Lost in america.

My friend Ellis Prince is planting a church in Baltimore. As he is exegeting the lostness of his community he has this question:

Are we (in the context of America) seeking who is lost or our we striving to change the perceptions of those who have already heard and are not convinced?

How small is the percentage of people who are really lost without a clue and those who fall into our category of lost, but really have a clue?

My thoughts on his question:

What’s the definition of “lost”?

• Jesus came to “seek and save the lost”, but the lost were “his own who received him not”. He spent his earthly ministry seeking the lost among the Jews and Samaritans, people who had already heard and were not convinced, or were convinced of a false view of God. Yes, there were the occasional demoniacs, but most of his target were people who had been infected with religion.
• Paul spent much of his ministry in synagogues, pleading with his brothers to step in to the light of the true Messiah.
• On the other hand, Paul and Peter also spent much ministry time seeking lost among the Gentiles, people who were blind without a clue.

Lost is lost. Blind is blind. Question is, what is blinding them? Is it religion or the lust of the flesh? In 21st century America I think we have moved from a “Jesus” ministry to a “Paul” ministry. We still spend time correcting the vision of religious people who claim they can see, but are blurred by their prideful view of God. But increasingly we are helping people who have never seen God, who have no idea what the Light is.

So, how much effort do we give to the unconvinced versus how much we give to the unreached? Certainly this must be God’s specific assignment to each church, and will vary based on the community. The sharp picture of this is found in Paul’s Corinthian ministry. He pours his heart out every Sabbath in the synagogue for a time. But as the resistance of the hearts thickens, he shakes them off and moves next door to teach for the next eighteen months solely to the Gentiles.

From the synagogue to the marketplace.

How do you tackle this as you reach your community?