Evangelism, Whose Responsibility Is It?

Luke 15: 1-10 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

We all have lost something during some point in our lives. We’ve misplaced keys. We’ve forgot our watches and wallets. We may even have lost a pet dog or cat once. What did we do when we noticed that these things were missing? Did we search for them? Often it depends on the need or the urgency at the time. If it’s something we need, we start searching right away.

What about people that are lost? What do we do when a person turns up missing? We need to,

Look for those Lost:

Illustration: How many of you have seen the movie Forrest Gump? It’s one of my all-time favorites and I have realized that a person can gain many biblical messages from it. There is a scene in which Forrest is deployed to Vietnam and he’s stuck in the middle of an ambush. Bullets are flying and bombs are bursting all around Forrest but he only has one thought in mind, “To find his best friend Bubba”!

VIDEO: “I Gotta Find Bubba”

This clip has so many applications that we can draw from. And looking at it we see evangelism at its purest form. We live in a world that is full of danger, danger that is so very real, danger that can take us out at any moment. Spiritually speaking, we are in a battle each and every moment of our lives. True, we can stay still and stay in our bunkers so to speak and stay safe and avoid all the fears of being taken out by the enemy but what good is a soldier if he isn’t involved in the battle?

Forrest could have easily stayed out of the jungle and saved himself but his compassion overcame his fears and he went back in to save Bubba.

The truth is that each one of us can play it safe and stay out of the battle and show up each week here in a safe environment and then go out throughout the week never really focused much on the lost. Sure, we know they ‘re out there but for the most part we do nothing about it. We avoid them like the plague and we only associate with those that have already been found because it’s safe and comfortable.

Remember this: If you’re sick, you need a doctor. If you’re healthy you don’t. If your car is broken, you need a mechanic, if it’s running well you don’t. If you’re in the dark, you need light, if you’re in the light, you don’t.

But what about the lost? What about those that are in danger? What about those that need a spiritually healthy person that is able to pick them up and or drag them out of harm’s way?

Illustration: I see most of you each week here in our services and that’s a great thing because I know that you are being fed the Word of God and I know that His Word will sustain you and keep you healthy. Sometimes I see some of you more than just Sunday mornings because you need something more. Health reasons, emotional needs, difficulties in life, or whatever is going on, you need me and I’m there for you.

It is those that are not here on Sundays, those that aren’t going to a church, Bible studies or anything associated with God, those that are lost and don’t know Jesus that I am reaching outside of our regular Sunday worship times. Those are the ones that need to be reached and each one of us here need to be doing our part. Evangelism!!