Do you have no heart to save the lost?
There are times when I encounter those that say that they don’t have a heart for the lost. Some even hate talking about saving the lost. I think there are a few reasons why people have no heart to save the lost.
The first is they feel no emotion about their own soul having been saved. If you believe you have been forgiven of your sins, that you have been saved from the punishment of eternal death and will go to heaven, the first thing that comes to mind is grief for the unbelieving lost.
The second is because they have not quite grasped the direction of their life of faith. It is similar to the Jews who held onto the notion that they are the only chosen people and Gentiles will burn in hell. For Christians that think like this, the goal from their life of faith is “I will be saved, blessed, and happy”. In this case, no matter how long you have been practising your faith, you will not develop a heart to save the lost.
Third, they have a customer mindset about their life of faith. Their worship at church is like an audience member. They are passive in their work at church. However, in their own workplace, they actively work hard. Bill Beckham, author of The Second Reformation, describes this phenomenon as “consumer Christians”. This is where church members come to church having a “consumer” mindset, a customer mindset, and therefore, they do not have a heart to save the lost. For these Christians, they are the customers and the pastors are the staff. What is even more surprising is that more than 80% of traditional churches live their Christian life this way. Therefore, a second reformation is needed.
Fourthly, it’s because they do not have the heart to obey the Lord’s great command. There is no one who attends church that does not know the Lord’s great command (Matthew 28:19-21). Saving the lost and making disciples is the Lord’s wish and decree. Rather than starting with the heart to save the lost, it is whether you have the will to obey, or not to obey, the great command from the Lord. The heart of saving of the lost doesn’t just appear from the start. The Lord pours this heart onto Christians who are praying and trying to obey and fulfil the great mission the Lord has given us on earth. The Lord uses His people. This is the essence of faith that we must hold onto.
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수정교회 번역팀 2021.10.30 20:49
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There are times when I encounter those that say that they don’t have a heart for the lost. Some even hate talking about saving the lost. I think there are a few reasons why people have no heart to save the lost.
The first is they feel no emotion about their own soul having been saved. If you believe you have been forgiven of your sins, that you have been saved from the punishment of eternal death and will go to heaven, the first thing that comes to mind is grief for the unbelieving lost.
The second is because they have not quite grasped the direction of their life of faith. It is similar to the Jews who held onto the notion that they are the only chosen people and Gentiles will burn in hell. For Christians that think like this, the goal from their life of faith is “I will be saved, blessed, and happy”. In this case, no matter how long you have been practising your faith, you will not develop a heart to save the lost.
Third, they have a customer mindset about their life of faith. Their worship at church is like an audience member. They are passive in their work at church. However, in their own workplace, they actively work hard. Bill Beckham, author of The Second Reformation, describes this phenomenon as “consumer Christians”. This is where church members come to church having a “consumer” mindset, a customer mindset, and therefore, they do not have a heart to save the lost. For these Christians, they are the customers and the pastors are the staff. What is even more surprising is that more than 80% of traditional churches live their Christian life this way. Therefore, a second reformation is needed.
Fourthly, it’s because they do not have the heart to obey the Lord’s great command. There is no one who attends church that does not know the Lord’s great command (Matthew 28:19-21). Saving the lost and making disciples is the Lord’s wish and decree. Rather than starting with the heart to save the lost, it is whether you have the will to obey, or not to obey, the great command from the Lord. The heart of saving of the lost doesn’t just appear from the start. The Lord pours this heart onto Christians who are praying and trying to obey and fulfil the great mission the Lord has given us on earth. The Lord uses His people. This is the essence of faith that we must hold onto.