriment as a society.” Romans 10:14 tells us, "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" When we convince ourselves that it is not our job to tell others where they are going wrong, we are withholding the truth that would set them free. To stay silent is to deny access to the Kingdom of God. None of that coincides with Jesus' earthly ministry. None of it. He boldly proclaimed the Kingdom. he sent his followers to do the same. If we are to count ourselves among Christ's followers, we too must share the truth. That doesn't have to be on a grand scale. We are not all called to stand on the street corner with a microphone. Some of us are called to sit with the broken, some will be given the words to unclutter the confused thinking of those caught in the trap of liberalism and inclusiveness. Some of us will write, some with speak, some will sing, but all are given the responsibility to share. However we do it, our truth will change lives because the truth sets captives free (John 8:32).

It isn’t enough that we simply make sure we are safe from Hell. Jude 22 commands us, “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” I love how Jude surrounds this command to “snatch” people from the fire with commands to be merciful. We cannot forcibly keep people from abandoning God. However, we can, and we must, open our eyes to their need to hear the Gospel. Excepting sin creates an atmosphere of apathy in God’s church that condemns many to the fire of Hell. Look up and give warning while there is still time.

(Written by Keegan Harkins.)