What is searching? The Dictionary defines it as “try to find something by looking or otherwise seeking carefully and thoroughly.” What is Boy-looking? My wife defines it as “walking around the room saying you can’t find what you’re looking for.”
My boys are notorious for this (my wife says I am too – whose side is she on anyway?). They will walk around the room flailing their arms and looking at the ceiling.
My child: “I cannot find my homework. It is lost”
Me: “Did you look for it?”
My child: “Yes I have looked everywhere.”
Me: “What about on the table?”
My child: “…Oh. I did not see it there.”
What does this have to do with missions and reaching the lost? Great question. How do we look for the lost? In Luke 19 Jesus is walking along the road and makes his way to a specific tree and converses with Zacchaeus. After declaring that salvation has come to this house He says, “The Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.” (v-10) Jesus is searching for people. John 4 talks about Jesus walking through Samaria. Scripture says “he had to go” through. Why? He was seeking. Searching for the lost.
Keep seeking and you will find.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7 to “seek and you will find.” We all know this verse. The text suggests something beyond looking once and moving on. We are to keep seeking, and then we will find. When we look at the great commission, this makes sense. We should model Christ when he says,“[I] have come to seek and save the lost.”This is the point of missions. We go out to a people group who have not heard of Jesus and we tell them.
Do we need to leave to seek?
When you think of the great commission do you picture a missionary? A man told a pastor, “I want to become a missionary because I have a heart to save lost people.” The pastor politely told him he just described a Christian. Our world is saturated with people who have not heard the gospel. Our job is to seek them out; not just seek once but keep seeking. Find those areas where you “have to go”. Our mission as Christians is to seek out the lost to point them to Christ to be saved.The gospel at home or abroad.
If God has given you a passion for the lost in another country, then go and seek thoroughly. If God has you in your hometown, then keep seeking. The mission of God will not end until all have heard. So wherever God has you at this moment seek out the lost. We must refrain from walking around and flailing our arms saying, “I cannot find anyone who needs Jesus.” Odds are they are probably watching you… and some might be in trees. Interested in learning more about seeking the lost? Contact us and consider joining us for one of our Seed Weeks.Ready To Share Your Faith?
Join us for Seed Week, a week of cross-cultural evangelism training and ministry opportunities among unreached people groups in New York City.
