As Easter approaches, we are reminded once again of why Jesus came into the world; ‘to see and to save what was lost’ (Luke 19:10). Yet what does it mean to be ‘lost’? Well take the average person in Earlwood for example. Our neighbours have everything that is unimportant and nothing that is important. Just look at what our society makes much of. Stuff! Yet filling our houses with screens, furniture, jewellery and nice cutlery is like rearranging deck chairs on the titanic, for he who dies with the most stuff STILL DIES! Our neighbours are lost.
Yet how are Christians to point the lost in the right direction when our houses are no better than theirs? If the Apostle Paul were to walk into my house, he would be brought to tears by the amount of stuff the McLaughlins have. Western Christians are a far cry from the man in Matthew 13:44, who sold EVERYTHING he had, with JOY, in order to get the kingdom.
To play our part in Jesus’ mission to seek and save the lost, we must be Praying, Inviting people to come and meet Jesus, and Engaging them in discussions about God (Outreach at Earlwood Anglican is as easy as P.I.E.). Yet unless we’re excited by Jesus ourselves, what is the likelihood of them wanting what we’ve got?
So step 1 in Christians playing their role in saving the lost is to realise just how valuable Jesus is. We are deeply forgetful creatures, so we must remind ourselves each day of the infinite grace shown to us in the cross. A divine being died for me, so that I can spend eternity in paradise! Then Step 2 is to pray that the Spirit will so overwhelm us with that grace and love that we cannot help but want others to have what we want. May our excitement over Jesus overflow this Easter, so that we can play our part in saving the lost.
